The Breeders Village activation by Skunk Magazine at Hall of Flowers in Santa Rosa gathered some of the most legendary breeders in the world to showcase their flower, sell seeds, and swap stories from the garden.
We sent Leafly’s Lindsay MaHarry to sit down with California’s master growers and dive into the strains lighting up this year’s harvest, as well as the genetics shaping the future of cannabis.
Here’s what we found.
The Pearls
Budularo
Budularo is a family farm out of Mendocino that specializes in rare genetics of long-flowering sativas like African hazes and Malawi Durbans. The Pearls was discovered and bred by cultivator Dave Perkins’ father-in-law, Tony, a master grower with over 50 years of experience, who swears it’s the best high he’s experienced since Thai Stick in the seventies.
With its delicate calyx structure, 18-week flowering time, and nine-month cure time, this phenotype of Destroyer (Thai/Columbian/Mexican lineage) hits differently, too.
As opposed to a typical OG high, where there’s a strong rush that then tapers off, The Pearls creep in slowly, building to a fever pitch of energy and euphoria.
Referred to by Perkins as “sipping weed,” this flower allows those enjoying her to tailor their experience, rather than becoming overwhelmed. The high is bright, nuanced, and lasts a long time, making it great for creative work.
Double Lantern + Passion Orange Guava (POG)
Greenshock Farms
The legendary Greenshock Farms is known for creating the most high-vibe flower in all the land by growing in the sun with no chemicals, and prioritizing their relationship with nature. Two of our favorite strains of the day, the Passion Orange Guava and Double Lantern, are no exception.
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The Passion Orange Guava is an exotic pheno of the Tropical Sleigh Ride lineage that tested at an unheard of 3.1% terpenes. This strain won a Golden Bear in 2025 for ocimene, and came in 2nd overall for sungrown flower in the 2021 Emerald Cup. With strong notes of tropical fruits and a fun, flirty high that’s an uplifting antidepressant, this strain creates joy, plain and simple. She checks every box and is pretty much perfect in my book!
The Double Lantern is a gassy juggernaut that crosses two of the heaviest hitters in the game, Ridgeline Farm’s Green Lantern and Rebel Grown’s Double OG Chem. She just won both the gold and silver medals at the CA State Fair for caryophyllene, with the gold medal coming in at 1.86% caryophyllene alone(!!!).
Greenshock’s Mark told us he’s been breeding with a lot of the Green Lantern from Ridgeline Farms, and together with strains like their Long Valley Royal Kush and Grease Monkey, they have some of the heaviest gas strains going on in the world right now. The high of the Double Lantern is as melty as they come and will sit your ass right on the couch. Great for deep relaxation, pain relief, and stargazing.
Aksum (aka Axum)
Healing of the Nations
Aksum (aka Axum) is from a place more importantly than it is from a genetic cross. This incredible landrace variety is named after the town she hails from in Northern Ethiopia, the capital site of the ancient Aksumite Empire.
The grower behind Healing of the Nations got the seeds while traveling through the country on a spiritual quest in 2019, and has been working with her since.
Because Ethiopia has never been colonized, its genetics are largely undisturbed in certain parts of the country, particularly this region. Described as “spiritual food,” the grower says he’s never encountered anything like this in his 20 years of working with the plant.
I was lucky enough to walk away with a couple of nugs and spend some time with her. This is one of the most vibrant flowers I’ve experienced. The high is crystal clear and leaves you feeling uplifted, enlightened, productive, and capable.
Piescream
Lempire Farmaseed
Michah from Lempire came with some fantastic Piescream, a Wedding Pie x (Gelato 33 x Cherry Limeade F5) cross from Mendocino legend Mean Gene’s Freeborn Selections.
This is another high-ocimene strain with a Maui Wowie vibe but heavy on the cherry lime gas with a little bit of the Mendo Purp Skunk profile in there as well. The terps are greasy, thick, and flavorful.
This strain won a bunch of medals at the CA State Fair and is beloved by 710 Labs, Snowtill, and more. Great for chilling out, laughing, and feeling fuzzy behind the eyes.
Super Boof
Down Om Farms
The Super Boof by Down Om Farms is one of my favorite flowers of harvest 2025 and my go-to for enjoying productive mornings.
A phenomenal rendition of the 2024 Leafly Strain of the Year, this Black Cherry Punch x Tropicana Cookies cross is grown with love by a regenerative, alpaca-powered farm in the Sierra foothills, specializing in building microbially complex living soil. It’s available through Farm Cut, a craft collective of family-run regenerative farms in NorCal.
This flower shimmers in the sunlight with an extremely pungent tangie profile. She is so frosty; the last quarter I finished had trichome powder caked in the bottom of the jar. The high is exciting and upbeat with notes of whimsy. Great for getting it done and having fun doing it.
King’s Poison
Sticky Fields
The King’s Poison from Sticky Fields, a family-run craft farm in Mendocino that breeds extremely potent fire, is a killer strain with a heavy, blissful high.
Coming in at a whopping 33% THC and 1.5% terps, this sungrown flower hits harder than top-shelf indoor and lasts twice as long.
A cross between Durban Poison x (King Louis x Mandarin Tart), she started as a bag seed that Sticky (the breeder) got from an old guy at the Emerald Cup five years ago. A few years later, he hit that Durban female with a King Louis x Mandarin Tart male, ending in this selection.
With notes of mustard, cedar, orange, and cayenne, this heavy hitter’s a winner we expect to see more of. Heavy is the crown.
Jade Skunk
Heartrock Mountain Farm
Jade Skunk is an heirloom Afghan hybrid from Heartrock Mountain Farm, a family-run regenerative legacy operation nestled high amongst the oaks and conifers in Mendocino’s eastern mountains.
Jade Skunk came from a hybrid of Skunk #1 and Afghan #1, which a neighbor brought to their mountain in the 80s. These original plants made an appearance in an April 1981 High Times interview entitled, “Harlan Ang Pot Paparazzo.”
Jade Skunk tests high in the guaiol terpene, which is found in Afghan landraces and has super relaxing effects. The profile is skunky and funky with hints of incense and spice.
With roots stretching back to the 1970s, this family’s generational dedication to seed preservation and regenerative cultivation makes Jade Skunk a piece of Cali weed history.
#26 x #38 Phenos
Canna Country Farms
Last but not least, we have the phenomenal phenotypes of #26 x #38 by Canna Country Farms. Perched high in the hills of Southern Humboldt between Garberville and Shelter Cove, this family-run farm is famous for producing some of the best proprietary genetics in the game, most notably their #26.
Also known as The Ocimene Queen, as 46% of her terpene profile is made up of this rare terpene, #26 has been a smash success. With an anthocyanin content so high her violet buds are almost black, this first-generation cross between Forbidden Fruit and Cherimoya has absolutely swept the award-scene and canna-media landscape alike.
With notes of passionfruit, guava, black pepper, and coconut, the high is buzzy, creative, focused, and cerebral; a one-of-a-kind sensory experience in every way.
The other parent of these sisters is Canna Country’s #38, which is a union of Key Lime Pie and Blueberry Muffin they’ve been working with since 2018. This is another personal favorite in their lineup that is buttery smooth and bursting with blueberry key lime pie flavor.
Together, they sure make some pretty girls. While these phenos aren’t available yet and are still in the R&D phase, which the farmers at Canna Country take very, very seriously, each was an absolute feast of limes and berries in purples, silvers, and greens.
We love to see how the different characteristics of parent strains manifest in the magic of each phenotype’s unique expression. When it comes to breeding cannabis, this is what it’s all about!
