American Horticultural Society announces winners of 2026 AHS Book Awards, Ecological Exhibit Awards

The American Horticultural Society announced the recipients of the 2026 AHS Book Awards and AHS Ecological Exhibit Awards.

The AHS Book Awards recognize outstanding gardening books published in North America. Selected from more than 40 books published in 2025, this year’s winners reflect the breadth of modern garden writing, from rigorous botanical science to fresh takes on familiar plants, the nonprofit organization said.

The 2026 AHS Book Awards winners are:

• Pansies by Brenna Estrada (Timber Press)
• Hidden World: The Survival Systems of Plants by Kevin Tarner and Rachel Hughes (University of Georgia Press)

The 2026 honorable mentions are:

• Designing the Lush Dry Garden: Create a Climate-Resilient, Low-Water Paradise by Cricket Riley, Alice Kitajima and Kier Holmes; photography by Caitlin Atkinson (Timber Press)
• Gardens of Texas by Pam Penick (Timber Press)

Members of the 2026 Book Award Committee include Christine Froehlich, horticulturist, landscape designer and consultant, New York; Jim Long, garden book author and nursery owner, Missouri; Carol Michel, garden book author and podcaster, Indiana; Viveka Neveln, garden editor at BHG.com, Iowa; Georgia Silvera Seamans, writer, podcaster and adjunct professor of environmental studies at New York University, New York; and Brian Thompson, horticultural librarian at the University of Washington.

The AHS Ecological Exhibit Awards recognize exceptional plant show exhibits that showcase sustainable horticultural design. Judging criteria include concept clarity, design, appropriate plant materials and the exhibit’s ability to inspire environmentally conscious gardening.

The 2026 Ecological Exhibit Awards winners are:

• The Knowledge of Place and Time by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Tacoma, Washington (Northwest Flower & Garden Festival)
• The Apothecary’s Path by Irwin Landscaping, Hockessin, Delaware, and Prairie Wind, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia Flower Show)

Holly Shimizu, AHS board member and former director of the United States Botanic Garden, selected the Ecological Exhibit Awards winner at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Rochelle Greayer, editor of American Gardener, represented AHS to congratulate the Ecological Exhibit Awards winner at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival.