WARMINSTER, PA — As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, Burpee is inviting Americans to commemorate the milestone not with fireworks alone, but by planting the same gardens that fed and inspired the country’s founders.
The iconic seed company has unveiled four limited-edition America’s 250th Anniversary Seed Collections, carefully curated to recreate the vegetables, herbs, and flowers grown by early Americans. The collections are designed to bring history to life in backyards and gardens across the country, allowing home growers to harvest what Thomas Jefferson, Martha Washington, and colonial families once did.
“One of the most patriotic things you can do is plant a garden,” said George Ball, Burpee’s executive chairman. He said the commemorative collections are meant to give gardeners a living connection to the people, places, and principles that shaped the nation.
Rather than limiting the celebration to July 4, Burpee said the collections encourage Americans to engage with history throughout the growing season, from spring planting through summer and fall harvests.
To ensure authenticity, Burpee partnered with several leading historical and horticultural institutions, including Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the Museum of the American Revolution, and the American Horticultural Society. The company said the partnerships helped ensure both historical accuracy and strong growing performance.
Each of the four collections reflects a different aspect of early American life.
The Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden collection features nine vegetables documented at Monticello, including ‘Tennis Ball’ lettuce and ‘Costoluto Genovese’ tomato, highlighting Jefferson’s scientific and practical approach to feeding a young nation.
Martha Washington’s Kitchen Garden draws from the extensive food gardens she oversaw at Mount Vernon, with vegetables such as ‘Danvers’ carrots, ‘Amish Deer Tongue’ lettuce, ‘Georgia Rattlesnake’ watermelon, and ‘White Lisbon’ bunching onions.
The Colonial Dooryard Herb Garden pays tribute to the herb plots commonly planted near colonial kitchens, supplying ingredients for cooking, medicine, and tea. The collection includes nine culinary and medicinal herbs such as ‘Mammoth’ dill, German chamomile, and sweet fennel, suitable for garden beds or containers.
The Declaration Bouquet offers a symbolic take on history, featuring flowers named for words found in the Declaration of Independence and the National Anthem. The mix includes Liberty cosmos, Happiness morning glory, Freedom verbena, Independence gaillardia, and Star-Spangled marigold, creating what Burpee calls a floral tribute to the nation’s founding ideals.
Each collection includes vintage-inspired artwork, historical background, and planting instructions, designed to appeal to gardeners, history enthusiasts, and collectors alike.
The America’s 250th Anniversary Seed Collections are available in limited quantities at Burpee.com, giving gardeners a chance to celebrate the nation’s past by growing it themselves.
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