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You are here: Home / Archives for Ryan Contreras

OSU Ornamental Plant Breeding Program developing new cultivars for city settings

By Ryan Contreras — Posted June 25, 2024

Lloyd Nackley and Carolyn Scagel Since 2009, the The Oregon State University Ornamental Plant Breeding Program has been dedicated to developing seedless varieties of resilient plant species that were previously considered invasive. This approach is crucial because when we introduce plants to urban and suburban areas, we need them to thrive despite facing challenging conditions […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge

What’s growing on?

By Ryan Contreras — Posted June 21, 2023

OSU plant breeding program shows progress on promising new cultivars The plant breeding program at Oregon State University is continually working to bring new plants to market that will make growers more profitable and perform well for consumers. On behalf of the program, I wanted to update the industry on these efforts. New plants build […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, OAN Members, Plants

Bred for success

By Ryan Contreras — Posted July 21, 2022

These are some current and future cultivars from Oregon State University Ornamental Plant Breeding I am in my 13th year at Oregon State University (OSU). Spending more than a decade doing something sounds like a long time, but in the world of woody plant breeding, that is just getting warmed up. That is how I feel […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Oregon State University, OSU

Restoring a conifer classic

By Ryan Contreras — Posted September 22, 2021

Breeding disease-resistant Port Orford cedar for reforestation and the horticulture industry By Ryan Contreras and Richard Sniezko Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) is a long-lived conifer native to northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. It spans an elevational range from sea level to 5,000 feet or more. In forestry, the tree has both economic and ecological […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge, Phytophthora, Plant Pests and Diseases Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Oregon State University, OSU, Pests and Diseases, Trees

A new breed of Norway maple

By Ryan Contreras — Posted April 24, 2020

An update on efforts to grow sterile cultivars of this important shade tree for Oregon growers The nursery industry in the Pacific Northwest markets a great deal of plant material to the upper Midwest and New England. Overall, Oregon ships 75% or more of its nursery plant material out of state. Shade trees are among […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Growing Knowledge, Plants

Get ‘em while they’re hot: New cultivars from OSU

By Ryan Contreras — Posted July 26, 2019

The Ornamental Plant Breeding Program at OSU is beginning to hit its stride and new cultivars are hitting the market – carrying the hopes of making a positive impact on the industry. Established in 2010, the Ornamental Plant Breeding Program at Oregon State University has worked to develop plants that work in production for landscapers […]

Filed Under: Blights, Boxwood Blight, Growing Knowledge, Plant Diseases, Plant Pests and Diseases Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Education, Oregon State University, Plants

A focus on function

By Ryan Contreras — Posted June 2, 2017

The Ornamental Plant Breeding Program develops new plants with an eye on how they function in modern, low-input landscapes.

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Landscaping, Oregon State University, Plants, Science

Reining in rogues

By Ryan Contreras — Posted August 2, 2016

Breeding for sterility is one way to control non-native, invasive plants.

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Oregon State University, Plants

NURSERY NEWS

In Memoriam: Melvin John Steffenson

New USDA Census of Hort arriving in mailboxes this month

Oregon Association of Nurseries honors the industry’s best at 2024 Convention

Eason Horticultural Resources is now employee-owned

Oregon’s nursery licensing program aims to keep the entire industry healthy

Building trust is key to establishing clientele base for new nurseries

Five owners share their experiences on what it takes to start a nursery businesses

Bailey hires new CFO and chief HR officer

More Nursery News

From the pages of Digger

May 2025: Sustainability Issue

April 2025: The Tree Issue

March 2025: The Perennial Issue

February 2025: The Greenhouse Issue

January 2025: The Retail Issue

More issues of Digger

Pests and Diseases

Prioritizing nursery pest challenges

New tools in the battle against thrips

Aiming for precision in pest control

Oregon’s nursery licensing program aims to keep the entire industry healthy

$250,000 shifted to P. austrocedri research

More articles

FARWEST SHOW UPDATES

Sense of excitement prevailed at Farwest as nursery industry ‘Meets the Future’ 

Farwest Show attendees select favorites for the Retailers’ Choice Awards

Starway to Heaven™ Japanese Snowbell wins People’s Choice balloting at Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase

Hopper Bros. wins Best in Show booth award at 2024 Farwest Show   

Starway to Heaven™ Japanese Snowbell wins Judges’ Best in Show at Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase

More Updates from Farwest

The Value of Membership

Meet the leader: Sam Pohlschneider

OAN honors the industry’s best

Oregon Association of Nurseries honors the industry’s best at 2024 Convention

More member stories

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