Proposed by: a member of Memphis Garden Club, Zone IX

Julie Spear, Memphis Garden Club, Zone IX, a Floral Design judge since 2003, is a gifted and award-winning practitioner of the art, but her true passion is sharing the joy of floral design through teaching.

She is the recipient of nearly a dozen floral design and design education awards. She has held the role of coordinator for the Floral Design Study Group (FDSG)—established in 1990 as the floral design education arm of the Flower Show Committee—and like all past and present FDSG coordinators, Julie is counted as one of the GCA’s very best floral designers, mentors, and educators. Julie has served the GCA on the Floral Design Committee as assistant editor of By Design, as area vice chair, and floral design workshop coordinator for the GCA’s Floral Design 101, 201, and 301 courses.

Since 2006 Julie has conducted more than 125 workshops in 14 states and seven zones. She uses her collaborative, insightful, and witty teaching style to communicate her contagious enthusiasm for floral design.

Julie views judging as another means to educate. As an entrant in more than 60 shows, she understands the challenges faced by exhibitors, and having judged more than 100 shows, she has helped to develop the skills of floral design exhibitors and inspire them through her knowledgeable, respectful approach to critiquing their work.

Julie notes,“Unfortunately, we’re not curing cancer or creating world peace, but fortunately we can enjoy, work with, and share the beauty of our planet through floral design.”