The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will represent the PHS Awards during a festivity on November 15 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel . Presented annually since the 1950s , the honors realize remarkable individuals who have worked with unflagging loyalty in both professional and volunteer capacities to further the PHS mission .

The organization ’s highest honor , the PHS Medal of Achievement , will be presented to Robin Potter . A PHS member since 2000 and a current member of the PHS Board of Directors , Robin Potter has generously supported the organisation through her time , elbow grease , and dedication to the work of PHS . Along with her husband Peter Gould and their PoGo Family Foundation , Robin has also made important financial contributions in financial support of PHS programme , include Legacy Landscapes , Vision2027 , and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree plantings .

After a 20 - yr career in the computer services industry , Robin rick her focus to horticulture , completing the worship Barnes Foundation Arboretum Course and becoming a Master Gardener in Camden County , N .J. An accomplished lecturer and garden design consultant , Robin has also chairman the Haddonfield Shade Tree Commission for eight years .

This award recognizes Robin ’s selfless commitment to horticultural breeding and deep engagement with the PHS community . As an active voluntary for more than 10 years , Robin has been affiliated with legion mathematical group , program , committees and competitions , including : PHS Tree Tenders , PHS Council , Members ’ Plant Dividend , Gardening and Greening Contest , Design and Horticultural Committee , Events Committee , PHeaSt , Finance Committee , Vision2027 Steering and Advisory Committees , and the Philadelphia Flower Show ’s Early Morning Tours and Preview Party .

In 2016 , Robin gracefully abuse in to process as interim director of the PHS Development section until a concluding campaigner was selected . She continues to impart her considerable skills and expertness to the Development effort , sharing her brainstorm into the philanthropic community and serving as a valued wise man to each penis of the team .

PHS will also award its 2018 Awards of Merit at the observance . The prize are pass to individuals and organizations who have made significant share to or achievements in horticulture , include the Philadelphia Flower Show and PHS greening programs .

Jill EvansA PHS member since 2000 and a PHS Tennessean since 1997 , Jill has been an proponent and committed supporter of the PHS mission through her oeuvre with the Philadelphia Flower Show , Gardening and Greening Contest , and the PHS Garden Visit Committee . At the Flower Show , Jill has sky-high worn many chapeau over the twelvemonth , volunteering as a Judge , Artistic Barrier Aide , Artistic Clerk , Artistic Passer , Horticulture Aide , and serve as Special Panel Judge for the North American Rock Garden Society ( NARGS ) . In improver to her own rank with the Norristown Garden Club , Jill has arranged many garden tours for the enjoyment of PHS members and help the judgment and evaluation of entrance in the Gardening and Greening Contest .

Gabriella PaezAs Education and Community Development Coordinator at Esperanza , a nonprofit brass focused on strengthening Hispanic community , Gabriella has been a champion of PHS ’s military mission to non - English speakers in Philadelphia . Since her intimacy with PHS begin in 2016 , she has encouraged community participation in the PHS Tree Tenders and PWD Rain Check programs , actively recruiting for bilingual Tree Tenders education and furnish translations during Rain Check workshops . Gabriella is the novel appendage of the PHS Tree Tender Advisory Committee and a true asset to Esperanza , PHS and the City of Philadelphia .

Hope Fox Coates and Anne CosteWith 90 yr of combined voluntary experience at the Philadelphia Flower Show , Hope and Anne are the received - bearers of a passion for horticulture and dedication to the delegacy of PHS . Known for their legendary hospitality , benignity , and shared sense of humor , Hope and Anne are longtime friends and award - acquire Flower Show exhibitioner . Hope , a 50 - yr unpaid worker and former fellow member of the Weeders Garden Club , travels to the Show from Maine every twelvemonth and was polar in do for the Flower Show Artistic Workshops to be oblige at Penllyn Woods , creating a space for people to memorize about and try out with flowered designing . Anne , a 40 - year volunteer and extremity of the Wissahickon Garden Club , is a cardinal recruiter of exhibitor to fill the Arrangements classes at the Flower Show .