Genetics by the Lake

We are home at last. And, as always, it is good to be back in the familiar.

Wow, we learned so much from visiting other nurseries. And did I mention how large some of these places are? Did I mention ACRES of just one amazing patio tree. And did I mention that there is absolutely nobody out there enjoying this scene besides us. I felt a need to sell tickets and popcorn.

But anyway, we went from large scale production to visiting a place with large scale experimentation, a lifetime of it. We visited a man who has spent his whole life messing with the genetics of plants. And every once in a while he gets a winner. And over a lifetime he has accumulated alot of cool stuff, much of it has not really hit the market.

So we set about documenting it - shoot the label, shoot the plant.


It was, in fact, a Goldmine of plant knowledge and expertise that we felt privileged to hear. The light wasn't always good, the weeds were a problem as in many nurseries we visited - places where hard times have hit.

But they keep selecting and cutting, up to 3 and 4 generations of propagating. It takes patience to cleanse the bloodlines until they get something really good.

I think "buttermilk sky" could be one of those. We might grow some of these after we sort through my full memory stick of new items. I am picturing ACRES of Buttermilk Sky.

Sometimes the tag was missing and so we had to improvise to remember the variety, this is hubby labeling the next plant as "sweet parfume". See it worked!

Here's a hydrangea I really liked. (I can't say I have met a hydrangea I didn't like, come to think of it.) This one has taken a beating by pests lately, but that doesn't matter as long as you can still reproduce it.



After another long hot day with plants we ended our trip here. But the plant discussions never ended until this gentleman was ready for bed. The view of Lake Erie was a wonderful finishing touch for me.
Turned out to be a lovely sunset too.

His daughter has become a good friend in the industry and we definitely enjoyed her hospitality.

Her peanut butter pie was a superb finish to the week!