About Us

At Select Seedling Nursery we grow and sell hardy tree and shrub seedlings for the North American market.  We are a division of Lakeshore Tree Farms, who have pioneered growing hardy fruit trees in Saskatchewan since the 1950’s.  In the thirty years following, they have supplied zone 2, prairie hardy fruit trees as well as bare-root shrubs and shade trees.  We pride ourselves on delivering top quality tree and shrub seedlings to orchards and farms alike.  Our seedlings are harvested in the fall and placed in frozen storage all winter.  They are shipped out in a dormant state.  For the sake of the health of the plants they must be planted immediately upon receiving them.  It is an ‘old wives’ tale’ to not plant seedlings until late May to avoid late frosts.  Nature has given them the ability to withstand normal late frosts.  As a last resort they may be placed in a fridge no colder than -2 degrees celsius.  The advantage of early planting is that the root develops before the plant leafs outs.  Planting our plants in full leaf is much more difficult to maintain.  Even if the buds have elongated during the shipping process, plant immediately.  Here at the nursery we plant tens of thousands as soon as the fields are dry enough, sometimes mid-April.

We specialize in growing F1 Saskatoon Berry seedlings for the new and ever-increasing market, and we are proud to supply five commercially recognized cultivars for farm orchards: JB30, Martin, Northline, Smoky, and Thiessen.  These trees are grown in plug trays, in specially constructed greenhouses, to ensure the best possible conditions for the Saskatoon berries.

Saskatoon berries (Amelanchier alnifolia) look similar to blueberries, though they are actually more closely related to the apple family.  The taste of Saskatoon Berry could be described as having a sweet, nutty almond flavor.  They are also highly valued for their many health benefits as they are high in fiber, protein and antioxidants.

We also grow a number of other small fruit seedlings that are increasingly sought after by commercial processors.  These include Chokecherries, Nanking Cherries, Pincherries, Sandcherries, Black Currant and Sea Buckthorn.

The F1 generation refers to the first filial generation.  Filial generations are the nomenclature given to subsequent sets of offspring from controlled or observed reproduction.  The itinial generation is give the letter “P” for parental generation.  The first set of offspring from these parents is then known as the F1 generation.