Sugar Maple. (Acer saccharum)

Another year, another round of germination.

White phenotype of Salvia Azurea

Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)

If you're in the USA, now is a good time to write to your representatives in the Senate. (Schumer/Gillibrand for me NY) There is an upcoming vote on funding for ICE/DHS. If you're not sure what to say, you can use my letter as a template. docs.google.com/document/d/1...

I'm doing some research in a manner that requires precise citations. I'm finding myself wanting to quote sources from the EPA, USDA, and Census bureau. At one point I would have been really confident in that. These days I'm not sure how much I can actually trust that as a source?

Spotted Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum) Native to a wide range temperate areas in the united states. It often can be seen out in the wild forming large clumps and masses of plants. This is a late summer through fall bloomer. Grows rapidly, responds very well to nitrogen, and yeah just great.

This is Tall Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) as seen at Tifft Nature Preserve. This herbaceous perennial is native to NE USA and blooms in the fall. Tall Ironweed has dramatic purple/pink blossoms, reaches up to 6ft tall, and is a valuable source of late season nectar during.

The North American Paintbrush Plant Castilleja coccinea is a hemi-parastic biennial. It does not require a host plant for it's lifecycle. However, it does greatly benefit by being able to steal nutrients from nearby hosts. In some areas of the country, there is also a yellow phenotype.

Did you know? Modern Peach and Apricot varieties are bred in... Ontario, Canada? Frost Peach is the best peach variety with disease resistance to Peach Leaf Curl a notoriously difficult fungal infection. Not to mention those spring pink blossoms

Lilac appreciation Post.

Magnolias are one of my favorite ornamental trees and I've got a few exciting varieties this year. Felix, Galaxy, Black Tulip, Kobus, Tinkerbelle, and Yellow Bird www.zubaplants.com/collections/...

The 2026 catalog is online and taking orders. Still a bunch to do (namely more/better photos) but the hard part is out of the way. Over 120 different products this year. Double the number of native plants and a wide selection of fruit and ornamental trees. www.zubaplants.com

"Seeds that germinate when exposed to light are called positively photoblastic" www.researchgate.net/publication/...

Seeds are sown

CLOSED For In person retail for the rest of the season. Online orders only

Meadow Blazing Star

"Buffalo officials largely ignored neighbors and violated state law in their rush to convert an abandoned community center near the Central Terminal into a training facility." www.investigativepost.org/2025/09/04/p...

In case you wanted some levity in your life this week. We made a low budget commercial with a butterfly www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVPN...

There is oppression in my neighborhood. Please share. I beg you. www.btpm.org/local/2025-0...

I grew it for the flowers, but I'm into the seedpods and foliage. (Rocky Mountain Penstemon)

Avant Garde

Canada produces more than 65% of the sphagnum peat moss used in the United States Imports of peat from Canada represent 97% of total United States imports and 85% of total Canadian production value of peat moss production in Canada is estimated at $337 million creneautourbe.ca/wp-content/u...

Service berries don't get enough love. People come in trying to buy blueberries. I like blueberries, but lets be real. Your soil PH is not 4.5-5.5 and you're probably not gonna throw down sulfur every year to keep that ph down. Just buy the service berry, but alas they keep asking for the blueberry.

True Inspiration.

Field trial of Spent Mushroom Substrate as a medium for ornamental container production. 100% SMS, 50/50, and 100% potting soil as a control.

Definitely putting rocky mountain penstemon back in the catalog.

This is mikado

Eastern Bluestar and Woodland Columbine

lol look at this lupine

Feeling some appreciation for the foliage on these roses.

Apple trees fruiting in the nursery

Hey buddy, what are you doing in the greenhouse?

Chives as a perennial border plant.

I heard you like mushrooms

How you know it's spring for real

Bowmans Root in 3 phases Mar 17 - April 20

Milkweed, Liatris, Bee Balm looking good too

Columbines are looking decent. Smaller than I'd like, but forecast for the greenhouse temps and growth look good over the next two weeks. Should pick up a bit.

How it started and how it's going

Couple of closeups from the greenhouse

Cherry trees are sold out.

Fruit trees came in and they are bigger than expected

I spend a lot of time thinking about germination. It takes 3-4 months for some of the stuff I grow. It's all super fickle. Simple temp shifts w/ us natives can wildly change the germination profile from year to year. There's 0-little info on why. Which makes me wonder a lot about climate change

Also, the Bowmans Root looking👌 My favorite plant and was a bit worried. Last year started germinating in the greenhouse w/out bottom heat. This year it needed 2 weeks on a a heat mat ~= 65-70F.

Germination w/ natives always all over the place. Digging the milkweed this year. Generally, really happy with how clean the plugs are looking. Had trays outside last year and ran into weed pressure w/ seed blowing onto the trays. Doing cold strat in the greenhouse this year def helped with that.