Lancaster County greenhouse, Burpee’s gardens are open to the public one day only; here’s how to sign up

Green Leaf Plants grows more than 20 million starter plants every year, from herbs to dianthus. This greenhouse oasis in Smoketown is not open to the public because all of these plants are sold wholesale.

A rare chance to take a tour inside the greenhouses is coming up Friday, July 26. The company’s free public tours coincide with another big open house in the region. Burpee’s historic garden in Doylestown will be open Saturday, July 27.

Green Leaf Plants, a division of Aris Horticulture, will offer tours through the production facilities and trial garden, 2369 Old Philadelphia Pike, Lancaster, Friday, July 26. Tours will be at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Registering online is appreciated. The tours are free. Register at lanc.news/greenleaftour.

Green Leaf grows plants in an area that includes 52 greenhouses, says Justin Wisniewski, general manager of Must Have Perennials, a company based at Green Leaf.

Green Leaf often opens its doors to industry customers who come to Lancaster County for the flower trials field day at Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Landisville. This is the first event open to the public, Wisniewski says. The company’s grown plants here since the late 1990s

The tours are a chance for people to learn where plants are grown, Wisniewski says. They can also vote on their favorite and least-favorite plants.

“Any feedback we can get from the public is very, very valuable,” he says.

Burpee’s open house at Fordhook Farm, 105 New Britain Road, Doylestown, is Saturday, July 27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The farm will have self-guided tours, talks from Iris Van Den Nieuwenhuizen, a Burpee plant breeder; Jerry Fritz, a Bucks County garden designer; Rob Cardillo and Nicole Juday, the author and photographer of “The Private Gardens of Philadelphia” plus Penn State Master Gardeners. There will also be kids activities, food trucks, music, a pop-up shop from Bucks County Flower Collective and a Burpee shop. Registration’s not required but you can RSVP on Facebook at lanc.news/burpeeopen24.

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