Perennial Plant Association announces 2024 Landscape Design Award winners

The Perennial Plant Association announced its 2024 Landscape Design Award recipients, who were recognized July 30 at the 2024 PPA National Symposium in Asheville, North Carolina.

After receiving a record-breaking number of project entries, the judging committee selected 14 award winners across eight entry categories. Award recipients received either an Award of Merit or Award of Excellence, which is the highest landscape design award.

The eight categories are based on residential, commercial, educational, temporary/seasonal designs and price of production. The categories include residential less than $25,000 in Class I, residential $25,000 to $100,000 in Class II, residential more than $100,000 in Class III, commercial more than $100,000 in Class VI, public horticulture in Class VII and temporary in Class VIII.

The design could be a single project or a section of a larger project. The focus was required to be on perennials but could include other plants. Six of the eight entry categories were defined by the wholesale cost of the project, and two were for specialty garden designs.

This year’s recipients are:

• Award of Excellence, Class I: Tony Spencer, The New Perennialist, for The Green Roof Alvar project
• Award of Merit, Class I: Shireen Zia, CPLD, EcoGardens Landscape Design, for the Garden of Resilience: A Waterwise Haven that Never Rests project
• Award of Excellence, Class II: Stefano Marinaz Landscape Architecture, for A Tapestry of Urban Greenery project
• Award of Merit, Class II: Jay Sifford, Sifford Garden Design, for the Rhodwood: My Mountain Retreat project
• Award of Merit, Class II: Danilo Maffei, Maffei Landscape Design, for the Becky's Garden project
• Award of Excellence, Class III: Tony Avent, the Tony and Anita Avent home garden project
• Award of Merit, Class III: Stefano Marinaz Landscape Architecture for A Chiswick Hideaway project
• Award of Merit, Class III: Living Roofs for the Camp Mending Heart Green Roofs project
• Award of Merit, Class III: Campion Hruby Landscape Architects for the Winchester project
• Award of Merit, Class VI: Danilo Maffei, Maffei Landscape Design, for the Loman Hall Historic Adaptation project
• Award of Excellence, Class VII:  Kelly D. Norris for the Meadow for the Opera at Blank Performing Arts Center project
• Award of Excellence, Class VII: Rebecca McMackin and Brook Klausing for the Brooklyn Museum Crescent Meadow project
• Award of Merit, Class VII: Russell + Mills Studios for the Colorado State University Perennial Gardens
• Award of Excellence, Class VIII: Susan Cohan, FAPLD, for the A Garden of One's Own project

Initiated in 1992, the Landscape Design Awards program recognizes design projects that are exemplary in use of herbaceous perennials to help create balanced and beautiful landscapes. The “after-market” applications of growers’ products and the design, installation and maintenance of plants in gardens and natural settings are of special interest to the Perennial Plant Association.

Both experienced and novice designers were invited to participate. Each year, judges evaluate many landscape designs and select entries based on the effectiveness of herbaceous perennial plant material used through the implantations of new cultivars, color combinations, textures and seasonal combinations.

“With an impressive use of perennial plants, in both residential and commercial settings, the various designs created spaces that were creative, welcoming and inspirational," said PPA Regional Board Member Scott Hokunson.

To learn more and view more details and photos for each awarded project, visit perennialplant.org/page/2024LDAWinners.