Choose Violets

08/28/2026

08/19/2026

NEW ITEM ALERT: Sweet White Violet (Viola blanda) is now available in very limited quantities!
Fragrant white flowers with purple veins and light yellow throat spread readily through stolons and seed. Low-growing colonies with deep green heart-shaped leaves form readily in shady, moist soils.

RESTOCK: Marsh Blue Violet (Viola cucullata) Elegant light blue with dark blue-centered flowers rise well above heart shaped leaves on long stems, a welcome site in wet to moist areas.

Shop seeds now: https://chooseviolets.com/shop or stop by the Fredonia Farm Festival this Saturday from 9-3.

08/13/2026

Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) blooms from today.

08/10/2026

There are some great events coming up in August and September that have been added to the Community Hub Calendar. https://chooseviolets.com/community-hub/ Some of my favorites with some amazing fellow humans include the below:

Saturday August 15th, 1:30pm, Urban Farm Day discussion about how and why to grow food together with Firouzan Food Forest + Nursery meeting at DeeplyRooted Community Garden (98 Luksin Drive, Tonawanda, NY, United States, 14150). Participants will be gifted pawpaw saplings.

Saturday August 22, 10am, Hidden Harvest: A Native Plant Discovery Hike at Cassadaga Lakes Nature Park (8131 NY-60, Cassadaga, NY 14718) Everwild Land Trust & Royal Fern Nursery for a Native Edible Plant Workshop & Hike and learn how to spot edible plants, hear their stories, and gain a deeper appreciation for the natural world around us.

Two chances to "Gather and Grow" Native seeds to bring home for your own gardens. September 15th with Royal Fern (Jamestown Location) or September 22nd with myself (Dunkirk Location).

September 19th, 10am, Native Culinary Herbs for the Home Garden with Sweet Flag Herbs at the Botany Barn (8888 Glasgow Rd, Fredonia NY 14063). Learn about easy-to-grow native plants that add flair to our meals.

September 27, 1pm, The Gardens at Murder Creek: Tree Nut Workshop CW Native Plant Farm with Charlotte Way will chat about Black Walnuts, Hickories, Chestnuts and Oaks while cleaning and processing black walnuts. Everyone will be able to take a bunch home! Registration required & minimal free ($5).

Check out the full google calendar for more events or more information about the above. As always feel free to message me if you would like your event added! We try to keep up, but are only human. Plant, nature, and garden events are always welcome.

08/09/2026

Leaf cutter bee on a volunteer jewelweed.

08/04/2026

Excited to finally get some decent shots of the annual Lobelia inflata, commonly known as Indian To***co or Pukeweed.

Fun Fact: Historically, Native Americans smoked lobelia as a treatment for asthma. In the 19th century, American physicians prescribed lobelia to induce vomiting in order to remove toxins from the body, mainly to***co or whiskey

07/28/2026

I've been watching some Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars closely, as they picked a lone milkweed plant near no others. Today it was officially spent and I clipped it to another plant. Fingers crossed some survive while others may support a baby bird or two. 🐛