Michael A. Dirr, Ph.D is a

horticulturist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

and a professor of

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

. He is an expert on

woody plants A woody plant is a plant that produces wood as its structural tissue and thus has a hard stem. In cold climates, woody plants further survive winter or dry season above ground, as opposite to herbaceous plants that die back to the ground until sp ...

Education and experience

Dirr earned a Bachelors in Science degree in

Plant Physiology Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...

and a Masters in Science degree in Plant Physiology from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

and a Ph.D in Plant Physiology from the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

, in 1972. Upon graduation from the University of Massachusetts, Dirr was an Assistant Professor of Ornamental Horticulture at the University of Illinois, Urbana, where he continued to work until 1978. He then became a Mercer Fellow at the

Arnold Arboretum The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is a botanical research institution and free public park, located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1872, it is the oldest public arboretum in N ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

through 1979. In 1979, he became the Director of the University of Georgia Botanical Garden. In 1981, he returned to teach at the

and was promoted to

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

in 1984. Dirr's Georgia Plant Introduction Program has introduced over 40 new cultivars into the nursery trades. Michael Dirr retired from the University of Georgia in October 2003. He is now active in research and new plant development.

Publications

Dirr has published over 300 scientific and popular publications and has authored seven books. His book, '' Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture and Propagation and Uses'' has become one of the most widely adopted reference text in the education of

Horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

and

Landscape Architecture Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures for constructio ...

. It has sold over 250,000 copies. Major works include: * Dirr, M.A. 2011. ''Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees & Shrubs.'' Timber Pres, Portland, OR (951 p). ISBN 978-0-88192-901-0 *Dirr, M.A. 2002. ''Dirr's Trees and Shrubs for Warm Climates: An Illustrated Encyclopedia''.

Timber Press Workman Publishing Company, Inc., is an American Publishing companies, publisher of Tradebook, trade books founded by Peter Workman. The company is comprised of either Imprint (trade name), imprints: Workman, Workman Children’s, Workman Calenda ...

, Portland, Or. (448 p.) *Dirr, M.A. 1998. ''Manual of Woody Landscape Plants''. Stipes Publishing Co., Champaign, IL. (1453 p.) *Dirr, M.A. 1997. ''Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs - An Illustrated Encyclopedia''. Timber Press, Portland, OR. (494 p.) *Dirr, M.A. 1997. ''Michael A. Dirr's Photo-Library of Woody Landscape Plants on CD-ROM''. PlantAmerica, Locust Valley, NY. (4 CDs)

Awards and honors

*Silver Medal for Excellence in Horticultural Writing * Jackson Dawson Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Plant Propagation (

Massachusetts Horticultural Society The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, sometimes abbreviated to MassHort, is an American horticultural society based in Massachusetts. It describes itself as the oldest formally organized horticultural institution in the United States. In its m ...

) *Silver Seal (National Federation of State Garden Clubs) *Medal of Honor (1993, Garden Clubs of America) *Scott Medal (

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

) *Honorary Doctorate (1998,

) for significant contributions to Horticulture and the University.

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Michael Dirr's Plants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dirr, Michael A. University of Georgia faculty Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences alumni University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni Harvard University people Arnold Arboretum Dendrologists American horticulturists