Dr. John M. Ruter is the Allan M. Armitage Endowed Professor of Horticulture at The University of Georgia and serves as Director of the Trial Garden at UGA. Before his current position, Dr. Ruter was the nursery crop research and extension specialist for UGA and Director of the Coastal Plain Research Arboretum on the Tifton Campus. Dr. Ruter’s research focuses on breeding and introducing herbaceous and woody ornamental cultivars and developing Camellia oleifera as a new oilseed crop for the United States. Dr. Ruter’s program has licensed over 50 cultivars, and he has received numerous plant patents. He teaches two classes on herbaceous plant identification, Trial Garden Internship, and a course on Current Topics in Horticulture. Dr. Ruter has four graduate students working with diverse genera, such as Castanea, Hibiscus, Lagerstroemia, Pycnanthemum, and Salvia. Dr. Ruter has been recognized by organizations such as the American Conifer Society, the American Holly Society, The Garden Clubs of Georgia, The Georgia Green Industry Association, Georgia Author of the Year, and the Southern Nursery Association. He is a Fellow of the International Plant Propagators’ Society and an award-winning author of four books and over 500 scientific and popular publications. In 2021, Dr. Ruter was named the Inventor of the Year for the University of Georgia. Dr. Ruter was recently named a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science and has received their Outstanding Graduate Educator Award.