Brian Borncamp
www.zubaplants.com - Native Plants and More - Buffalo, NY
- 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
