Mike Schnelle received his Bachelors of Science. (Honors Program) and Master of Science degrees in Horticulture at Kansas State University, Manhattan. He went on to complete a Ph.D. in Horticulture at Colorado State University, Fort Collins. Starting in 1989, Schnelle currently serves as Extension Specialist and Shackelford Endowed Professor of Floriculture in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. Mike’s specialty is in floriculture and woody plant production and culture. He has interests in areas of ornamental horticulture from flowers to trees as well as edible crops, both temperate and tropical. Schnelle has lectured on plant materials and worked/consulted on horticultural projects throughout the US as well as Central America, South America, the Greater Middle East, Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Mike is currently focusing on working with the Oklahoma Nursery and Landscape Association Association as well as applied research on rose rosette disease in the field, native vs. non-native plants and their probability of invasiveness as well as plant materials for water conservation.