Finding the right seed sources for trees was important to me. Chestnut trees are grown throughout Michigan and many great examples exist of both cultivated and wild trees of unknown origins. It was both a puzzle to solve and a means for me to secure seeds for my nursery for tree production. One such selection was the Douglas hybrids. Even today I wondered how I navigated through this maze of diversity. From New York, Earl Douglas created a legacy that continues to this day. What I didn’t know was the legacy also left room for improvemnet and selection. I found out by giving up, the solution would present itself in greater numbers over time. The solution was more than the sum of its parts far greater than any plant I have grown. In a twist of fate, the “I did nothing philosophy” was the ideal solution.
