2026 SHOW JUDGES

Each year, the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival welcomes an esteemed panel of judges - three distinguished and renowned professionals from the landscape design and horticulture industry. These judges evaluate each display, awarding medals for excellence in design, creativity, and horticultural mastery, and determine the winners of multiple awards, including the coveted Founder’s Cup Award (Best in Show).

Stephen Orr

Garden Writer, Editor, Cultural Observer

Stephen is a writer, editor, and longtime observer of garden culture whose work bridges design, ecology, and everyday gardening life. He is the former editor in chief of Better Homes & Gardens and previously held editorial roles at Condé Nast Traveler, Martha Stewart Living, House & Garden, and Domino, shaping how gardens and design are presented to a wide public audience.

He is the author of three garden books, most recently The Gardener’s Mindset: Connecting with Nature through Plants (Clarkson Potter, May 2026), a reflective collection of essays exploring how gardening shapes the way we think, feel, and engage with the natural world. His earlier books include The New American Herbal and Tomorrow’s Garden, which examine plants through lenses of culture, sustainability, and contemporary design.

Stephen lives and gardens on Cape Cod, where he continues to write about plants, place, and the evolving role of gardens through his Substack and for his local newspaper, The Provincetown Independent.

Wambui Ippolito

Horticulturalist, Award-winning Landscape Designer, Author

Wambui Ippolito is a New York–based horticulturalist, landscape designer, and author celebrated for her artistry, cultural insight, and ecological sensitivity. A graduate of the prestigious New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture, she has designed gardens for residential, commercial, and public spaces across the United States.

Born in Kenya, Wambui brings a global perspective to her work, blending traditional influences with modern design. Early in her career, she served as a horticulturist at several renowned private estates, including those of Martha Stewart and David Letterman, and today maintains a select roster of private clients spanning business, media, and the arts.

In 2021, Wambui won the Philadelphia Flower Show by unanimous decision and was named by Veranda magazine as one of “11 Revolutionary Female Landscape Designers and Architects Everyone Should Know.” A sought-after speaker, she lectures nationwide and collaborates with museums, botanical gardens, and cultural institutions on design and educational programming.

Nick Cutsumpas

Plant Coach, Award-winning Designer, Environmentalist

Nick is an award-winning landscape designer, full-time plant coach, and environmentalist whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Architectural Digest, Business Insider, Food Network, and The Washington Post. He’s appeared on the Netflix series The Big Flower Fight, Instant Dream Home, and on the TEDx stage.

The author of Plant Coach: The Beginner’s Guide to Caring for Plants and the Planet (Harper Design, 2022), Nick also created The Adventures of Farmer Nick and Plant Kids show and course. With more than 150 clients between New York and Los Angeles, this self-described “plantrepreneur” is passionate about giving people the knowledge and confidence to create their own green spaces—and to leave the earth greener than they found it.