Rose Lover Contest Winners Announced for 2023

By Jill Brooke

Garden roses are incredibly lush and ideal for photography. This inspired Alexandra Farms, one of the world’s leading rose growers, to launch a Garden Rose Design Contest.

The contest has been running for six years, and here are the 2023 winners.

What stands out in the winning choices? The broken arch remains a popular trend, offering a fresh, modern look. The first-place design featured an arch accented with clusters of flowers leading into it. Even the complete arches had flowers framing each side and incorporated a delicate wooden arch. There are so many creative possibilities here.

Regarding floral arrangements, many winners favored lower-sitting vases reminiscent of Victorian styles. This trend offers experienced florists a chance to create dynamic movement using a variety of beautiful roses and greenery.

In each category, Alexandra Farms’ first-place winner earns an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Alexandra Farms in Colombia. Second-place winners receive 500 garden rose stems and $500; third-place and Readers’ Choice winners are awarded 250 stems and $250.

Judges included Jose R. Azout, president of Alexandra Farms; Holly Heider Chapple, educator and owner of Holly Chapple Flowers and Hope Flower Farm and founder of Chapel Designers; the team at David Austin Roses; and Jules Lewis Gibson, president and creative director of Florists’ Review Media Group, which publishes Florists’ Review Magazine and London-based Flora.

Entries were judged anonymously, independently, and confidentially based on how garden roses were used, photo quality, and overall design aesthetics and composition. The Readers’ Choice Award winners were selected via an anonymous public online vote.

Competitors submitted designs in two categories: Wedding Work and Everyday Design, with hundreds of entries from designers worldwide.

Here are the winners. Flower enthusiasts, why not organize your own flower contest with friends and share your designs on Instagram? Or use this idea to support a local charity. It’s a fun project that deepens your connection to flowers and their natural beauty and healing qualities.

The Winners

Wedding Work category

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1st place: Taylor Doyle; The Fl، Eclectic; Dallas, Texas, United States

Alexandra Farms garden rose varieties: Alabaster and Darcey (Auschariot)

Photographer: Opal & Onyx Photography

2nd place: Nancy Zimmerman; Fancy Fl،s By Nancy; Fairbury, Illinois, United States

Alexandra Farms garden rose varieties: Tess (Ausyacht), Darcey (Auschariot), Capability (Ausapply), Miranda (Ausimmon), and Princess Fairy Kiss Pink Spr

Photographer: Kristin Darling

3rd place: Janelle Gerestein; Flowers by Janie; Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Alexandra Farms garden rose varieties: Miyabi and Quicksand

Photographer: Justine Milton

Readers’ Choice: Cole Buys; CB Design; Cullman, Alabama, United States

Alexandra Farms garden rose varieties: Café Latte, Loli Spr, Princess Maya, Quicksand, and Golden Mus،

Photographer: Kristen T،mison Photo

Everyday Design category

1st place: Alexa Howe; Lilly and Iris; Midville, Utah, United States

Alexandra Farms garden rose varieties: Beatrice (Auslevity), Café Latte, Sahara Sensation, Symbol, Westminster Abbey, and Pink Piano

Photographer: Hannah Howe

2nd place: Amanda Rodgers; Bouquet Atlanta; Hiram, Georgia, United States

Alexandra Farms garden rose varieties: Miyabi, Miyabi Brown, Princess Maya, and Wedding Rosever Spr

Photographer: Amanda Rodgers

3rd place: Susanne Slade Kelly; Stone’s Throw Fl،; Houston, Texas, United States

Alexandra Farms garden rose varieties: Leonora (Auswagsy), Tsumugi, Café Latte, and Sahara Sensation Spr

Photographer: Susanne Slade Kelly

Readers’ Choice: Katherine Taylor; Jubilee Flowers; Fairhope, Alabama, United States

Alexandra Farms garden rose varieties: Princess Aiko and Pink O’Hara

Photographer: Emily Songer

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Jill Brooke is a former CNN correspondent, Post columnist, and editor-in-chief of Avenue and Travel Savvy magazine. She is an author, editorial director of FPD, and a contributor to Florists Review magazine.