Dr. Bonnie Appleton

Dr. BONNIE APPLETON provides leadership, pertinent information and training to the nursery, landscape management, and urban tree care industries in Virginia. She provides technical assistance to agents of Virginia Cooperative Extension, develops programs of professional recognition (certification), and provides information to consumers when referred by agents or industry. Dr. Appleton also coordinates the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center’s graduate program which offers the only off-campus College of Agriculture Masters degree.

PRESENT POSITIONS

• Professor of Horticulture, Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HRAREC), Virginia Tech University, Virginia Beach, VA (1985-present)
• Virginia Cooperative Extension Nursery Specialist/Landscape Management Specialist (HRAREC) (1985-present)
• Graduate Coordinator, HRAREC Masters Degree Program (1992-present)

PRIOR EDUCATIONAL EMPLOYMENT

• Extension Home Horticulture Specialist, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY (1983-1985)
• Associate Professor and Program Director, Horticulture, St. Louis Community College at Meramec, Kirkwood, MO (1975-1980)
• Instructor and Graduate Research/Teaching Assistant, Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK (1980-1983)
• Instructor and Graduate Teaching/Research Assistant, University of Delaware, Newark, DE (1973-1975)

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., Crop Science (Nursery Management), Oklahoma State University, 1983
• M.S., Ornamental Horticulture, University of Delaware, 1975
• B.S., Plant Science, University of Delaware, 1970

AWARDS AND HONORS SINCE 2000

• International Society of Arboriculture Gold Leaf Award for Outstanding Landscape Beautification Award, 2008
• National Association County Agricultural Agents State Winner in the Search for Excellence in Landscape and Horticulture for the America’s Anniversary Garden project (Appleton, Latimer, Close, and DuBois), 2008
• American Society for Horticultural Science Extension Materials Award for 24 Ways to Kill a Tree/How NOT to Kill a Tree (http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/trees/430-210/430-210.html), 2008
• 2nd Place, Specialist Division, Virginia Cooperative Extension In-Service Poster Competition, 2008
• American Society for Horticultural Science Extension Materials Award for America’s Anniversary Garden: Bulbs for a Red, White, and Blue Spring Garden, 2007
• Award for Outreach Excellence, Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2007
• 3rd Place, Specialist Division, Virginia Cooperative Extension In-Service Poster Competition, 2007
• Certificate of Teaching Excellence, Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2006
• Southern Group of State Foresters Urban Forestry Award for Partnership, 2004
• Scenic Virginia’s Most Creative Scenic Improvement Award, 2004 (for utility easement tree replacement work through VA-MTRP)
• Nursery Extension Award, American Nursery and Landscape Association, 2003
• Award for Excellence in Education, International Society of Arboriculture, 2000

MAJOR PUBLICATIONS

• 5 books - Container Nursery Design (1986), Landscape Rejuvenation (1988) (currently in revision for republication), Herbicide Injury to Trees and Shrubs (1989), Rodale’s Guide to Successful Gardening – Trees, Shrubs and Vines (1993), The New York/Mid-Atlantic Gardener’s Book of Lists (2001)
• 32 journal articles – Journal of Arboriculture (now Arboriculture and Urban Forestry), Journal of Environmental Horticulture, HortScience, HortTechnology, Arboriculture Journal, Water Air Soil Pollution
• 68 Virginia Cooperative Extension publications, most posted to the VCE website and available as PDF publications (www.ext.vt.edu – Educational Resources)
• Over 800 articles in newspapers and trade and consumer publications including NMPro, American Nurseryman, Grounds Maintenance, Landscape Architecture, Arbor Age, TCI, Landscape and Irrigation, Fine Gardening, Flower and Garden, National Gardening, Better Homes and Gardens

CURRENT AREAS OF RESEARCH

• Utility easement compatible trees and shrubs; development of utility line arboreta
• Landscape installation systems – wire basket modification; tree stabilization (staking vs. root ball anchoring)
• NEW in 2006 – techniques for bare rooting trees at transplant
• NEW in 2007 – using trees for phytoremediation
• NEW in 2008 – root preservation methods for bare root transplanting
• NEW in 2009 – gravel bed production of bare root trees

CONTACT INFORMATION

Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center
1444 Diamond Springs Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23455
757-363-3906; fax 757-363-3950; e-mail bapple@vt.edu; website – www.vaes.vt.edu/hampton