Burpee Flower Catalog

The Burpee flower catalog is actually called the Burpee Gardening Catalog and features both flower and vegetable seeds, bulbs and plants. Produced by the W. Atlee Burpee Company, the catalog offers a treasure trove of flowers for the home gardener.

Obtaining a Burpee Flower Catalog

The Burpee flower catalog may be obtained by calling the company at 1-800-333-5808 or visiting the company's online order form where you can request a catalog be mailed to you. The current catalog offers a comprehensive selection of flower, vegetable, and herb seeds and plants as well as selected fruit trees, shrubs and more.

About Burpee

Since 1881, American gardeners have enjoyed the wintertime ritual of opening their mailbox, grabbing the Burpee flower catalog, and settling by the fire to peruse the gorgeous pictures and descriptions of plants for sale.

The company was actually founded in 1876. W. Atlee Burpee began by breeding and selling livestock, but requests from farmers led him to develop his mail order seed business. Although he was just 18 years old, Burpee had already established a name for himself as an expert at breeding hogs and poultry, and he quickly applied his knowledge of the nascent field of genetics to hybridize new and improved strains of field crops for farmers. He borrowed money from his wealthy mother and established the Burpee Seed Company. By the late 1880's, Burpee purchased a farm in Pennsylvania called Fordhook Farm and began cultivating new vegetable strains. This is why many popular varieties of fruits and vegetables have the word "Fordhook" in the name; they were first developed at Burpee's Forhook Farm.

Today, the company continues to use the old Fordhook Farm as a trial garden, developing and testing new seed varieties before offering them for sale. The company works with plant scientists nationwide and continues its tradition of excellence and innovation.

Reading the Burpee Catalog

The Burpee catalog is divided into several sections. These include:

New Features
Customer Favorites
Vegetable Seeds and Plants
Herb Seeds and Plants
Garden-Ready Plants
Organic Seeds
Fruits
Container Gardens
Annuals
Summer Bulbs
Perennials
Supplies

Among the categories above, flower fanciers specifically will want to peruse the New Features, Customer Favorites, Garden-Ready Plants, Container Gardens, Annuals, Summer Bulbs, and Perennials Section.

New Features

The New Features section focuses on brand-new and exclusive seeds. This year's flower introductions, for example, include "Coconut Ice" hybrid sunflowers, which feature a creamy-coconut colored flower with a dark chocolate center, and Raspberry Lemonade Mix zinnias, a jolly panoply of hot pink, white and pink striped, and lemonade-yellow flowers. Other new flowers include hybrid Echinacea, sweet peas, a lime colored petunia, more sunflowers, and impatiens to grow from seed.

Customer Favorites

The Customer Favorites area is a showcase of the company's best selling plants. This section also includes a mix of flower and vegetable seeds. Flower favorites include sunflower mixes with huge, towering varieties great for gardening with kids and interesting white-flowered zinnias. Other favorites include mixed groups of ready-to-plant Echinacea for instant garden gratification.

Garden-Ready Plants

Thanks to modern next-day shipping, Burpee sells plants in pots. Many flower varieties are available in pots. You can purchase them singly or in groups of three, six or more. The company offers discounts on orders of three or more and the discounted price is printed in the catalog.

Container Gardens

Burpee's latest innovation are ready-made container gardens. These are plants selected by expert horticulturists and packaged together to create a beautiful window box or container garden. Containers aren't included, but all the plants you need to create lovely and interesting container gardens are included in your order.

Annuals and Perennials

Annuals are flowers that last for one year, usually dying with the first frost of autumn. Perennials return year after year from their rootstock. Burpee sells both, and you can find seeds, bulbs, and plants ready for purchase. The Annual and Perennial sections of the catalog are arranged alphabetically by botanical name. Symbols next to the plant's name indicate full sun (an open or white colored sun), partial sun (half of the sun symbol is colored in) or full shade (the sun symbol is black).

Seed quantity varies in each package, so check the package information carefully on each variety to ensure you have plenty to grow for your garden. In addition to individual seed packages, the company has selected various flower seed varieties and packaged them into kits such as the "Cutting Garden" kit which includes seeds to grow for cut flowers.

Ordering

You can order from the catalog using the order form stapled into the center, or use the catalog to quickly look up the item you wish to buy and complete your order online. Be sure to note the code for the Free Gift; each Burpee catalog offers some type of free gift, either a free booklet or some new seeds to try, making it even more enticing to order by mail.

Whether you want to grow a cutting garden or a perennial border, Burpee's rich and diverse selection of flower seeds makes their company a great resource for any gardener.