Montine McDaniel Freeman Medal

Montine McDaniel Freeman Medal

The Freeman Medal is awarded to GCA's Plant of the Year -- the only award presented by the Garden Club of America to a plant.  The medal is given to a plant worthy of special recognition with preference given to native North American plants. The medal strives to acknowledge the cultivation and use of little-known plants: trees, shrubs, ground covers, vines and perennials, that are deemed worthy to be preserved, propagated, promoted and planted. The goal of the award is to draw attention to select native plants to encourage their use in the landscape, to make them familiar to the gardener, and more available in nurseries.

History: Designed in 1995 by Patricia Hardin, the Montine McDaniel Freeman Horticulture Medal was endowed by Mr. and Mrs. Louis M. Freeman in honor of Mr. Freeman’s mother, Mrs. Richard W. Freeman, who served as a GCA Director from 1969-1972, Vice President from 1974-1976, and Chairman of the Interchange Fellowship Committee from 1976-1978. She was a recipient of the Amy Angell Collier Montague Medal in 1977.

Eligibility: Outstanding or unusual species or cultivars of North American native plants. Not readily available for landscape use in at least one major portion of the country, but in propagation for commercial distribution.

Presentation: May be annual

Selection: By the Horticulture Committee 

See Winners