National Garden Bureau Highlights Member Company Legacies as Industry Marks America’s 250th Anniversary

New NGB member-history initiative spotlights breeders, growers, seed companies and nurseries that helped build the modern horticulture industry.

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, National Garden Bureau is spotlighting an often overlooked part of the American business story: horticulture companies whose breeding, production, merchandising and product innovation helped shape today’s garden industry.

Through its new America 250: Celebrating Our Roots initiative, NGB is sharing the origin stories of member companies—some founded in the 19th century—to show how generations of horticulture businesses shaped plant breeding, nursery production, garden retail and consumer engagement. The campaign is designed as a resource for industry media, members and other stakeholders seeking historical context for horticulture’s long-term impact on the U.S. landscape and marketplace.

“America 250 is an opportunity to recognize that horticulture has been part of the country’s economic and cultural development for generations,” said Diane Blazek, executive director of National Garden Bureau. “Many of our member companies have histories that mirror the growth of modern gardening, from seed distribution and mail-order catalogs to breeding breakthroughs, container production and branded plant introductions.”

A Long View of Industry Leadership

The initiative features companies whose longevity reflects horticulture’s long business footprint:

• Breck’s, founded in 1818, remains one of the oldest direct-to-consumer bulb brands in the U.S. market.
• Ernst Benary Seed Co., founded in 1843, is one of the world’s oldest plant breeding companies and a longtime force in floriculture genetics.
• Syngenta Flowers, founded as Sluis en Groot in 1867, has grown into a global company, with innovations such as AAS Winner Calliope Geranium, Sunfinity sunflower and Imara impatiens.
• Park Seed Company, founded in 1868, and Burpee, founded in 1876, helped show the reach of seed catalogs and mail-order marketing in building the consumer gardening market.
• Gurney’s Seed and Nursery, founded in 1866, reflects how seed and nursery businesses scaled alongside the expansion of national distribution.

Innovation That Helped Define Modern Horticulture

The featured histories also show how member companies helped commercialize practices and products now considered standard:

• Sakata Seed introduced breeding breakthroughs including the first all-double petunia and the first commercial hybrid pansy, helping expand possibilities in ornamental genetics.
• Star Roses and Plants helped set new benchmarks in branded plant introductions with the Knock Out® Family of Roses, while also playing a historic role in bringing the Peace rose to the U.S. market.
• Ball Horticultural Company helped advance professional production knowledge through the Ball RedBook and influenced consumer demand through major plant introductions.
• Monrovia Nursery was an early adopter of container production, a shift that transformed nursery logistics, merchandising and planting flexibility.
• PanAmerican Seed helped shape bedding plant expectations with introductions such as Wave® Petunias and Beacon® Impatiens.

Multigenerational Businesses, Long-Term Industry Influence

Many NGB member companies also reflect the green industry’s continuity, with family ownership and multigenerational leadership still central to the sector’s identity:

• Bailey Nurseries has grown from a regional operation into one of North America’s major wholesale nursery businesses while remaining family-led.
• DutchGrown and Brent and Becky’s Bulbs reflect the enduring role of bulb specialists in connecting heritage products with new generations of gardeners.
• Bonnie Plants illustrates the scale that propagation and young-plant distribution can achieve in the edible gardening segment.

NGB is Celebrating 106 Years as an Industry Storytelling Resource

Founded in 1920, National Garden Bureau connects horticulture expertise with the media and gardening public. In 2024, NGB completed its merger with All-America Selections, with AAS continuing as its plant-trialing program. NGB said the America 250 member-history effort builds on that mission by giving editors, members and industry stakeholders a stronger archive of company milestones, innovations and historical context.

Media Resource

Trade editors and industry stakeholders can explore member company histories on the NGB website. NGB can also provide background, member examples and interviews.

About the National Garden Bureau

National Garden Bureau is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 that serves as the marketing arm of the gardening industry. Its membership includes breeders, growers, distributors, retailers and other horticulture companies working to promote gardening and plant use through education, media outreach and industry programs.