Juries & Awards
Exhibitors
Spaces judged by
Technical Committee, which evaluates the breadth of the collection, attention to research, rarity of species, etc. (only for nursery exhibitors).
Aesthetic Committee, which judges staging of spaces, as well as lighting solutions
Companies awarded by each Commitee are highlighted in the next edition’s catalogue, recognisable by the “Excellency” label.
Technical Committee
Participants:
Gianfranco Cattaneo / Astino Botanical Garden, Massimiliano Marzorati / Agronomist and Trainer, Jean-Luc Pasquier / Industry Journalist, Luciana Pezzini / Garden Expert, Andrea Tantardini / Agronomist, Gaetano Zoccali / Industry Journalist
Coordinated by: Alberto Grossi / Botanist
“Collection” Award for the most impressive collection.
Awarded to: Orchideen Detlef Frenzel / Parco, 91
For Hoya or waxflower: display of 240 species out of the 500 described
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: Tillandsia Michieli Floricoltura / Ala Cernobbio, 52
For Tillandsia, particularly for the numerous xerophytic specimens
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: D’Aleo Azienda Agricola / Parco, 34
For Passiflora, Decaloba section: noteworthy leaf structure and mimetic adaptation
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“Super Specimen” Award for the plant that represents uniqueness in terms of shapes, sizes, colors, and/or fragrance in the edition.
Awarded to: Oscar Tintori Vivai / Parco, 21
For Citrus madurensis ‘Foliis variegates’: for its size and structure
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: A&G Floroortoagricola / Ala Lario, 6
For Cyphostemma juttae: for its size, considering its slow growth, especially in a pot
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: Cactusmania / Parco, 51
For Senecio kleinia: for its harmonious shrub-like formation
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“Rarity” Award for the best plant (novelty or rarity).
Awarded to: Water Nursery / Parco, 60
For Nymphaea prolifera: for its unique propagation method and large fragrant night-blooming flowers
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: D’Aleo Azienda Agricola / Parco, 34
For Passiflora contracta vitta: threatened with extinction, one of the few Passiflora species pollinated by bats
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: Central Park / Parco, 99
For Trevesia palmata: lush foliage resembling snowflakes
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“Cultural Preparation” Award for the best labeling and preparation of nursery exhibitors on their plants, with particular attention to the types of plants selected for the edition.
Awarded to: Natura Maestra Piante Innovative / Ala Lario, 23
For their extensive knowledge, research, conservation, and dissemination efforts in the field of useful but little-known plants
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: Microriparium (many interactions in a jar) / Parco, 83
For the unusual proposal of micro riparian habitats (in a jar) that illustrate the value of biodiversity in small spaces
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: Hobby Jungle / Ala Cernobbio, 44
For their deep knowledge and offering of terrarium plants for those unable to have a garden
Aesthetic Committee
Participants:
Roberto Ballabio / Trainer, Nicoletta Castellaneta / Director of Accademia Galli, Maria Teresa D’Agostino / Landscape Architect, Roberta Peverelli / Landscape Architect, Monica Ranzi / Garden Creator, Camilla Zanarotti / Landscape Architect
Coordinated by: Corrado Tagliabue / Architect
“Best Art & Nature Project” Award.
Awarded to: I quattro elementi by Lorenzo Guzzini / Parco, Darsena
For the evocative power of the four elements, complemented by metal, represented with simplicity and material strength
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“Best Design & Nature Project” Award.
Awarded to:Con-tatto by Duo Urtiga / Ala Cernobbio, D
A suspended place for contemplating the wonder of nature. Minimalism and a search for simplicity in the details
Special Mention for Design
Awarded to: Vitae Flore by Ken Scott / Ala Lario, F
For the creative interpretation of the historic Ken Scott Archive, presenting unusual furnishing elements
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“Best Products set-up” Award (for non-nursery exhibitors).
Awarded to: Libellulepezziunici / Ala Lario, 15
For the ability to convey themes of sustainability and balance through the construction of art objects with lightness
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: Michela Cattivelli. Loropetalum Design / Ala Lario, 11
For the originality in treating unique fabrics created through ancient dyeing techniques using leaves and natural elements
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“Best Plants set-up” Award (for nursery exhibitors).
Awarded to: Il Giardino / Parco, 15-16
For the installation harmoniously integrated into the park’s context, featuring a botanical composition of common plants characterized by very refined color and texture combinations
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: Azienda Agricola La Siepe and Moretti Lorenzo Azienda Agricola / Parco, 2-3
For relevance to the event’s theme and inspiration from environmental topics, using terracotta with a strong chromatic impact
Honorable Mention
Awarded to: Mario Mariani from Central Park & Matteo Boccardo / Parco, 99
For the dialogue of the installation with the villa and park, and for the elegance and originality of the plant species and their combinations
The prizes are stoneware vase-sculptures, designed and crafted by Luca Mandaglio, Como Lake Pottery (comoraku.it), and precision trimming shears by Felco (felco.com).
Creative Spaces
Participants:
Laura Caldirola / Garden Expert, Annie Guilfoyle / Garden Design Instructor and Designer, Hester Mac Donald / Garden Designer, Jean Mus / Landscape Architect, Rossana Porta / Consultant for RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Giovanni Rossoni / Industry Trainer, Chiara Rostagno / Architect specialized in monument restoration
Coordinated by: Lorenza Ceruti / Architect
Spaces judged by
the Creative Spaces Committee, which evaluates achievements according to various criteria including: consistency with the theme, correspondence between the presented project and its realization, quality and attention to detail, balance between shapes and volumes, lights and colors, conscious use of plants, quality in botanical selection, innovation of materials, genius loci, design idea, eco-sustainability, historical-artistic references.
“La Foglia d’oro del Lago di Como” Award to the best exhibit.
The creative space, awarded by the Jury, fully reflects the competition theme, demonstrating a thoughtful and sustainable approach with great attention to detail, botanical choice, and plant quality. It also highlights strong collaboration between different professions, whose synergy represents an advanced form of gardening that looks toward the future. For its ability to represent the earth as a source of life, art, and culture, the Foglia d’Oro del Lago di Como is awarded to the STIHL Space “SETA. Sustainable Environment and Textile Artwork,” a project by Jonathan Arnaboldi and Matteo Pellicanò (5).
The award is conceived and exclusively created for Orticolario by Gino Seguso of the Vetreria Artistica Archimede Seguso / aseguso.com.
It is a curvaceous vase blown on Murano island (Venice) in which floats a golden leaf decorated with gold 24k.
Empathy Award for a space that narrates, communicates, and evokes emotions.
The creative space, awarded by the Jury, demonstrates an ability to immediately and engagingly resonate with the viewer, stirring emotions. It invites the audience to reflect on the earth’s and plants’ ability for renewal and regeneration, in a time horizon that transcends the limited human experience. It also communicates a message of hope for the future. The Empathy Award is won by the Amorfini Garden space “From Above to Below and Then Back Up Again,” a project by Davide Boschetti (1).
Other awards
Press Award for innovation of materials and eco-sustainability
Evaluation by accredited press.
Awarded to: Coplant Space “Terra, vita, eterno incanto“, a project by Elena Ziliotti and Davide Passera (4).
Visitor’s choice Award for the creative space voted by the public.
To be announced at the end of the event.
Special Awards
“Gardenia” award for the nursery, exhibitor, or installation that is “memorable” for the edition
Emanuela Rosa-Clot, Director of Gardenia
Awarded to: Pierre-Louis Mascia with Figli dei Fiori / Ala Lario, 50
For the lush “green theater” created in collaboration with the Como-based floral and garden design studio Figli dei Fiori, where Pierre-Louis Mascia, a prêt-à-porter fashion brand and home collection designer, chose to present his refined silk garments with large floral prints and botanical-themed table ceramics. Gardenia appreciated the spirit of the display, where plants are not merely a backdrop for the products but are the result of botanical research, becoming a natural complement to the vegetal inspiration of the creations on display.
“Villa d’Este” award where style and elegance blend into a timeless tradition / Giulia Alberio and Vera Mazzoni
Awarded to: Spazio Fratelli Gramaglia “Simbiosi”, a project by Laura Storero (2)
Villa d’Este is proud to present its prestigious special award to the installation Spazio Fratelli Gramaglia “Simbiosi”. Like our gardens, this installation celebrates the deep harmony between man and nature. Just as “Simbiosi” does, Villa d’Este offers six different types of gardens, each with its own soul and history: the Renaissance-Italian parterre by the lake, the Baroque grottos of the Mosaico, the picturesque fortresses built in 1808 by the Marchesa Calderara, the romantic-English style of the Tempietto di Telemaco with its winding paths and small bridges within the park, the Chef’s Garden which inspires our cuisine, and finally, the Piazzale dei Platani, once home to a magnificent centuries-old plane tree.
Just like the tree sculpture in “Simbiosi”, symbolizing the embrace between Man and Mother Nature, our gardens offer a similar spectacle: the Mosaico, a National Historic Monument, visually embraces the surrounding gardens with its extraordinary beauty. Inside it, there is also an exceptional bas-relief dedicated to the theme of the embrace.
According to Villa d’Este’s philosophy, the symbiosis between man and nature is not just aesthetic but also a responsibility: in shaping the landscape, we must ensure its integrity is preserved, passing it down with love and respect to future generations.
“Villa Carlotta” award for the enhancement of art in the garden, where nature and human ingenuity coexist harmoniously. / Maria Angela Previtera, Director of Villa Carlotta
Awarded to: Spazio STIHL “SETA. Sustainable Environment and Textile Artwork”, a project by Jonathan Arnaboldi and Matteo Pellicanò (5)
Villa Carlotta is a place where art, nature, and landscape interact, just like in the Spazio STIHL, where colors and textures tell the memory and history of the garden.
“Grandi Giardini Italiani” award for a space capable of welcoming visitors while expressing art in all its forms, with particular attention to the intended use of the project, that is, its role for both the local community and tourists. / Judith Wade, Founder of Grandi Giardini Italiani
Awarded to: Spazio STIHL “SETA. Sustainable Environment and Textile Artwork”, a project by Jonathan Arnaboldi and Matteo Pellicanò (5)
For a space that intertwines nature, art, and history, with a contemporary outlook, creating an inclusive space that welcomes everyone: all elements that define a Great Italian Garden.
“AIAPP Matilde Marazzi” Award for an innovative space and contextually consistent with the themes of Simplicity, Beauty, Sustainability, which are fundamental qualities in landscape design, from the garden to the park, the city and beyond. / Cecilia Zanzi
Awarded to: Spazio I(n)spirare, by Pierre-Alexandre Risser, Solenn Moquet, and Clara Bodin (8)
For a garden that well interprets the themes of the 2024 edition of Orticolario and the AIAPP Matilde Marazzi Award. The spatial composition and the richness of the plant life were also appreciated.
President’s Award / Moritz Mantero, President of Orticolario
Awarded to: Mario Mariani from Central Park & Matteo Boccardo
For their creativity, passion, and commitment invested in several projects of the event.
