GCA Medals: Florens DeBevoise Medal

The Florens DeBevoise Medal is awarded for outstanding achievement in horticulture and/or education in horticulture.

Award description on the certificate: For outstanding achievement in horticulture and/or education in horticulture.

History: The Florens DeBevoise Medal was designed in 1954 by Mrs. Alden Bryan and presented by Sasqua Garden Club in memory of Mrs. Charles I. DeBevoise, a founder of the club.

Mrs. DeBevoise, founder of the American Rock Garden Society, was a botanist and authority on landscaping with alpine plants. She conducted extensive experiments with their propagation at her renowned Cronamere Nursery. Many rare herbaceous plants and shrubs imported by the U.S. Agricultural Station were sent to her to determine correct cultivation and hardiness in the east. She also developed methods for dwarfing various types of plants, which she exhibited in miniature gardens.

In 2021, the Executive Board adapted the current description to encourage broader application of the medal. The original description was "awarded for horticultural achievement in the fields of hybridizing, collecting or nurturing, with a preference to plant material suitable for rock gardens."

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