The Inman Center is the beautiful big center building facing Wedgewood that has the circular drive in front of it. There is a parking garage for it up the small drive to the left if you face the building (also a sign saying Inman Center Parking on that drive). Inman parking is to the right clearly marked. There are elevators just as you come into the garage with unloading space in front of them. Visitor parking is to the left. Take the elevators to the 4th floor and turn right when you get off. Our meeting room is there. There will be a cart available if you need it to carry things in. So easy access and a wonderful meeting place. Thanks so much Belmont!
The Society will provide ham and turkey. Members are asked to bring a covered dish. There will be Dirty Santa gifts with a limit of $20.
Allie Heard, a superb pianist and a student at Belmont’s School of Music, will be playing Christmas carols during the party. To hear her play, check out allieheardmusic on Youtube.
Jason Reeves, Curator of UT Gardens JacksonThe November meeting of the Nashville Rose Society is back at the usual time and usual place – 2:00pm – 4:00pm at Cheekwood. Our speaker is Jason Reeves, horticulturist at UT and the curator of the UT Garden at Jackson. Jason will speak on”A Year in the Garden”. He will give tips and techniques on garden care and maintenance as well as top-performing plants for each season.
Jason grew up not far from the West TN AgResearch and Education Center on a farm in rural Carroll County near Huntingdon, Tennessee. As a college student, he interned at the Opryland Conservatories in Nashville and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. He received his Masters in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from UT in 1999. After school, Jason worked at the famed Longwood Gardens, the former estate of Pier DuPont (of the chemical company) near Philadelphia. He also traveled to New Zealand, where he worked and lived at Palomia Gardens for four months. Recently, Jason was named Contributing Editor at Fine Gardening magazine.
Jason’s major projects at this Research Center include developing the grounds, improving the plant collection, and conducting research on herbaceous and woody ornamentals.
2019 NRS Rose Show entriesThe Nashville Rose Society 2019 Rose Show was held on Saturday, September 28, and Sunday, September 29, at the Belmont University Gabhart Student Center, 2002 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, Tennessee.
The show was one of the most successful Annual Rose Shows in recent memory and, according to some members who have exhibited at NRS Rose Shows for 20+ years, perhaps ever! We had 35 exhibitors in total, including a few new exhibitors from as far away as Montgomery, AL. Continue reading “2019 NRS Rose Show Results – And the winners are…”
As the weather cools, what does a rose garden need to thrive? Led by members of the Nashville Rose Society, this workshop will cover fall activities like fertilizing, spraying, watering, deadheading, and winterizing roses. Participants will leave with their own bouquet of roses from the Rose Study Garden.
There is no cost for the workshop, but advanced registration is required. Stay tuned for ticket information.
NRS Member Marty Reich gave a rose talk to the Spring Hill Garden Club in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The following is the coverage by the by the local paper, The Advertiser News:
By Susan Lobo The Advertiser News, August 28 – September 3, 2019
Marty Reich, Membership Chairman and Newsletter Editor of the Nashville Rose Society (Photo by Susan Lobo)“Few flowers have gained such universal celebrity and love as roses. The rose has been hailed Queen of Flowers. It has been a garden staple for centuries. Has given us some of the most famous lines of romantic poetry ever written.” – Julia Stowe, blossomartstn. com.
Straight from Romeo, “… a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” Shakespeare wrote.
The secret to growing roses? Location, location, location! says our garden guest, Marty Reich, Membership Chairman and newsletter editor of the Nashville Rose Society.
Finding the perfect location to plant your roses is in the east so that the sun dries the dew. Roses need six to eight hours of sunshine a day, as they can’t grow in the shade. Second in importance is watering.
“Roses like two to three gallons of water a week. More when very hot. You want to water. I’m going to say that about fourteen million times,” Reich said.
Soil, too, is important. She replaces the clay in her garden with a special mix of 1/3 organic peat, 1/3 sand, 1/3 native soil. Dig a deep hole, then make a little mound at the bottom, spread the roots over it, and fill with your special soil mix.
“Roses like to eat. Organics are great. I recommend Mills Mix which is a combination of blood meal, bone meal and alfalfa. I can’t say enough good things about Mills Mix and it’s reasonably priced”, she said.
Reich recommends mulching with pinestraw which keeps moisture even, deters weeds well, and eventually breaks down nicely. If you have pine trees the price is definitely right. Free.
She invites a visit to the Nashville Society’s website for the Ten Steps to Growing Good Roses:
1. Locate Bed for Best Growth
2. Buy only #1 Rose Bushes
3. Plant Properly
4. Spring Pruning for Established Roses
5. Fertilize
6. Water
7. Spray
8. Prune
9. Fall Care
10. Winterization
“Gemini” is Marty’s favorite rose. For rosy scent she suggests “Fragrant Plum” and “Wild Blue Yonder”. She has eighty-three roses of her very own. The Nashville Rose Society cares for twin rose gardens at Cheekwood Estate and Gardens.
Membership in the Nashville Rose Society is $20 a year, which includes a complimentary rose and four months membership in the American Rose Society.
Beyond landscaping and flowering beauty, the rose possesses medicinal benefits.
“Providing us with the most beautiful herbal remedies,” Stowe shared. “Throughout the history of herbal medicine roses have held a prized place in the herbalist’s matria medica, and have been used to prevent infections, relieve headaches, lower fevers, support the immune system, heal injuries, reduce inflammation, and beautify the skin. Of course, the heavenly scent of rose has long been sought for its ability to lift spirits and heal the heart.”
Roses offer culinary gifts as well, from sweet to tart:
Rose Lavender Vinegar
2 parts fresh rose petals
½ part dried lavender buds
Raw apple cider vinegar
Gather fresh rose petals just after the dew has dried but before mid-day to capture the maximum healing benefits. Fill a jar with fresh rose petals, add the lavender, cover with apple cider vinegar. Store in a cool, dark place. Shake daily for 4 to 6 weeks. Once steeped, strain the rose petals and use to make delicious salad dressings. (This works as a gently astringent face toner, too!)
One last bit of advice, in all you do, take time to smell the roses!
The Nashville Rose Society Annual Christmas Party will be held in the Frist Lecture Hall at Belmont University, 1515 Wedgewood Ave, Nashville, TN 37212, just off Wedgewood Avenue. The Frist Lecture Hall is on the fourth floor in the Inman Center, which is Building #6 on the Belmont campus map.
As the weather cools, what does a rose garden need to thrive? Led by members of the Nashville Rose Society, this workshop will cover fall activities like fertilizing, spraying, watering, deadheading, and winterizing roses. Participants will leave with their own bouquet of roses from the Rose Study Garden.
