Michael SambongaArrange Your Natural Flowers

Sambogna minored in Ornamental Horticulture at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville but learned the real art of floral arranging at a young age from his Aunts Gertrude Neathery Kemp and Marge Gambill. He excelled in this art to the extent of gaining employment at Neiman Marcus Northpark and downtown Dallas Store and his work has been photographed and published in Southern Living Magazine.

His most famous client undoubtedly remains the Queen of England. The phone rang In his place of employment and a client ordered a hand tied nosegay of Texas wildflowers which could not be had at the flower wholesaler , so he picked the flowers and greens (Johnson grass, too) along the way and delivered the bouquet to the Hall of State at Fair Park, where it was presented to Her Majesty. She looked at the flowers, smiled, then carried the flowers about 10 feet and handed them off to a lady-in-waiting, who put them in the Queen’s car.