The power to determine which floats rise to the top at the 2013 Tournament of Roses rests with a Descanso Gardens floral expert, the flower arranger for the British royal family and the woman behind the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.
The Tournament of Roses on Monday unveiled the names of three judges who will assess the 40 floats and hand out awards for design, beauty and other features.
One judge is Brian Sullivan, director of horticulture at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge.
Sullivan joined the Descanso staff as a gardener in 1995, and is now supervises horticulture and garden operations. His responsibilities range from landscape design and collection management to equipment and facilities repairs. He has taught or served as a guest lecturer at the Los Angeles Arboretum, Beverly Hills Garden and Flower Show, Los Angeles Garden Show and Huntington Botanical Garden.
Joining Sullivan is Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She oversees all aspects of planning and production of the famed parade and Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show, from design and logistics to marketing.
Shane Connolly, a flower arranger whose clients include London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts, will also serve as a judge. Born in Northern Ireland, Connolly launched his own flower business in 1989 and has authored three books on flower arrangements, with a fourth one due in December. Connolly handled flower arrangements in 2007 for the British Royal Family’s 10th anniversary commemoration of the death of Princess Diana.
-- Bill Kisliuk, Times Community News
Twitter: @bkisliuk
