Author: NRS Webmaster

Sunday, November 1, 2:00-4:00 pm, Ron Daniels, “Thomas Jefferson’s Gardens at Monticello” and Chili Cookoff

Join us for a special afternoon as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence with a journey into Thomas Jefferson’s Gardens at Monticello — followed by our annual Nashville Rose Society Chili Cookoff!

The meeting will be held at the Ed Jones Auditorium at the Ellington Agriculture Center, located at 416 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN 37220. Click here for detailed directions.

Our guest speaker, Ron Daniels, Master Consulting Rosarian with the American Rose Society, will bring the historic gardens of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to life.

Monticello — meaning “little mountain” — is home to a remarkable collection of roses along with Jefferson’s historic flower and vegetable gardens. Ron will explore the purpose and design of these gardens, with special emphasis on the rose collection that continues to inspire gardeners today.

A lifelong rosarian, Ron has spent 30 years growing roses and currently tends approximately 150 rose plants in his Tennessee garden. He is also the author of Rose Therapy: My Journey of Growing and Caring for Roses. Copies of his book will be available for purchase at the meeting.

And come hungry! We’ll also be holding our annual Chili Cookoff. Bring your favorite chili, cornbread, or desert and join in the fun — or simply come ready to taste!

Guests are always welcome. We’d love to have you join us for roses, history, chili and a great afternoon with fellow gardeners!

Antique Rose Emporium – Preorder your roses by Sept 25!

Pre-order your roses from Antique Rose Emporium by September 25, 2026, You will get a 10% discount AND the roses will be delivered to the Medley of Roses – 2026 ARS Convention & Rose Show, Sheraton Music City Nashville Airport Hotel for pick up on on October 3rd or 4th. There will be no delivery charge, but a $6 handling fee may apply.

If you are not attending the Convention, you can still order and plan to come to the Rose Show on Saturday afternoon (1-4:00pm) or Sunday morning (9:00am-1:00pm) when you pick up your roses. The Rose Show is free to the public, but there is a $10 parking fee.

To pre-order, you must order from the website https://aregardens.com/collections/medley-of-roses and use the passcode NRS2026.

Can’t make it to the event? You can still order your roses to have shipped to you. Use the Antique Rose Emporium e-commerce website https://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/ and enter the code MEDLEY10 for 10% off your online order. Select your best ship week for planting during the first step of checkout.

Antique Rose Emporium is one of the Convention vendors and Jim Keeter, owner of ARE, will be our speaker on Sunday morning, October 4, at 10:00am. His presentation is “Deep Roots, Lasting Blooms: Old Garden Roses, Companion Planting and Sustainability”.

For more information on the Medley of Roses – 2026 ARS Convention & Rose Show, visit medleyofroses.org.

We hope to see you in Nashville!

Monday, August 17, 6:30-8:00pm – Understanding the Medley of Roses Show Schedule

Whether you’re planning to exhibit or just curious about how a rose show works, you won’t want to miss this special Zoom presentation by Mary Ann Hext, ARS Master Rosarian, member of the Bowling Green Rose Society, Nashville Rose Society, and Rose Show Judge. This meeting is in addition to our regularly scheduled August monthly meeting.

Mary Ann will walk us through the Medley of Roses Show Schedule for the upcoming ARS National Convention, explaining:

  • The three show divisions
  • Show rules and how they apply
  • Selected classes in Horticulture, Arrangements, and Photography
  • Tips to help you understand the schedule and feel more confident about participating

This is a great opportunity for both first-time exhibitors and experienced rose growers to become familiar with the show schedule before the convention. We hope you’ll join us!

Click here to download a pdf copy of the Rose Show Schedule (2026 02 27).

The Zoom link will be shared with members of the Nashville Rose Society by Marty Reich email. If you are not a member of the NRS and wish to attend, To receive the Zoom link, send an email to diane@medleyofroses.org.

2026 Wilson County and Tennessee State Fair Rose Show

Nashville Rose Society Members – Bring your roses to the Fairs!

Both the Wilson County Fair and the Tennessee State Fair will be held in the James E. Ward Agricultural Center, 945 E. Baddour Parkway, Lebanon, TN from Thursday, August 13 through Saturday, August 22, 2026.

For informaiton for competitors, click here.

The Wilson County Rose Show is open to Wilson County Residents, members of the Wilson County Gardeners Guild, members of the Wilson County Master Gardeners, members of a Wilson County FCE Club, or members of the Nashville Rose Society over 18 years old. The Tennessee State Rose Show is open to any Tennessee resident over 18 years old.

Exhibits for both shows must be entered at the Expo Center between 12pm and 4pm on Wednesday, August 12. Anyone in line at 4pm will be allowed to enter their roses. Judging will begin for both the Wilson County and the State Rose Shows once entries are complete. After judging, Tennessee state entries will transferred (by Fair volunteers) to the the Hale Moss building to be displayed for the duration of the fair. Wilson County entries will be displayed at the Expo during the fair. There is no admission charge to enter the Fair Grounds to submit your entries.

Please preregister online before Sunday, August 9, to speed up the entry process – one registration works for both the Wilson County and the State Rose Shows. There is no cost to enter in either show.


Click the following to register and for more information, including the show schedules and the division premiums:

https://www.wilsoncountytnstatefair.com/p/competitions-exhibits/tennessee-state-competitions/state-horticulture-competitions/rose-showcopy1 Tennessee Rose Show

Wilson County Rose Show

We hope to see you at the Fair!