Dr. Gary Knox is the 2020 recipient of the Sidney B. Meadows Award of Merit from the International Plant Propagators’ Society (IPPS), Southern Region of North America. The Meadows award honors and recognizes outstanding individuals for their contributions to the nursery industry and to plant propagation in the Southern Region of North America. It is the highest honor bestowed upon an IPPS Southern Region member.
Gary first became a member of IPPS in 1979 when he was a student at Purdue University. Dr. Knox is now with the University of Florida/IFAS as professor of environmental horticulture, Nursery Crops Extension Specialist, and director of Gardens of the Big Bend at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy. Dr. Knox is heavily involved in research and extension on nursery/landscape issues like pollinator plants, rose rosette disease, crapemyrtle bark scale, and invasive plants. On a more uplifting note, he also is overseeing development of “Gardens of the Big Bend,” a new botanical, teaching and evaluation garden located on the grounds of NFREC, and the site of many plant evaluation activities.
IPPS is a global network of professionals in plant production, including those involved in horticultural research and education. IPPS aims to improve the knowledge, skills and professionalism of its members.
