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Burpee Trial Gardens Tour

Bob visits the Burpee Trial Gardens in Ambler, Pa. with George Ball, Burpee president and CEO. George explains the objectives of a "trial" garden and shows off several new plants and flowers.
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Burpee Trial Gardens Tour

  computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Hi George good morning good morning Bob -- fine thank you welcome what is a trial -- well it's the Burpee catalogue -- living form both the present catalog in the future catalogs to come interest -- everything in here is kind of in a way experimental exactly as -- the confirmation as well as future stuff yeah so here we are Sharon -- my chief -- Bob hi I -- nice to know you can what are you creating here Sharon."

" testing add new varieties and some all of writing standards. Trying different ways with pots and containers."

" These looks suspiciously like blue liners Eilat."

" Reusing them because we went -- a different height variation in when we do design something went to try to seek help plants do grow in him. Keeps the plants from and invasive plants from getting out of hand that's a -- that you have there boy I know how invasive that can be that can take over your whole flower bed this is one way to -- that problem okay let's get the height OK. And what are some of the colorful things that we see here like this this little yellow this is a some flowers that -- very proud of this year it's called -- And everybody can grow a sunflower."

" But usually it is six -- called assisted very -- this is what would it will be in a hot exactly what it is him everybody can enjoy it and to what is this little vignette on the ground in front of me."

" We have have a lot of plants requiring that are very dainty and tiny and we wanted to show him uniform stinking."

" It certainly is this is cute does great project to do with your kids exactly. We brought seeds or from Europe 120 years ago and Europe is like a cave it's cool it's darkest -- in America is really sunny very sunny and very hot -- so when the immigrants came over. We took their seeds and planted them in these test gardens like you see here and starting many years ago and we created a race if you will -- generation. Of American vegetables and American flowers that could take the high heat and high humidity in the extreme what he kind of opportunities this is that -- picket site. Tell you we can we could talk about vegetables all day as I love -- but we're really here to learn a little bit about. Flowering on the -- Syria let's go over here and talk about the new flowers. Now this is just cosmos right yes it's an experimental variety that work. Testing it -- much earlier than your standard type -- doesn't get this floppy and doesn't have a name yet. It's still experimental variety -- came over from India and the trade routes to Central Europe when they're wonderful carpet like colors that's why the Germans in the polls really love them really. Now next to it if I am I am familiar with this it to Marguerite right Marguerite -- chrysanthemum annual contentment as -- left buttery flower. It looks like the sun is shining behind it also has one of folic -- a garden which looks fresh. And next year hopefully you'll be able to find these in your gardens -- we're looking at a future here what's this. This is peacocks -- it's a tall cuts go slow CO -- out of a very tall woman that looks very exotic. Almost like alien and you want to use it -- an -- planned very dramatic does very beautifully as a rich color and very tall people like -- nowadays can use -- as a cut flower and bring it inside and you can also dry yes neat now -- all annuals and I really want to learn more about perennials -- perennial garden. This is extraordinary. And what you want a perennial gardens a lot of space that we got to boarders facing each other sort of mirroring in the classic border style English Italian American blend. So the size is one of the key things sizes the key thing here. Bob because which one and -- it want height in a perennial garden you want to. Mix it with some annuals you want to sort of have variation in both time and space so you always have a show color it's such a joy to walk through all these flowers that are. Quite this talk there's something right here that catches my Oceana. This is -- ever been aboard Arian says the beautiful told Urbina when we're talking it. This is -- reverently and with no milling them and it means. Consists of a bulb so it Bob if you plan but he keeps coming back every year yes and it's so fragrant yes. This is that we may see up for Korea madness. It's named after the fellow who -- and although it is very large it's a rich purple cauliflower. With the beautiful head in that wonderful intense petals. And it was bread and an island off Sweden in the 1960s as though the common name is calling flower purple cone -- fabulous fabulous and then over here you've got more of it and got. That the way you balance the colors with the darker yeah we're putting the plant with a dark red that's probably yes and although it's and hang out as at a pension color. The other perennials. -- nice rich color and texture. Here you don't have a flower blooming of the foliage -- blooming -- the rich rich color and a hot pink stripe on the middle of it and under valued crop that police now what's on the outside of the hatch let's take a look at some of our native plants. So all of these plants are native to. To Pennsylvania. In North America this is blinding what is this this is were Becky a gold storm black eyed Susan okay instrument was taken from North America to Germany. And cultivated and made into this gold storm and then brought back and introduce what sort of the opposite of what -- normally that we can you start this from -- absolutely needs that's really terrific. And everything in here looks vaguely familiar -- but while this looks just like that. That's -- any CO whites one this is the white cone flower it's very unusual it's not quite as popular as the Deep Purple one. No there we have the -- we that's a real popular item while that's very tall that would call Joe pa -- you Victorian. And is that again a perennial you can asked our lives so tall and it comes out for him no this would come from plants. And this is so told a couple of it's great for insects and one of the great things about natives of that insects love them -- how and you get this glorious display in the you get heightening not always looking down looking up spectacular idea Sharon great -- that -- Canada tour George thanks hot tepee gardens."

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