Proposed by: The Garden Club of Honolulu, Zone XII

The daughter and granddaughter of avid gardeners, Oahu-born Phyllis Lee was drawn to plants as a child. “I just liked growing things,” says Phyllis. Recruited for membership in The Garden Club of Honolulu, Zone XII, from classes at the Harold H. Lyon Arboretum more than 30 years ago, it is hard to overstate Phyllis’s contributions to the field of horticulture in the GCA.

Since 1995, scores of club members have been the beneficiaries of her vast horticultural knowledge—particularly tropical plant propagation, maintenance, and use—thanks to her dedication as chair of the Horticulture Committee, as a GCA horticulture judge, judging area vice chair, and flower show schedule reader.

Phyllis has cultivated relationships with professors, plant growers, directors of public gardens, and community leaders, and has employed this network of friends and experts in support of a beautiful, healthy planet. She successfully used her collaborative approach as chair of the 2023 Shirley Meneice Horticulture Conference in October mere months after having chaired Oceans: Beyond the Reef, The Garden Club of Honolulu’s major flower show the previous June. Susan Uydess, Carmel-by-the-Sea Garden Club, Zone XII, notes that Phyllis is often asked to lead because “she creates the gold standard for everything she does.”

In more than a dozen GCA national leadership roles, Phyllis has brought the joy of horticulture to so many. Club, zone, and national leaders have acknowledged her contributions with numerous awards. These honors celebrate her exceptional accomplishments in the fields of horticulture, conservation, and civic achievement, inspirational leadership, and love of propagation.