Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony, 2026

Our 2025-2026 year drew to its official close with our annual meeting and awards ceremony held at the gloriously blooming Avis Campbell Gardens on June 10, 2026. Under the eagle eye of Awards Chair Tova Narrett, our members gathered together for the presentation of our annual awards and a 1920s feast catered by Florence Sinovsky and Janet Oscar and put together by their happy band of culinary elves..

We were also very happy to welcome Guita Behbin, Michael De Castro, Ali Kilduff, and Tracy White as full members, graduating successfully from their time as provisionals.

The winners of our annual awards are now registered on our awards page. where you can see all the recipients back to 1980. See also a written record of tributes to our winners.

Below, the photos of their smiling faces and candid shots taken of the event were snapped by our amazing photographers, Lauren Zodel and Sue Yu, with the elegant contribution of Barb Baletti. If anyone has been missed, blame the editor.

We also need to thank all the members of the Awards Committee for their thoughtful selection of the recipients you see here. And how could we not thank the chair toters and table layers, especially the super powerful and ever helpful Benny?

Photos of This Year's Award Recipients

Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Louise D. Mann, Elsie Bristol (Advanced Plus),

(Left to right):

Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Louise D. Mann Award; Elsie Bristol (Advanced Plus) Award; Barbara Meyer Rose Culture Award; Special Tribute for Bricks Project

Celia Radek: Howard Van Vleck Award

Barbara Baletti: Till Beatty Allis Award

(Left to right):

Karen Fricke, Bauer Horticultural Award; Garden Club Award for Flower Design, Advanced;

Lisa Schweitzer: Elsie Bristol Novice Award

Kathy Bachmann: President's Trophy for Flower Design, Intermediate

(Left to right):

Denise Silverman: President's Award for Horticulture

Ana Zalles Moore: Special Tribute for Avis Campbell Gardens

Deborah Hirsch: Special Tribute as Historian

Peter Hirsch: Bloomie ― Rototiller Award

(Left to right):

Susan Benner, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Michele Trevenen (not shown): Special Tribute for the Bricks Project

Clare Kuch: Bloomie  ― the Everything, Everywhere, All the Time Award

Grete Scheidl: Bloomie  ― the Golden Trowel Award

Jamie Chase: Emerita and 35-Year Member

Not shown. Michele Tomasik was awarded the Botanical Arts Award.

Photos of the Full Event

As always, click on any photo to open them all up in a slideshow.