Join us at our Monthly Meetings and Events
The Nashville Rose Society serves all of Middle Tennessee by sharing knowledge and information about our national flower, the rose. Through a monthly newsletter and meetings that feature regional and nationally recognized speakers, we bring you advice and instruction geared to growing roses in the specific soil and climatic conditions of this area. For all scheduled Meetings & Events, click here.
NRS moves Rose Study Garden to make way for the new Cheekwood Parking Pavilion
by Liz Louie, Co-President, Nashville Rose Society
As a result, the two rose beds that comprise the rose study garden needed a new location. Earlier in the year, Cheekwood reached out to inform the Nashville Rose Society (NRS) about the plans for the new Parking Pavilion and Welcome Plaza. Jane MacLeod, Cheekwood’s President and CEO, came to the September NRS meeting to present an informative history of Cheekwood and discuss the new plans for the Parking Pavilion.
The new location for the Rose Study Garden will be three smaller beds behind Massey Hall. However, the area is not new to roses, as there was a time in Cheekwood’s history when roses grew there. It is a beautiful, serene spot with benches that overlook the distant Bevins Japanese Garden.
Continue reading / see slideshow here.
Upcoming Meeting and Events
The 2025 meetings of the Nashville Rose Society will be held at the Cheekwood Estate and Gardens or at the Ed Jones Auditorium in the Ellington Agriculture Center. The meeting location, dates and times are shown on the Meetings & Events page of the website.
The Cheekwood Estate and Gardens is located at 1200 Forrest Park Dr, Nashville, Tennessee 37205. The meetings are free to guests, as is admission to Cheekwood for meetings. Simply tell the gate attendant that you are there for the Nashville Rose Society meeting.
The Ed Jones Auditorium at Ellington Agriculture Center is located at 416 Hogan Rd, Nashville, TN 37220. More information on how to find the Ed Jones Auditorium, click here .
We’re excited to welcome Pamela Greenewald, owner of Angel Gardens, as our March, 2026, Nashville Rose Society speaker. Pamela will be speaking to us virtually from Alachua, Florida.
Angel Gardens is one of only three commercial rose nurseries in the world growing roses 100% organically, with nearly 2,000 varieties grown on their own roots.
Pamela is a passionate collector and preservationist specializing in antique, old, and rare roses—including Teas, Chinas, Noisettes, Bourbons, Polyanthas, Hybrid Musks, climbers, and rare shrub roses—many of which are in danger of disappearing. Her nursery ships roses nationwide and has introduced rare varieties sourced from France, the UK, and Germany. During this virtual presentation, Pamela will share practical, proven methods for growing healthy, vibrant roses organically, even in challenging heat and humidity, while protecting both gardeners and the environment.
Pamela has served as Good Earth Chairwoman for the American Rose Society, is an active board member of the Heritage Roses Group, and founded the North Central Florida Heritage Roses Group, which maintains an organic rose garden benefiting hospice patients. She is also the founder of Rose Garden Angels, Inc., a nonprofit supporting veterans with PTSD through horticultural therapy.
As a special bonus, Nashville Rose Society members will receive a 10% discount from Angel Gardens.
The Ed Jones Auditorium at the Ellington Agriculture Center is located at 416 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN 37220. Click here for detailed directions.
by Howard Carman, Tenarky District Director
Another year of growing roses has passed and what a year it was for the local rose societies of Tenarky. There were nice rose shows in Bowling Green, Nashville, Louisville and a GREAT 2025 Tenarky Convention and Rose Show in Memphis. The Memphis Rose Society did a fantastic job with providing an outstanding venue for our members to show our roses. These shows are important for two reasons, showing new people how nice roses can be and the opportunity for rose growers to show and get rewarded for all their hard work tending their roses throughout the year.
Our Tenarky Mid-Winter Workshop & Photo Contest is to be held in Bowling Green on February 27-28, 2026. I have reserved a larger room so that we will be able to have the vendors in the same room as the meeting. We have speakers lined up for great programs.
Sonja Lallemand, Editor of Illinois-Indiana District, will be speaking on Old Garden Roses, and you will enjoy her French pronunciation of rose names. Natalie Carmolli from Proven Winners is joining us virtually as well as providing some roses, then we also have Joe and Carrie Berg as our last speakers of the day presenting a program called “He says, she says”.
I will be bringing some potted roses for auction and selling with all the proceeds going to Tenarky, I have a couple of Dave Bang roses that I bought from K & M Roses when they had them discounted that I will donate to Tenarky also. I look forward to seeing everyone.
The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn University Plaza at 1021 Wilkinson Trace, Bowling Green, KY 42103, phone 270-745-0088. The hotel has provided a link here for reservations. The room block name is “Tenarky District of the American Rose Society Winter Workshop”. The hotel cutoff for reduced rate is January 27, 2026.
Here is the information you need!
Register Now!! We hope to see you in Bowling Green!
Please join us for our April 2026 meeting of the Nashville Rose Society in the Massey Auditorium of Botanic Hall / Visitor Services Building at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens. The evening will begin with time to mix and mingle at 6:30 PM, followed by the program at 7:00 PM.
The presentation will feature a curated collection of member-submitted photos and descriptions showcasing roses that are thriving in Middle Tennessee gardens.
The program will highlight varieties demonstrating strong disease resistance, repeat bloom, and overall garden performance in our local climate.
Guests are welcome to attend. Simply tell the gate attendant that you are there for the Nashville Rose Society meeting.