Anne Gallagher considers herself a lifelong student of flower design. While enjoying owning her own retail flower shop for 15 years, Anne has taught flower design from college level to local recreation groups. Her passion for flowers is evident in the hundreds of beautiful weddings she has created using her special talents. Her award winning style has allowed her to judge the prestigious Philadelphia Flower Show and design for the Maryland State and Georgia State Flower Shows.

Working as a freelance designer, she has worked with interior designers, and has assisted staging projects for major publications such as “House Beautiful.? Her work has also been showcased in design panels across the country. Anne’s talent of working with a client’s idea, and developing a unique plan designed with their budget and needs in mind, is one of the many reasons for her success today.

She began her career in high school, working at a local nursery. It is there that she discovered her love of flowers. She was the assistant for the wedding designer and soon proved her ability as a talented designer. During her college years, she was always able to find work during the busy holiday seasons and continued to hone her skills. After marriage and her first child, she decided that design was her passion and she went to work part time in a flower shop near her home in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She started entering design competitions and won numerous awards. Some of her awards include the Lilliam Award (an invitational award for Mid Atlantic Floral ASSC), Designer of the Year for her region for FTD, and numerous others. She started taking every design class she could and became recognized as a real contender. Anne was soon asked to design and speak for local organizations.

Her desire to share her love of design brought her to the ultimate decision to open her own flower shop. In 1991, she opened “Flowers by Anne?in Mount Airy, Maryland, which soon grew into a huge success. She also focused her attention on becoming a member of AIFD, The American Institute of Floral Designers, an organization that promotes the education and recognition of floral design as a profession. Only the most promising designers pass the difficult design test and are allowed to use these letters after their name. In 1997, Anne became a member of AIFD and went on to serve on the executive board for the southern region of AIFD. She later was granted entry into AAF, the American Academy of Floriculture, another organization promoting and recognizing superior efforts in education and community involvement.

After selling her flower shop in 2003, Anne began her career as a freelance designer. It gave her an opportunity to work with some of the best designers in the industry. She was able to share her knowledge with others and learn from every new experience. The high profile clients and companies she worked for exposed her to a whole new level of design. Creating huge arrangements for Washington, DC area weddings, parties, and events gave her experience in handling large and often complex design projects.

As her knowledge grew, so did her desire to have her own clients once again. In 2008, she started a new company, Anne Gallagher Design.