A GROWING PASSION: Coming To A Nursery Near You

Stream now with KPBS+ / Watch Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 8:30 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Sunday, July 26 at 11 a.m. on KPBS TV

You walk into a nursery, pick up a beautiful plant in one-gallon container, pay for it, take it home and plant it in your garden. Have you ever stopped to think about how that plant got to the nursery? We aren't talking about the truck that delivered it, but rather about what it took to breed, trial, propagate, grow, and then deliver that plant to the nursery.

The process of bringing a new plant to market is astonishingly complex and sophisticated. It is a years-long, sometimes decades-long process, during which each plant is touched by dozens of hands. This behind-the-scenes tour of how plants come to market will give you a whole new appreciation for the industry and for the plants you plant in your garden.

Resources From This Episode:
Armstrong Growers

Roger's Gardens

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These plants have been loaded from the growing grounds and are on their way to be packed and shipped to a nursery.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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Acres of new coleus varieties are grown in shade houses. Their brilliant colors come from their leaves, not their flowers.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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One of the many varieties of variegated coleus that Armstrong Growers ships to your local nursery.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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Rows of potted chartreuse and burgundy leaved geraniums are nearly ready to be sent to the retail nursery.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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EuroAmerican Propagators trials new varieties of annuals and perennials in a colorful hillside planting.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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Succulents like these aloes, are trialed for several seasons in order to determine whether they are “growable” and marketable enough to be included in EuroAmerican’s plant catalog.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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These “fat tail” aloes were bred in Australia and will be introduced into the U.S. market in the next few years.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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Ruffle petaled pansies are among EuroAmerican’s more unique plants.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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Host Nan Sterman (2nd from left) explores 100 years of poinsettia breeding as described by breeder Ruth Kobayashi (left).

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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New poinsettias bred by Ruth Kobayashi over may years await her evaluation. A few will eventually make their way to market. The rest are destined for the compost pile.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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Poinsettia breeder Ruth Kobayashi worked for Ecke Ranch for more than 20 years and has developed poinsettias in a myriad of colors, with different shaped flowers, colored leaves, heights, and so on.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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Breeder Ruth Kobayashi looks at some of the newer, golden poinsettias she is working on.

Courtesy of AGP Productions, LLC

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About The Series: A GROWING PASSION is a lifestyle program that explores San Diego County’s agriculture and horticulture activities as an expression of this growing earth-friendly movement. From backyard food production to major horticultural growers, from low water landscapes to sustainable practices around the home and in the garden, we tell stories about the natural and man-made landscapes that shape the social, cultural, environmental and economic interests of our community. We celebrate how San Diego grows. The series is hosted by Nan Sterman.