The morning glory flower can take months to blossom, but seeing their stunning trumpet-shape blooms finally pop from their spindly tendrils is so worth the wait.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe call the morning glory \u2018happiness,\u2019 because it\u2019s cheerful. It\u2019s blue with a glowing pink center, and it makes you feel like life is good,\u201d said Burpee<\/a> president and CEO Jamie Mattikow.<\/p>\n To celebrate the nation\u2019s 250th birthday, the Warminster company is partnering with the Museum of the American Revolution<\/a> to offer a Declaration Bouquet collection, which features seeds for five new flowers inspired by words plucked from the Declaration of Independence and the national anthem.<\/p>\n The collection debuted Dec. 1, and, besides the \u201chappiness\u201d morning glory, includes a \u201cstar-spangled\u201d marigold, whose white layered petals signify Old Glory\u2019s stars; the drought-tolerant, butter yellow \u201cindependence\u201d gaillardia; the fiery orange \u201cliberty\u201d cosmos; and the calming purple \u201cfreedom\u201d verbena that can be started indoors or out, as long as it has full sun.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to bring the words to life in a flower that embodied them,\u201d Mattikow said of the full collection, which is available in the museum\u2019s gift shop and via Burpee for $34.95 (you can also get each Declaration Bouquet seed packet individually via burpee.com<\/a>). The collection contains five seed packets, eight labels, a Declaration of Independence keepsake card, and growing instructions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Declaration Bouquet was part of a larger effort of making America\u2019s 250th special for gardeners,\u201d said Mattikow, who became an avid gardener himself after he joined the company in 2019.<\/p>\n The idea to partner with the Museum of the American Revolution came from Maureen Heffernan, horticulturist and wife of Burpee owner George Bell, after a visit to the Old City<\/a> institution.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were percolating this idea of collaborations for 2026, so she reached out,\u201d said Allegra Burnette, the museum\u2019s chief strategy and growth officer.<\/p>\n They talked through ideas, and the company came up with the flower collection.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a way for them to showcase new flowers \u2014 and the Declaration of Independence spawned a lot of new things, as well,\u201d Burnette said. \u201cIt\u2019s also a nice way to come out of our \u2018Declaration\u2019s Journey\u2019 exhibit<\/a> when you are in a thoughtful but celebratory frame of mind. We hope it\u2019s a way to plant a seed and keep something going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n The collaboration was a no-brainer for Burpee. \u201cWe recognize the importance of Philadelphia to the birth of the country, and we wanted to partner with somebody who could help us think of a great way to do this,\u201d Mattikow said.<\/p>\n Along with celebrating the nation\u2019s milestone birthday, Burpee has a big one of its own, marking 150 years in business in 2026. One way it\u2019s ringing in the anniversary is with a Historic Breakthroughs collection of heirloom seeds.<\/p>\n \u201cThe founding of W. Atlee Burpee has always been about innovation, even today,\u201d Mattikow said. \u201c[Our story] has been largely told in products that were firsts to gardeners and farmers at the time. There are histories behind them that some people aren\u2019t aware of, so we thought it\u2019d be a wonderful opportunity to bundle it together in a collection of historic gardening firsts.\u201d <\/p>\n