April 2, 2:00-4:30pm, Cindy Worch – “Growing Roses Sustainably”

Cindy Worch

Please note – the meeting is on Sunday, April 2 at Cheekwood Massey Auditorium. Not as originally posted for April 1!!

In Growing Roses Sustainably, Cindy Worch challenges the myth that growing roses must be a time-consuming task that you can’t do effectively without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In fact, she takes the intimidation out of growing roses by sharing her well-rounded, holistic approach for success. Cindy starts with tips for choosing the right rose and then walks us through careful soil preparation and proper planting techniques. She will even offer advice on how to gently intervene when it comes to pest and disease problems.

Cindy Worch has been growing roses for nearly 23 years. Cindy has been a member of the Nashville Rose Society since 2005, and has been involved in a variety of leadership positions including serving as President. She has also served the Tenarky District Rose Society and currently serves as the Consulting Rosarian Chair. For more than 12 years Cindy grew 300+ roses on five acres in Manchester, Tennessee. In 2017 she moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee where she grows fewer roses on a quarter of an acre.

The meeting will be held in the Massey Auditorium of Botanic Hall / Visitor Services Building at Cheekwood Garden and Estate. The Cheekwood Campus Map shows the location of Botanic Hall.

Note: Admission to Cheekwood is not required – let the gate attendant know that you are attending the NRS Meeting in Botanic Hall.


March 5, 2:00-4:30pm, Troy Marden – “Inspiring Gardens Near and Far”

The Nashville Rose Society is excited to have Troy Marden as our guest speaker for the March 5, 2023, meeting.

Troy has been fortunate to travel the world and visit some of its most inspiring public and private gardens both at home and abroad. In his talk “Inspiring Gardens Near and Far”, he will share some of his personal favorites from more than two decades of travel. Troy will tell us how anyone can draw inspiration from other gardens, regardless of location or climate.

Troy has called the Nashville area home for nearly 30 years, moving here from the Kansas prairie straight out of college and carving a niche as a garden designer and prolific garden writer. His writing credits include articles in Garden Design, Horticulture, Fine Gardening, and Garden Gate magazines, as well as authoring two books of his own. He can also be seen weekly on Nashville Public Television’s hit gardening show, “Volunteer Gardener”.

In 2012, Troy began leading garden tours to destinations both at home and abroad and in 2018, decided to turn that venture into a full-time business. He now enjoys sharing the world’s most beautiful gardens with other like-minded gardeners and travelers who join him on his tours, as well as through his many speaking engagements around the U.S. Visit his website at troybmarden.com.

In Nashville, we should be seeing daffodils popping up in March, but we could also see snow flakes. This month’s “Rose Care Topic” will be a discussion on the rose season start-up activities, and as always, time for Q&A.

The meeting will be held in the Massey Auditorium of Botanic Hall / Visitor Services Building at Cheekwood Garden and Estate. The Cheekwood Campus Map shows the location of Botanic Hall.

Note: Admission to Cheekwood is not required – let the gate attendant know that you are attending the NRS Meeting in the Frist Learning Center.


February 18, 8am-4pm – 2023 Tenarky District Winter Workshop & Photo Contest

The Tenarky District Winter Workshop & Photo Contest will be held on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at the Cheekwood Estate & Gardens Massey Auditorium in Nashville.

The Workshop will include educational seminars, a photo contest, and a silent auction. The Workshop will conclude with the Tenarky District Business Meeting.

Dr. Gary Rankin will kick off the Workshop at 9:00am with “Best Miniature and Minifloras to Grow”. Peggy Martin will talk about the rose that was named after her in “Hurricane Katrina Survivor Rose”. Dr. Satish Prabhu will share his ideas for “Simplifying Growing Great Roses”, and Connie Baird will wrap up the Educational Seminars with “Rose Arrangements”.

Find more information about the Workshop in the links below:

The price of the Workshop includes lunch at Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant, 3106 West End Ave. Nashville TN 37203.

The meeting will be held in the Massey Auditorium of Botanic Hall / Visitor Services Building at Cheekwood Garden and Estate, 1200 Forrest Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37205. The Cheekwood Campus Map shows the location of Botanic Hall.

Note: Admission to Cheekwood is not required – let the gate attendant know that you are attending the Tenarky Workshop in the Massey Auditorium.


February 5, 2:00-4:30pm – NRS Members’ Favorite Tools & Gadgets

It is February. It is cold outside and the roses are still enjoying their winter nap.

For us humans, now is the time to begin to assess the supplies we will need in the spring, including new roses, fertilizers, soils, tools and gadgets. It is time to start making your list for Vendor Day.

On February 5, 2023, members of the Nashville Rose Society will share what their favorite gardening tool is and how they use it. .

The deep freeze in December damaged many of the roses in the Nashville area. At the meeting Ron Daniels will lead the Rose Care discussion on what to do and how to care for freeze damaged roses.

The meeting will be held in the Massey Auditorium of Botanic Hall / Visitor Services Building at Cheekwood Garden and Estate. The Cheekwood Campus Map shows the location of Botanic Hall.

Note: Admission to Cheekwood is not required – let the gate attendant know that you are attending the NRS Meeting in the Massey Auditorium.


NRS Monthly Meeting Calendar


The Nashville Rose Society Programming Committee, led by John Wendler, has been working hard to plan the 2023 monthly meeting calendar. The programs are subject to change, but save the dates. You do not want to miss one!


This year’s meetings will be organized somewhat differently from past years. Each meeting will be organized and led by a member of the NRS Executive Committee, one of our Consulting Rosarians, or a member of the Programming Committee. To date, we have volunteers for nine out of ten of the meetings. .

MonthGuest Speaker/TopicLocation
May 7NRS Spring Grand Prix Rose ShowEd Jones Auditorium, Ellington Ag Center
May 20Bowling Green Rose Show
June 11Jeff Garrett, “Rooting & Budding Roses”
July 9Peter Grimaldi, VP of Gardens at Cheekwood
August 6Austin Lohin, Bates Nursery landscaper, TBD
September 10Connie Baird, "Show Winning Rose Arrangement" and NRS Fall Grand Prix
October 1Louisville Rose Show
October 8Preparing for the Rose Show
October 14-15Music City Rose Show Massey Auditorium, Cheekwood
November 5Todd Breyer
December 3Christmas PartyEd Jones Auditorium, Ellington Ag Center