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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

GOP gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan visits Farwest Show

Deciphering Oregon’s plastics recycling law

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. celebrates 80 years as a nursery standout

Monrovia Nursery Company celebrates 100 years of innovation and looks to the future

New AmericanHort CEO introduces himself to OAN

Bailey Nurseries removed dams to build environmental resilience

The new NurseryGuide.com powers up with new features

Terra Gardens owner’s gesture for his mother opens the door to other wheelchair-bound gardeners

More Nursery News

From the pages of Digger

September 2026 Digger

August 2026 Digger: Farwest Show Edition

July 2026

June: The Shrubs Issue

May 2026: the Sustainability Issue

More issues of Digger

Pests and Diseases

Box tree moths pose a threat to Oregon nurseries

Managing Phytophthora: timing, temperature and emerging threats

Managing slugs and snails in Pacific Northwest nurseries

OAN leads grower-driven Japanese beetle solution

Prioritizing nursery pest challenges

More articles

FARWEST SHOW UPDATES

GOP gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan visits Farwest Show

Sofia® Cherry Laurel and Saturnalia™ American hybrid oak shine at New Varieties Showcase 

Eschenfelder Farms wins Best in Show at Farwest

A sense of excitement in the air at Farwest

Deciphering Oregon’s plastics recycling law

More Updates from Farwest

The Value of Membership

ONF scholarships help recipients launch their career in horticulture

New AmericanHort CEO introduces himself to OAN

OAN members see benefits and rewards from serving ag industry organizations

More member stories

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