The Distinguished Service Medal is awarded for distinguished service in the field of horticulture.

It was presented and endowed in 1953 by Mrs. Robert D. Sterling, Garden Club of Dublin and Monadnock Garden Club, New Hampshire. Although Mrs. Sterling's primary interest was in conservation, she believed that horticulture played an integral part in the quality of life. Elizabeth Rhodes Reynolds designed the medal. Previous recipients include Thalassa Crusso Hencken (1970) of the television series Making Things Grow, Dr. J.C. Raulston (1993), Nancy McLaren (2003), and Florence Leanne Reed (2009) founder of sustainable Harvest.