Gary W. Knox

Extension Specialist

Professor of Environmental Horticulture

 

 

Education

• B.S., The Pennsylvania, Horticulture, 1974
• M.S., Purdue University, Horticulture, 1981
• Ph.D., Purdue University, Horticulture, 1984

Appointment

• 80% Extension
• 20% Research

Research & Extension Activities

Interests and responsibilities include research, demonstrations and Extension activities to inform and educate members of the nursery and landscape industries (the Green Industry), residents and county Extension faculty about selection, production and use of nursery and landscape crops.

My program emphasizes plant evaluation, and overall goals are to identify, evaluate and distribute taxa of new, underused or improved landscape plants to benefit the Green Industry, minimize potential impacts from pests and invasive plants, and improve the quality and diversity of plant material for the Green Industry and Florida gardeners.

General objectives are to:

1. Identify, collect and screen taxa of interest to the Green Industry and gardening public with an emphasis on new, underused, improved or potentially invasive selections.
2. Formally evaluate taxa of interest to the Green Industry and gardening public, usually in cooperation with other faculty and/or at other sites to assess statewide or regional impact. Plant evaluation criteria include growth, ornamental characteristics, pest susceptibility, maintenance needs, invasive potential (if non-native) and overall adaptability to regional conditions (USDA Zone 8b).
3. Use formal and informal plantings (associated with objectives 1 and 2) as mechanisms for outreach to the Green Industry and gardening public.
4. Promote and distribute taxa of new, underused, improved or noninvasive landscape plants.

Other extension and research activities pertain to nursery production (emphasizing resource efficiency and sustainability), water use efficiency, and plant/pest interactions.