Learn from skilled instructors hailing from local Master Gardeners, area plant societies, and Cheekwood’s own in-house experts!
All current class offerings are listed below. Please check back seasonally for new opportunities.
These classes and workshops are for participants 18 years old and older only. Minors should not be brought into classrooms and other instructional areas.
Are you interested in teaching at Cheekwood? Please submit a class proposal!
Class Proposal Form
The Cheekwood Gardening School is sponsored by
The Cheekwood Gardening School Classes
Nashville Landscape Architects Lecture Series: Create Your Dream Garden
Our gardens are not just spaces full of lush flowers and plants, but venues for our lives to unfold. This fall, Cheekwood is excited to welcome three of Nashville’s acclaimed landscape architects for a lecture series all about how to design your dream garden
Incorporating Edible Plants in Your Landscape Design
October 10 | 6 PM
Great gardens appeal to all our senses. Landscape architect Todd Breyer will explore how edible plants bring a sense of beauty to your garden and your dinner table.
Modern vs. Traditional Landscape Design Strategies
October 17 | 6 PM
Sometimes a great garden design means combining anticipated features in unexpected ways. In this lecture, landscape architect Gavin Duke will show you how you can use a place’s context, history, and natural structure to enhance your landscape’s design.
Fall Classes
Composting 101
October 12 | 12 PM
Dive into the basics of sustainable gardening with our “Composting 101” class. Learn how to turn kitchen scraps and yard waste into rich, nutritious compost to enhance your garden’s soil.
Instructor
Clay Ezell, The Compost Company
Location
Courtyard Classroom
Not Yet Members: $40
Members: $32
Register
Beginner Bonsai Workshop
October 12 | 10 AM
Foraging for Edible Plants
October 19 | 9:30 AM
Did you know Tennessee has at least 375 native and naturalized plants that have been used throughout history for food and medicine? Join us for a presentation by Karen Bergeron, owner of Alternative Nature Online Herbal, where you will learn about 50 of the common medicinal and edible wild plants that grow all around us.
Instructor
Judy Scoville, Nature Explorers
Location
Courtyard Classroom
Not Yet Members: $40
Members: $32
Register
Gardening with Bulbs
October 19 | 12 PM
Learn the best techniques for selecting, planting, and caring for a variety of bulbs to ensure vibrant blooms throughout the seasons.
Instructor
Susan Lyell Young, Restoration Rose Farm
Location
Courtyard Classroom
Not Yet Members: $40
Members: $32
Register
Planning Ahead: Plotting Your Spring Garden (Part I)
October 26 | 9:30 AM
Get a head start on your garden and learn how to choose the perfect plants, design an effective garden layout, and ready your soil for the upcoming growing season.
Instructor
Peter Grimaldi, Cheekwood
Location
Courtyard Classroom
Not Yet Members: $40
Members: $32
Waitlist
Supporting Native Pollinators
October 26 | 12 PM
Join us in welcoming back the Honey Collective and learn how to create a welcoming environment for bees, butterflies, and other essential pollinators. Discover the best native plants to attract and support these vital creatures, and understand their role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
Instructor
Ian Dawe, The Honey Collective
Location
Courtyard Classroom
Not Yet Members: $40
Members: $32
Register
Harnessing Water: Rain Gardens and Barrels
October 26 | 2:30 PM
Make the most of natural water sources with tips from this class led by the Cumberland River Compact. Discover techniques for designing rain gardens and installing rain barrels to capture and utilize rainwater efficiently.
Instructor
Natalie Stone, Cumberland River Compact
Location
Courtyard Classroom
Not Yet Members: $40
Members: $32
Register
Holiday LIGHTS Classes
Seed Saving
November 23 | 12 PM
Join farmer, local food and sustainable agriculture advocate, and founder of the Sustainable Communities Initiative, Jim Embry, for a very special class on seed saving. You’ll learn how harvest, store, and preserve seeds from your garden to create a sustainable, self-sufficient garden year after year from a nationally renowned expert in ecological education and locally informed food systems.
Planning Your Spring Garden Part II
December 4 | 9:30 AM
Get a head start on your garden and learn how to choose the perfect plants, design an effective garden layout, and ready your soil for the upcoming growing season. A follow-up from our class on October 26, this class gives you the ability to get ahead of the spring season and ask questions about your specific gardening needs.
Cancellation Policy for All Series
Refund requests must be submitted to [email protected] 72 hours prior to the program’s start date and time. The registration fee will be refunded less a ten percent processing charge.
Fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable on and after the program’s start date. Cheekwood cannot refund fees requested on or after the start date of a program or for sessions missed due to illness or other personal situations.