Alexandra Farms’ fourth-annual contest draws entries from 22 countries

Dennis Kneepkens from the Netherlands scooped up the First Place in the Wedding Bouquet category.

BOGOTA, Colombia: Alexandra Farms, the premier grower of fresh cut garden roses and spray roses hosted its annual Garden Rose Design Contest for a fourth year.  The annual event aims to highlight the exquisite beauty and versality of bourbon-shaped garden roses. The breeder’s gorgeous blooms are a firm favourite with brides worldwide.

Floral designers from 22 countries battled it out in two design categories –‘Wedding Work and Everyday Design’. The panel of judges awarded four prizes in each of the two categories: First, Second, Third and Reader’s Choice (the contest is held in association with floral magazine Florists’Review).

Wedding Work Category

First Place

Dennis Kneepkens

DK – Dennis Kneepkens

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Garden rose varieties used: ‘Princess Midori’ (Green) and ‘Patience’ (Ausp Ceastor)

Photo by Maryn Haertel

Second Place

Nancy Zimmerman

Fancy Florals by Nancy, Fairbury, Ill., USA

Garden rose varieties used: ‘Capability’ (Ausapply) and ‘Miranda’ (Ausimmon)

Photo by Rebekah Albaugh Photography

Third Place

Amanda Rodgers

Bouquet Atlanta, Atlanta, Ga., USA

Garden rose varieties used: ‘Francis Meilland’, ‘Evelyn’ (Aussaucer), ‘Princess Charlene of Monaco’ and ‘Love Song’

Photo by Michelle Scott Photography

Readers’ Choice Award

Ana Vivas

Aniska Creations, Miami, Fla., USA

Garden rose varieties used: ‘Tsumugi’ and ‘Miyabi’

Photo by Natasha Arceu Photography

Everyday Design Category

First place winner in the Everyday Design Competition.

First Place

Trini Mai

Long Beach, Calif., USA

Garden rose varieties: ‘Kiss Me Kate’, ‘The Alnwick’ (Ausgrab), ‘Evelyn’ (Aussaucer), ‘Jayne Austin’ (Ausbreak), ‘Tranquility’ (Ausnoble), ‘Desdemona’ (Auskindling) and ‘Distant Drum’.

Photo by Trini Mai

Second Place

Ksenia Shestakova

D&K Flowers House, Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Garden rose varieties used: ‘Juliet’ (Ausjameson) and ‘Amnesia’

Photo by D&K Flowers House

Third Place

Brenna Quan

AIFD, CFD, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Garden rose variety used: ‘Pink Xpression’

Photo by Brenna Quan

Readers’ Choice

Katherine Taylor

Jubilee Flowers, Fairhope, Ala., USA

Garden rose varieties used: ‘Romantic Antike’ and ‘Keira’ (Ausboxer)

Photo by Lacey McLaughlin Photography

The panel of judges included Jose R. Azout, president of Alexandra Farms, David J.C. Austin, managing director of David Austin Roses, and Holly Heider Chapple, owner of Holly Chapple Flowers and Hope Flower Farm and the founder of Chapel Designers.

They evaluated work on three criteria: how garden roses were used, photo quality and the overall design aesthetic and composition. Judges scored each design independently and confidentially. The Readers’ Choice Award winners were chosen by the public through an anonymous online vote.

In each category, the first place winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip for two to Alexandra Farms. Second place and Readers’ Choice winners will receive 1,000 stems of garden roses. The third place winners will receive 500 stems of garden roses.

Alexandra Farms, located in the Andes mountains of Colombia, is one of the world’s largest growers of fresh-cut garden roses. Their greenhouses span 49-acre and are in use for the commercial production of more than 50 varieties.