Please carefully read and follow the GCA Rules, Museum Rules, General Information, and Timetable for Exhibitors.
- An exhibitor is permitted only one entry per class but may enter more than one class. The exhibitor(s) under whose name(s) the entry has been registered must create and complete the design. All participants must be listed. Only listed exhibitors and show personnel may be on the show floor at the time of entry.
- No more than two exhibitors may execute a floral design unless otherwise stated in the schedule.
- If forced to withdraw, an exhibitor must notify the Registration Chairs and class consultant and find a substitute unless there is a waiting list for the class.
- Mechanics should not be visible unless they are an integral part of the design.
- All designs must be executed at the show; complex components requiring extensive time for construction may be prefabricated and assembled during the allowed installation time at the show.
- All entries must include fresh and/or dried plant material. Fresh plant material must be in water or conditioned in such a way as to remain in pristine form while on exhibition. Rooted plant material is allowed provided no soil is attached. An entry not maintained in show condition may have its award removed.
- Anything not prohibited in the MFAH rules, GCA Rules, Floral Design Division Guidelines, or individual class descriptions is permitted.
- Cut fruits and vegetables are not permitted. Food of any kind is not permitted. Neither fur nor hair, shells, or bones, are permitted.
- Judging will be based on the principles of design: balance, contrast, dominance, proportion, rhythm, and scale; and the elements of design: light, space, line, form, color, texture, pattern, and size. Creativity is important, as are distinction, conformance to, and interpretation of the class and schedule. For the scale of points for Floral Design, please refer to the GCA Flower Show and Judging Guide Chapter V, Section IX or follow the link at flohouston.org.
- Accessories are permitted, unless otherwise stated in the class description.
- Pedestals may not be moved. Tops of pedestals may not be enlarged or draped. Floral designs have no height restrictions unless specified.
- Registration is open Tuesday, September 20, 2022, through Monday, January 30, 2023, online at flohouston.org. For questions regarding registration, please contact the Registration Chairs.
- Color reproductions of works of art, where applicable, will be online at flohouston.org. It is possible the colors will not match the actual colors of the piece of art perfectly and the Judges will be made aware of this.
- Museum collections are subject to change. If this occurs, the Floral Design Committee will notify exhibitors as soon as possible.
- A plant list with the botanical and common names along with a mandatory statement of intent, of no more than 25 words, should be entered using the entry form online at flohouston.org by Monday, April 10, 2023. Changes may be made at the show.
- Challenge Class 4 is open only to individual out-of-town GCA members of the Judging Program, at any level, and the required fee of $95 must be paid at the time of registration at flohouston.org.
- All entries must be removed on Friday, April 28, 2023, between 8:00–10:00 a.m. An out-of-town exhibitor’s entry may be returned by a shipping service for an additional fee. Please go to flohouston.org for additional information.
Questions regarding class requirements may be directed to the class consultant and/or Division Chairs.
scale of points (Except class 3)
- Interpretive design: 35
- Distinction: 20
- Interpretation: 20
- Color harmony: 15
- Conformance: 10
- Total: 100
A synergistic design staged on a 15.5” square x 40” tall pedestal interpreting one of the following paintings. Viewed from four sides; judged from three sides. Design may not exceed 15” from the center of the pedestal. Gallery wall color is Farrow & Ball Brinjal.
Education note: A synergistic design is comprised of three or more containers. Each unit is either a partial or complete design, which when viewed with the others, makes a unified whole.
Class Consultant
Sara Ledbetter
713-854-5555
sara@ledbetterhome.net
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Gallery 202 Fee: Free

Giovanni Bellini
Virgin and Child,
c. 1460–70
Size: 32 1/4” × 25 1/8”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Unknown Italian
Saints Margaret and Catherine of Alexandria with a Donatrix,
c. 1485
Size: 64 1/2” × 22 1/2”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
A design interpreting the following artwork staged on a 15.5” square x 40” tall pedestal. Design not to exceed 15” from the center of the pedestal. Gallery wall color is Farrow & Ball Picture Gallery Red. Viewed and judged from four sides.
Class Consultant
Sara Ledbetter
713-854-5555
sara@ledbetterhome.net
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Gallery 203 Fee: Free

Michele Tosini
Saint Mary Magdalene, c. 1560
Size: 34 1/4” × 25 7/8”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Bernardo Strozzi
The Guardian Angel¸ c. 1630
Size: 83 7/8” × 50 3/4”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
Exhibition table based on one of the following Greek myths. Table size is 30” round x 30” tall. Table will be placed on a 36” square x 6” tall white platform, which may not be altered or embellished. Tablecloth not provided. Food and silverware are not allowed. Statement of intent is required. Viewed and judged from all sides. Design may not extend beyond the platform’s horizontal dimensions and must not exceed 10’ in overall height from the floor. Gallery height is 15’. Gallery wall color is Benjamin Moore 985 Indian River. Exhibitors may choose one myth from the curated list:
- Zeus into a bull
- Arachne into a spider
- Daphne into a laurel tree
- Narcissus into a flower
- Apollo into a serpent
- Cronos into a horse
- Dionysus into a storm of fire
To inquire about which choices are already taken and to select your choice from the options listed above, please email our Registration Chair at FlorescenceReg@gmail.com.
Selections will be prioritized by the date and time your email request is received. You will receive a confirmation of your selection.
Exhibition table: a display using the components of dining and plant material in an artistic presentation as a coordinated design. The practical service of food should not be implied.
Scale of points
- Overall design: 20
- Incorporation of plant material: 20
- Creativity: 15
- Interpretation: 15
- Color and textural harmony: 10
- Conformance: 10
- Distinction: 10
- Total: 100
Class Consultant
Kelty Crain
713-562-8808
keltycrain@gmail.com
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Gallery 220 Fee: Free
0 available spot(s) left / 4 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
Challenge class for out-of-town Garden Club of America members at any level in the judging program. Staged on a 15.5” x 40” square pedestal. Entry fee: $95.
Class Consultants
Susie Green
832-746-3219
susiemgreen@comcast.net
Donna Maddox
713-569-7585
dmm6115@gmail.com
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Cullen Atrium Fee: $95 (Pay Online)
0 available spot(s) left / 6 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
Open to provisional members of The Garden Club of Houston and River Oaks Garden Club only. A design staged on a 12” square x 36” tall pedestal based on one of the four seasons. Design may not exceed 12” from the center of the pedestal. Viewed and judged from three sides. Exhibitors will randomly choose which season to depict.
- Spring
- Summer
- Winter
- Fall
Class Consultants
Liz Wozencraft
713-252-3720
lizwoz@att.net
Kelty Crain
713-562-8808
keltycrain@gmail.com
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Millennium Gallery Fee: Free
1 available spot(s) left / 19 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
An abstract design interpreting the multiple changing colors and style of the James Turrell installation The Light Inside, in the tunnel to the Beck Building. Staged on a 15.5” x 40” square pedestal. May not exceed 15” from the center of the pedestal. Viewed and judged from three sides.
Class Consultant
Jane DiPaolo
713-304-5273
mjkeys48@gmail.com
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Millennium Gallery Fee: Free
0 available spot(s) left / 4 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
A design interpreting different decades of fashion designers. To be staged on a dressmaker’s mannequin provided by the Committee. Design will be staged on a platform with a label identifying the fashion designer from whom the design takes inspiration. Gallery height is 70’. Gallery wall color is Benjamin Moore Super White. Viewed and judged from four sides.
Choose from one of the following:
- Coco Chanel (1920s)
- Christian Dior (1950s)
- Pucci (1960s)
- Mary Quant (1960s)
- Halston (1970s)
- Bob Mackie (1980s)
- Valentino (1990s)
To inquire about which choices are already taken and to select your choice from the options listed above, please email our Registration Chair at FlorescenceReg@gmail.com.
Selections will be prioritized by the date and time your email request is received. You will receive a confirmation of your selection.
Class Consultant
Lisa Mears
713-582-7123
lisamears123@gmail.com
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Gallery 200 Fee: Free
1 available spot(s) left / 6 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
A design inspired by the following pieces of art, staged on a 15.5” square x 40” tall pedestal. Design may not exceed 15” from the center of the pedestal. Gallery wall color is Benjamin Moore Marine Blue. Viewed from four sides and judged from three sides.
Class Consultant
Jane DiPaolo
713-304-5273
mjkeys48@gmail.com
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Gallery 109 Fee: Free

William Merritt Chase
The Emerald Lady, c. 1896–1900
Size: 60” × 39”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Cecilia Beaux
Cynthia Sherwood, 1892
Size: 24” × 18”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
A design inspired by the following paintings, staged on a 15.5” square x 40” tall pedestal. Design may not exceed 15” from the center of the pedestal. Gallery height is 15’. Viewed from four sides and judged from three sides.
Class Consultant
Jane DiPaolo
713-304-5273
mjkeys48@gmail.com
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Gallery 215 Fee: Free

Pieter Claeissens I
The Mass of Saint Gregory, after 1530
Size: 26” × 30 5/8”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Louis Finson
The Four Elements, 1611
Size: 70 1/2” × 67”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
A design inspired by the following sculptures, staged on a 14” square x 40” tall pedestal. Design may not exceed 15” from the center of the pedestal. Gallery height is 15’. Gallery wall color is Benjamin Moore 985 Indian River. Viewed from four sides and judged from three sides.
Class Consultant
Kelty Crain
713-562-8808
keltycrain@gmail.com
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Gallery 220 Fee: Free

Vincenzo Gemito
Head of a Philosopher, c. 1890
Size: 20 1/2” × 9 1/2” × 10”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Jean-Léon Gérôme, Fonderie Siot-Decauville
The Expiring Eagle of Waterloo, c. 1902
Size: 27 1/4” × 26” × 17”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Antoine-Louis Barye
Napoleon I on Horseback, c. 1864–66
Size: 38” × 31 1/2” × 15 1/2”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Jean Baptiste Carpeaux
Bust of the Imperial Prince, 1865
Size: 25” × 14” × 11”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
A design inspired by the following paintings, staged on a 15.5” square x 40” tall pedestal. Design not to exceed 15” from the center of the pedestal. Gallery wall color is Farrow & Ball Picture Gallery Red. Viewed from four sides and judged from three sides.
CLASS CONSULTANT
Lisa Mears
713-582-7123
lisamears123@gmail.com
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Gallery 222 Fee: Free

Claude Monet
The Windmill on the Onbekende Gracht, Amsterdam, 1874
Size: 21 1/4” × 25 1/2”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Gustave Caillebotte
Mademoiselle Boissière Knitting, 1877
Size: 25 5/8” × 31 1/2”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.
A design inspired by one of the following paintings, staged on a 12” square x 38” tall pedestal. Design not to exceed 12” from the center of the pedestal. Gallery height is 15’. Gallery wall color is Farrow & Ball Dorset Cream. Viewed from four sides and judged from three sides.
Class Consultant
Lisa Mears
713-582-7123
lisamears123@gmail.com
Division: Division I: Floral Design, Evolution Location: Gallery 223 Fee: Free

Henri-Jacques-Edouard Evenepoel
At the Moulin Rouge, 1897
Size: 28 3/4” × 23 1/2”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Albert André
Interior, c. 1893
Size: 35 5/8” × 30 3/4”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Othon Friesz
The Regatta at Antwerp, 1906
Size: 22 3/4” × 31 1/4”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.

Henri Matisse
Woman in a Purple Coat, 1937
Size: 31 7/8” × 25 3/4”
0 available spot(s) left / 1 max spots
Registration is currently closed.