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2011 Last Open House at Fordhook Farm: Guest Blog by Nick Rhodehamel
As mundane as it may be, weather, and the current weather at that, always seems to be a big focus of our thoughts and lives. Now the erstwhile Hurricane Irene, officially downgraded to a tropical storm, has soaked the East Coast. All but forgotten is the previous week’s hot, wet weather during which Burpee held its final open house for 2011. Then we worried about the possibility of rain. That never materialized (during the day at least), but instead, visitors braved heat and humidity to attend.
Registration
Burpee is celebrating its 135 years in the business of breeding and selling seed. The open house commemorated this. George Ball, Burpee chairman and CEO, spoke at length about the history of the company, its founder—W. Atlee Burpee, the company’s past and present successes, and its challenges for the future.
The open house was held at Fordhook Farm (Doylestown, PA), which was Mr. Burpee’s home. It was at Fordhook Farm that Mr. Burpee conducted his original research and breeding efforts, producing such cultivars as Golden Bantam corn and Iceberg lettuce, both of which changed the way Americans thought of food (see http://www.burpee.com/gardening/content/the-legacy-of-w.-atlee-burpee/legacy.html).
In Mr. Burpee’s day, the farm was some 700 acres. The farm now is about 60 acres and includes Mr. Burpee’s home, some other original buildings, and many of the trial garden plots that he used.
Mr. Burpee’s home with (at right) tent for open house. Behind tent is the Carriage House that included Mr. Burpee’s library.
Seed cleaning barn.
Ruined springhouse.
Fordhook Farm is still very much a working farm. Many of the vegetable and flower seeds that Burpee sells are bred and tested in the greenhouses and trial plots at Fordhook. And many of the plants that will be offered for sale in the catalogues are grown and further evaluated in the various display gardens there.
To my mind, the highlight of the open house was the garden tours. Fordhook Farm is blessed with changing topography and hydrology. This creates uniquely different garden sites that range from dry and sunny to wet and shady, and allow Burpee researchers to evaluate very different kinds of plants under very different growing conditions in the relatively small area of Fordhook Farm.
The gardens include a meadow of perhaps 20 acres that in the last year has been planted with a group of rare and unusual trees, many of them conifers from Asia. This meadow is quite wet on its western edge but becomes increasingly drier as you move across it. On the margin of the meadow is a garden that is dry and sunny. It is filled with various aster-like plants, butterfly bushes, and showy grasses that all surround a large willow. In front of the Burpee house, is a dry border garden that tests plants with its harsh afternoon sun. There are also both dry and moist shaded gardens. The moist, woodland garden was quite soggy in places on Saturday (after the previous night’s rain). In it is a great collection of hellebores, which in spring are extraordinary.
Leaving the kitchen garden.
Waiting in shade of old sycamore tree before gardens tour.
Meadow with some of the new trees and the old white oak that, in the 19th century, served as the shady gathering spot or “break room” for field workers during supper (lunch).
Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara), a large evergreen tree that can reach 150 feet tall in its native habitat, the western Himalayas where it grows at around 7000 feet.
Happiness Garden with fish sculpture.
Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) that is taking over Happiness Garden.
Sunny garden in front of Burpee house, facing south.
Hydrangea paniculata cv. Limelight, west of Burpee house.
Shade garden (Heronswood East) with hellebores in foreground.
I was asked during one tour that I led about Burpee’s genetically modified plants (GMOs). Well, Burpee has none. The questioner was surprised to learn that Burpee has never produced or sold genetically modified seed or plants. There are no plans to do so. All seed that Burpee sells is developed by conventional breeding methods; these same methods, in their essence, have been used by humans to domesticate and shape plants and animals for the last 12,000 years or so.
Flower trial garden.
Battle of the titans—Burpee sunflowers.
Battle of the titans 2.
Kitchen (vegetable test) garden.
Sunflower photo station.
A side light to the garden tours was tomato-tasting and a cooking demonstration. After tasting and rating Burpee tomatoes, visitors sampled zucchini “guacamole” and a feta–watermelon concoction prepared by Burpee staff on the veranda of the Burpee house. All vegetables and fruit were grown at Fordhook. Also, a farm market stand provided fresh produce and sandwiches for purchase.
Cooking demonstration on the Burpee house veranda.
Farm market stand.
Fordhook Farm has no bee hives (though Delaware Valley College next door does). But the number of insects you see in the gardens, bees in particular but also butterflies, is really remarkable. They are everywhere; there are honey bees as well as large and small bumblebees and a variety of butterflies both showy and drab.
Butterfly bush and butterfly (and honeybee).
Now, back to weather. With the open house over (and presumably the very hot, dry weather that plagued most of the country), Burpee is looking forward to another growing season for its customers in the southern states. This is not the 10-day or 2-week Indian Summer that so characterizes fall in New England and the Upper Midwest but an almost “second summer” during which many Burpee plants will thrive. Stay tuned.
Red and yellow sunflower.
Thank you for the lovely pics of Fordhook Farm. Really enjoyed the blog. Felt like I was there.
Your quite welcome, Cheryl. Glad you enjoyed it.
would like contact info for the farm. The Franklin County Masterer gardeners wqould like to include the farm on our spring 2012 bus tour especially during one of the open houses
Dear Linda,
By all means bring your group to the next Open House. The dates are not yet set, but please watch the Burpee website for announcements or sign up for the email list (go to the homepage at http://www.burpee.com/, looks for a box at the lower left that say “Enter your email address here”, and do so. Thanks for taking the time to read and post.
I would so like to come to one of the open houses in Doylestown. I am a Master Gardener from Ocean County and would like to be put on a list for next years open houses. Thank you.
Laurie Rose
Dear Laurie,
It would be great if you could come to one or more of the Open Houses that will be held next year. Currently, the dates are not set, so please watch the Burpee website for announcement in the spring or sign up for the email list (go to the homepage at http://www.burpee.com/, look for a box at the lower left that says “Enter your email address here”, and do so. Thanks for reading.
Can I order seeds for the red and yellow sunflower? Thanks.
Dear Sue,
No, there is no seed for this sunflower. It is a genetic anomaly, and the red and yellow pattern is not stable. Pretty striking though, isn’t it. Thanks for asking.
The pictures & comments made me almost feel like I was there…thanks for the “trip”. Perhaps someday I will get there:) cw
Dear Cathy,
I’m happy that you liked the piece. Thanks for taking the time to read and post. I hope we’ll see you next year.
Thank you for clarifying that Burpee has no genetically modified plants/seeds. I was surprised as well and realized I may be confusing hybrid with GMO.
Dear Chris,
I suspect you’re right. Often hybrids and GMOs are conflated in the common press or at least lumped together. Also in the 1990s, there was an idea that got a lot of play that hybrids eroded the genetic base of plants. The notion was scientifically tested by main-stream researchers and found not to hold water. But that research (see for example Crop Sci. 42:1766–1779) is beyond the interest and expertise of most people. And after all who wants to erode plants’ genetic bases or club harp seals to death or cause polar bears to drown? Thanks for taking the time to write in.
How do I get on your mailing list? I want to attend the open houses in Doylestown but am not notified when they will be.
Dear Carolyn,
Please do. To get on the email list go to the homepage at http://www.burpee.com/, look for a box at the lower left that says “Enter your email address here”, and do so.
thanks so much for this beautiful and wonderful tour. Since I could not physically be there, it was great to see everything on my computer. Sure wish I could have shared in the eating part too. thanks again and keep these emails coming!
Dear Patricia,
I’m glad you enjoyed the blog. I don’t know where you’re located, but if it’s anywhere near Doylestown, please consider coming to an Open House next year.