The central theme of my research program is to understand the influence of environmental factors and cultural practices on the physiology, development, and biochemical characteristics of floriculture crops. Of particular focus is the influence of water quality, rhizosphere conditions, and nutrient availability on the physiology of herbaceous ornamental plants. This fits well with my extension goal of providing producers with relevant, research-based information for the production of high quality floriculture crops using nutrients, water, and energy efficiently. A challenge in floriculture research is the diversity of cultivars, species, and genera that are economically important. I try to address this diversity two ways: 1) in basic research I seek to understand mechanisms that underlie fundamental plant responses with potential application for many genera; and 2) in applied research I seek to answer specific questions that will have direct implications for floriculture production practices. The complexity of biological systems requires collaboration with other specialists; and necessitates integrative methods for prediction and analysis of plant response to interacting factors.