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Consumers and landscape professionals are demanding new or improved landscape plants and nurseries are scrambling to discover, develop, release and promote such plants. In the rush to market new plants, few efforts have been made to evaluate plants for adaptability, resistance/susceptibility to plant pests, or potential invasiveness under Florida conditions.
Short-term goals are to inform nursery/landscape professionals and consumers about the results of these evaluations and persuade these audiences to choose the best-adapted plants identified by these evaluations. Long-term goals are to identify or develop superior landscape plants for Florida and introduce or promote them to Florida consumers and nursery/landscape professionals. [Knox]
Plants under evaluation include: |
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For IFAS-related
questions or information, please contact IFAS
External Relations.
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University of Florida/IFAS NFREC faculty Gary Knox and Jeff Norcini collect and
evaluate new, underused or improved landscape plants. Their ongoing programs are
conducted in cooperation with regional and area nurseries, botanic gardens,
State botanists, University of Florida/IFAS faculty, horticulturists from
regional universities and plant enthusiasts.
Evaluation results usually include
information about plant growth, ornamental characteristics, pest susceptibility,
maintenance needs, invasive potential (for non-natives) and overall adaptability
to USDA Hardiness Zone 8 (the north Florida area). Results of these evaluations
are helping consumers and the nursery and landscape industries select the best
species and cultivars for production and landscape use in Florida. 