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).

Frances Tophill

TV Presenter, Author, Educator

Frances Tophill is a British horticulturist, landscape designer, and television presenter celebrated for her work on BBC’s Gardeners’ World and ITV’s Love Your Garden. A graduate of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, she holds a degree in Horticulture with Plantmanship and brings both expertise and warmth to her teaching and on-screen work.

She currently serves as Head Gardener and Grower at the Sharpham Trust, where she focuses on sustainable growing practices and community engagement. Frances also works with the Royal Horticultural Society’s Campaign for School Gardening, inspiring young people to connect with nature through hands-on learning.

An accomplished author, Frances has written several books, most recently A Year in a Small Garden (BBC Books, 2022), which encourages gardeners of all levels to create beauty and biodiversity in any space.

Wambui Ipolito

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.