Riverview Gardens
Did you know the gardens and art installations at Riverfront Park are maintained by Cheekwood? In 2015, we partnered with the Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreations to present a garden and art installation at Riverfront Park. The half-acre garden features perennials, annuals, shrubs, bulbs, and other plants.
Our garden team contributes to the overall care and oversight of the garden. They visit once a month to conduct weeding, light pruning, watering, and additional cleanup. Maintenance of the gardens also include monitoring water levels, maintaining plant identification labels, and installing public art installations.
Throughout the year, the garden team will assist Metro Parks with the planning and design of Riverview Gardens. These gardens see two major plant changes a year that mirror the seasonal displays at Cheekwood. Summer annuals are on display from May until the end of August. Once summer annuals are removed the next maintenance task is to cut back any perennial shrubs and grasses in preparation for the winter. During the winter, specifically December to January, the team will begin planting hyacinths and tulips in preparation for Cheekwood in Bloom. These plantings last from March to the end of April, then once again the gardens will be prepared for summer.
Carmen Ferrer, Grounds Supervisor, currently manages our Riverview Gardens along with Eric Fountain, Tristan McAlister, and interns from our Tennessee State University summer intern program.
“I look forward to visiting Riverview because it is a change in scenery and makes me appreciate Cheekwood’s footprint beyond the 55 acres in Belle Meade,” Carmen Ferrer, Grounds Supervisor.