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The dogwood genus, Cornus, contains around 40 species and many cultivars of deciduous trees and shrubs, mainly of north temperate climates. Dogwoods are grown for their showy flowers, colorful bark, and their architectural, nearly horizontal branching pattern. The flowers are actually very small and are surrounded by larger bracts that range in color from white to dark pink (bracts are similar in appearance to petals, but they are modified leaves).

This year, Governor Bill Haslam proclaimed April 21, 2018 as Tennessee Dogwood Day. This new proclamation is designed to recognize dogwoods across our state, as the trees begin to take full bloom, signifying springtime in the South. On Saturday, April 21, we will host our annual Dogs and Dogwoods event, a dog-friendly day in the gardens designed to celebrate Tennessee Dogwood Day and our significant dogwood collection, one that is unique of its kind.

The Carell Dogwood Garden at Cheekwood is the centerpiece of our Nationally Certified Cornus Collection. It is also the very first collection of its kind to be recognized by the Plant Collections Network, a collaborative effort between the American Public Gardens Association and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service. What began as just a few specimens donated to us in 1982 by Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Carell Jr. has expanded into a trail located between the Daffodil and Burr Gardens, complemented with other woodland vegetation common to Middle Tennessee.

Plant collections relate to a garden’s mission. Cheekwood aims to be a primary source for horticultural display, education, research, conservation, and enjoyment. Dogwoods are well suited for Cheekwood because not only are they undeniably beautiful but also, Tennessee native Cornus florida provides visitors with a sense of place. Currently, we display 343 specimens of Cornus. Cheekwood’s 23 cultivated varieties of Cornus florida have been selected to represent an emphasis on varieties exhibiting superior blooms, foliage, growth habit, vigor, hardiness, as well as disease and insect resistance.

Other than the picturesque flowering dogwood, Cheekwood is also the proud home of several Cornus officinalis (Japanese Cornel Dogwood), which blooms in February, and the evergreen Chinese dogwood (Cornus angustata), which blooms in early June. Growing along the shaded trail beneath the dogwood canopy, visitors will also see spring bulbs, hostas, hydrangeas, trilliums, ferns, gingers, and heucheras.

Join Cheekwood today and experience the unparalleled beauty of Nashville’s landmark country estate.

Join, Renew or Give the Gift of Membership

“It is so tranquil at Cheekwood. I can just take a minute to feel peaceful. I am also so excited about your dog days!”

-Lisa Patton Southard and friend, Becky Barkley

Lisa visited Cheekwood to celebrate her 60th birthday with her friend, Becky.

“I travel a lot, so I love that my membership includes other botanical gardens that I can go to when I am not in Nashville.”

-Tiffany

Tiffany is a professional photographer.

“I love having the ability to bring visitors. I am a Magnolia Society member.”

-Denise Roy with guest

Denise has been a member for six years, and is a part-time resident of Nashville.On Monday, April 9, we hosted Member Appreciation Day. Twice a year, we open the grounds especially for a day of celebration of our members. We offer mansion and garden tours, live music, refreshments and special programming all day long.

Cheekwood members have the benefit of unlimited access to the grounds, free parking, sneak peek previews of festivals and exhibitions, priority access to special event tickets and reciprocal admission to nearly 200 botanical gardens, arboreta and conservatories nationwide, and over 60 museums in the Southeast.

What else is there to love about being a Cheekwood member? We asked a few people what they enjoyed most about their memberships.

Carrell Dogwood Garden (Hydrangea Trail) and Woodland Sculpture Trail
Wakerobin, Toadshade (pictured, right)
Trillium spp. (T. 
recurvatum
, T. 
cuneatum
, T. grandiflorum, T. 
lancifolium
, T. sessile, T. luteum, T. discolor, T. 
foetidissimum
, , T. 
underwoodii
, T. 
ludovicianum
)
Cheekwood is home to 3 major Native Plant Collections: Tenneessee Native, Southeastern US Native, and Trillium, one of these most adored American wildflowers. East Asia and Eastern North America (concentrating in Southern Appalachia) are both (and the only!) native homes to Trillium. Of about 45 existing species, 10 of those inhabit Cheekwood and 7 of our trilliums are TN natives. These plants are grouped into two different groups based on the presence or lack of flower stalk: Wakerobins and Toadshades. Wakerobins exhibit solid green leaves while Toadshades have mottled foliage. Both possess whorls of 3 leaves. Flower size and color vary, as does the hardniness zone, among species.

Bradford Robertson Color Garden
Flowering Quince
Chaenomeles
 
speciosa
 ‘Toyo-Nishiki’
Loaded with showy pink, red & white blooms all on the very same plant, it’s hard not to love this quince. ‘Toyo-Nishiki’ has incredible cold hardiness, drought tolerance, and more fire blight resistance than other varieties. This cultivar makes a fantastic hedge or barrier, reaching 6–10 feet high. Although shade tolerant, more sun equals more flowers for this plant. The fruit can be used to make jams or left on the plant to feed the birds. Flowering Quince is hardy in zones 4-8.

Photos by Andrew Bruckse | Cheekwood Grounds Supervisor
Andrew Bruckse Photography
Will’s Garden
Canadian Columbine (pictured, right)
Aquilegia canadensis ‘Little Lanterns’
On the Cheekwood grounds, one can find many cultivars of columbine blooming in mid-spring. One of these is a dwarf species, reaching a max height of 10-12”, called ‘Little Lanterns’. This derivative of the species canadensis possesses red bell-shaped flowers with slightly curved, short spurs, yellow cups and even brighter yellow stamens. Blooming for about for 6 weeks total (a bit longer if consistently deadheaded), ‘Little Lanterns shows less susceptibility to leaf miner damage than other species. Columbine makes the most impact when planted in groups and hummingbirds are attracted to the inviting, red cup-shaped blooms. A wide range of soil conditions will work for this plant, however it will perform best in evenly moist, well-drained substrates. Gardeners in southern climates will want to plant columbine in part shade. It is hardy in zones 3-8.

Turner Season’s Garden (Spring Room)
Saucer Magnolia
Magnolia 
Xsoulangeana ‘Alexandrina’
The saucer magnolia is widely thought to be the most planted of the deciduous types and perhaps the most recognizable of the spring flowering magnolias. Created in France in the 1820’s at Solange-Bodin Garden, 
Xsoulangena possesses smooth gray bark, rounded growth habit, and a potential height of up to 30 feet tall. ‘Alexandrina’ has light rose-purple outer tepals (“tepal” is the term used when the sepal, part of the perianth, is indistinguishable from the petal) and is one of the larger, earlier-flowering varieties. An excellent specimen plant, large cup-shaped flowers appear on bare stems in late March and early April. It performs most reliably in zones 5-9.Robinson Water Garden
White Ash (pictured, right)
Fraxinus
 
americana
One of Cheekwood’s many handsome and native Fraxinus, this white ash is growing in the Robinson Family Water Garden near pond the first pond. Easily transplanted, it does best in moist, well-drained soils. Its flowers emerge in late March to early Spring. White Ash usually grows anywhere between 50-80′ tall, but it has been reported as tall as 124′! Because of its potentially giant size, this species is not recommended for homeowner use. It is, however, a suitable tree for parks and larger estates.  We would be remiss not to mention the threat of the emerald ash borer and the importance of its surveillance. Many wonderful resources abound on the subject, including The Emerald Ash Borer Information Network (http://www.emeraldashborer.info/about-eab.php). White Ash is hardy in zones 4-9.Burr Terrace Garden (Raised Armillary Bed)
Knotweed (pictured, right)
Persicaria
 
microcephala
 ‘Red Dragon’
Although knotweed may cause nervous reactions for some gardeners, as the species form is known to be unruly, the cultivated ‘Red Dragon’ is sterile and therefore very well-behaved. Clump-forming rather than stoloniferous, this cultivar makes a wonderful component for mixed containers, cottage gardens, and front borders. ‘Red Dragon’ boasts beautiful, designer leaves of purple, green, and silver chevrons attached to wide red stems. Flowers are small and baby’s breath-like, persisting from mid-summer to fall. In climates with intense summer heat, plant in shade to part shade to prevent fading of the colorful foliage. Persicaria is extremely tolerant of many soil types and is hardy in zones 6-8.April is a gorgeous time of  year to spend in the gardens, with blooming tulips, budding dogwoods and pretty petunias, we can’t think of a better time of year to get out and enjoy spring’s arrival.

Check out this month’s featured plant list from the Cheekwood gardening team. Read our plant labels in the gardens to see if you can find each of these featured plants.

Carolyn Sorenson is the executive director of the Nashville Tree Foundation, (2008-2018). She manages overall operations and staff of the  non-profit that plants and preserves Nashville’s trees. Programs include the Big Old Tree Contest, Arboretum designations, education and community outreach, community tree plantings and free tree giveaways. Member of the Alliance for Community Trees, Metro Tree Advisory Committee, and Belle Meade beautification committee. Sorenson is graduate of the University of Georgia, and was raised in Greenville, SC.

 

De’Etra Young is an assistant professor and extension specialist in the Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department at Tennessee State University where she has been teaching since the Spring 2013 semester. Young attended Southern University and A&M College where she majored in urban forestry, earning her B.S. degree in 2004. She was then accepted into the M.S/Ph.D. programs in forestry at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. While at Texas A&M, she completed her Ph.D. in forestry with a concentration in spatial and hydrological sciences. De’Etra discovered her passion for teaching spatial and environmental sciences during her time at Texas A&M as a teaching assistant and participant in the Graduate Teaching Academy. She currently serves as the advisor for the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS), Tennessee State University Chapter. She is also a member of the Metro Tree Advisory Committee and Nashville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Lastly, she serves as a board member of the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council.

 

Dr. Jason Oliver has been at the Tennessee State University Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center since 1997. He earned his doctorate degree in entomology from Auburn University and Master’s in entomology from the University of Tennessee. Oliver currently has a 100% research appointment at TSU focused on nursery crop insect issues. His primary research focus includes management of wood-boring insects like flatheaded borers and ambrosia beetles in nursery crops and development of certification treatments and biological controls for imported fire ant and Japanese beetle. He has past research experience with the development of new trapping techniques for invasive wood borers like emerald ash borer and walnut twig beetle.

 

Josiah Lockard boasts over 20 years of professional practice, and  specializes in ecologically based landscape design and sustainable site development. Lockard became a ISA Certified Arborist in 2003,and is a graduate of Lipscomb University’s Institute for Sustainable Practice. Heis an award winning Landscape Designer, member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, LEED Green Associate, and serves as both Consulting Arborist, and member of the Garden Development Committee at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens. In 2011, he founded the multi-disciplined firm Josiah Lockard & Associates (JLA), where he engages in projects throughout Middle Tennessee and internationally. Combining the disciplines of Landscape Architecture, Agriculture, Sustainability and Urban Forestry, Lockard integrates natural systems into the built environment to create spaces that have apositive affect on both people and nature.We’ll be hosting a panel discussion about Emerald Ash Borer featuring Peter Grimaldi, VP of Gardens and Facilities at Cheekwood, as well as:

Josiah Lockard: TUFC, Panelist
Dr. Young: TSU, Panelist
Jason Oliver: TSU, Panelist
Caroline Sorenson: NTF, Panelist

Saturday, April 14
12 PM
Panel Discussion
Recreation Room located in the Cheekwood Mansion

 

• Dieback and crown thinning
• Limb death and upper leaf loss
• Excessive & active woodpecker damage (often a first symptom of early detection as this ensures that larvae are present)
• Leafy shoots emerging from the main trunk or large branches, i.e., epicormic shoots
• Vertical bark splitting (can sometimes reveal larval galleries beneath)

Other signs of an EAB infestation:

• D-shaped exit holes in the bark.
• Serpentine galleries and frass (powdery wood refuse) filled tunnels beneath the bark.

Photo credit: Daniel Herms, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org 

Resources:

http://protecttnforests.org/emerald_ash_borer.html
https://www.vanderbilt.edu/trees/pages/eab
http://www.emeraldashborer.info/Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Champagne: Stipes, 2009 6^th Edition.Early detection can be challenging because it can take 1-3 years before trees look symptomatic. Signs of decline are due to the borer larvae feeding on tree tissue, disrupting sugar and water transport through the vascular system and effectively starving the tree.

Know what you can do to help save this important native tree that makes up a huge portion of our Tennessee woodlands.

1. Exercise Proper Tree Health Management. Keep trees well-watered and mulched, pruning when necessary.
2. Inspect your Ash Trees Annually for early detection by first knowing how to identify an ash. Summer is best to ensure trees are completely leafed out. This is also the time of year for peak egg hatch and larval establishment.

3. Learn to recognize Emerald Ash Borer:

• Rigid front wings meet in a straight line down the middle of the back
• Adults are dark metallic green and are the size of a small paperclip
• Larvae are white, legless and relatively flat. They have nested bell-shaped body segments

4. Call a reputable and professional arborist if you suspect EAB.
5. Lastly, refrain from transporting firewood under any circumstance as this is one of the most known ways that the beetle travels.

Among Cheekwood’s 55-acre estate, there are 241 accessioned Ash trees. We first began treatment for EAB in 2016 with a quantity of 10 trees. The next year that number was increased to 33. For 2018, 50 ash trees have been chosen for treatment. Selecting Ash trees for treatment is heavily based on risk assessment, which considers the possible danger to people and structures if a tree, or parts of a tree, were to fall. General health, species diversity, and location also play key parts in the decision making, as well as the tree’s significance to Cheekwood’s landscape and tree canopy (which trees would cause detriment to the canopy if infected and removed accordingly).

We plan to continue this annual process, increasing the number of trees to protect each year. While inspecting trees for treatment selection, it was also noted if a tree needed to be removed. Often, a specimen is past the point of treatment, being too weak to transport the systemic insecticide up from its vascular system to the canopy. It has been concluded that if 50% or more of a tree’s canopy has been killed, it is past the threshold of being saved.It is highly suspected that the extremely damaging and invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) first hit North America in the early 1990s, most likely in a shipment of Ash tree lumber from Asia. In 2002, the insect was officially identified in Detroit, Michigan. Since this date, the EAB has been responsible for approximately 8 billion Ash tree deaths in the United States, rapidly becoming a national threat by infiltrating 22 states. The borer larvae feed on bark galleries under the tree’s bark, injuring the vital phloem and xylem tissues which transport nutrients and water throughout the vascular system.

In Tennessee, the Emerald Ash Borer was first found in an infected Ash tree growing at a truck stop in Knox County. Davidson County was added to the list of invaded regions in 2014. According to the USDA Forest Service and the Tennessee Division of Forestry, it is estimated that 271 million Ash trees are at risk of EAB in TN alone. EAB is now in over 34 counties and several of those are currently under quarantine. This involves heavy monitoring of wood movement (firewood and processed wood). In another effort to help combat the threat of EAB, 1000s of traps are set out each year by the consortium made up of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and the University of Tennessee. The traps are triangular, purple and look like box kites.

Photo Credit: Debbie Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.orgFraxinus: Our native Ash tree

The Ash tree is a member of the Olive Family, Oleaceae. A total of 65 species exist in North America, Europe and Asia. It is an attractive and tough hardwood that is used to make furniture, tools, oars and baseball bats.

The three species of ash mostly commonly found in Middle Tennessee are white ash (Fraxinus americana), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata). These are all native species. White and green ash are frequently planted in the Nashville area, while blue ash is found growing wild in our limestone soil.

Identifying the Ash tree is not difficult. The leaves are dark green, opposite, pinnately compound with 5-11 ovate to ovate lanceolate leaflets at 8 – 15” long. Each leaflet is acute to acuminate at the apex and tapered at the base with remote serrations. Fall color ranges from yellow to purple. The bark is ash gray to gray/brown with diamond-shaped sections interlaced with ridges. Ash trees can grow to be very tall, with the average height being between 50-80 feet.

Photo credit: Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Bugwood.org

Bradford Robertson Color Garden (Arches) 
Common name: Phenomenal Lavender  (pictured, right)
Botanical name:
 
Lavandula
 x intermedia ‘Phenomenal’

Description
: Lavandula x intermedia is a cross between L. angustofolia and L. latifolia. ‘Phenomenal’ expressed tremendous winter hardiness at Cheekwood this past winter. It also boasts exceptional heat and humidity tolerance. This lavender, with its evergreen silvery-blue foliage, adds texture and interest to the Color Garden year-round.

Carell Dogwood Garden 
Common name: Barrenwort

Botanical name
: Epimedium ‘Orange Queen’ & Epimedium ‘Sulphureum’

Description: If you are an Epimedium fan, then you will understand way there are two, not one, listed as a featured plant this month. Barrenwort performs best in light shade with moderate soil moisture, however it will tolerate drier soil conditions and heavier shade. It tends to naturalize well.

• ‘Orange Queen’, a true collector’s barrenwort, has cheerful coral buds that open to copper-toned flowers. Its new leaves are outlined in red. Bronze fall color.
• ‘Sulphureum’, an excellent performer, is highly recommended for first time epimedium growers. Flowers earlier than other barrenworts. Yellow flowers, marbled red leaves, turning green with maturity.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Bruckse Photography. 
Shomu-en, Japanese Garden 
Common name: Common Flowering Quince (pictured, right) 
Botanical name:
 Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Spitfire’

Description: With an upright habit, ‘Spitfire’ has vibrant red blooms that present themselves in early spring before its dark green foliage emerges. A common selection for Japanese gardens, Chaenomeles can withstand a variety of soil conditions, even dry, and flowers best in full sun. Yellow-green pome fruit is totally ripe by October and is most palatable when used to make preserves and jams.

Turner Seasons Garden 
Common name: Seven – Son Flower

Botanical name
: 
Heptacodium
 
miconioides
 
Description: A large, deciduous shrub, the Seven – Son Flower gets its name from its seven tiny blooms presented in the fall. The Seven – Son has added a lot of winter interest to the seasons garden with its newly revealed inner layer of brown bark. Native to China and regaining some of its bygone popularity, the Seven – Son commonly attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to its whorls of little flowers.Weaver Walk 
Common name: Pussy Willow (pictured, right)
Botanical name
: Salix 
capre
a
 
Description: Large (1 – 2″ long), fuzzy, soft catkins appear before leaves emerge in early spring on the Salix caprea. This small tree will reach an ultimate height of 25′ and is Insect pollinated. With male and female flowers confined to separate plants (dioecious), ours happens to be a male. Salix 
caprea
 is often confused with S. discolor. However, the bark of S. 
capra
 typically possesses a yellowish-brown bark while S. discolor presents a deep brown bark and bluish while lower leaf.

Wills Perennial Garden 
Common name: Clove Currant

Botanical name
: Ribes aureum var. villosum (formerly R. odoratum)

Description: Trumpet shaped flowers of this Ribes are arranged in clusters, smell distinctly of cloves and are yellow with light red centers. Attractive blue-green and rounded (3 lobed) leaves. Irregular habit shrub. Black currants form in summer and are a great snack for Cheekwood’s resident birds.

 Howe Garden 
Common name: Daffodil (pictured, right)
Botanical name: Narcissus ‘Ceylon’, Narcissus ‘Gigantic Star’, Narcissus ‘Marieke’, Narcissus ‘Minnow’

Description: At Cheekwood, we enjoy singing the praises of the daffodil: an easy naturalizer, rodent resistant, and so much variety. These four cultivars were chosen for this month’s featured plant list for their radiant beauty, however this short daffodil list also serves as a planting recipe for an extended narcissus bloom season.

‘Ceylon’, a large-cupped daff, upward facing flower. Deep orange cup amid buttery-yellow petals. early-mid spring

‘Gigantic Star’, also a large-cupped narcissus, it is homogenously saffron yellow. Early-mid spring.

‘Marieke’ is a one of the largest trumpet forms (having a long corona) and golden in color. early-mid spring

‘Minnow’, a tazetta form, has the classic shallow corona and fragrance, is petite in size, and very often referred to as “paperwhites”. This cultivar emerges in bunches at the very end of February. Cream colored petals surround a golden yellow corolla. midspring

Martin Boxwood Gardens 
Common name:  Eastern Red Cedar

Botanical name
:  
Juniperus
 
virginiana ‘Canaertii’

Description: This is a needled evergreen with exfoliating bark, dark green foliage and aromatic wood. ‘Canaertii’ is a compact pyramidal cultivar with ascending branches and small grape-like cones. This conifer thrives in our Tennessee and Kentucky limestone rich soil and may reach a height of 45 feet.Spring has sprung at Cheekwood, with thousands of blooming bulbs, dogwoods, magnolias and more, there is something for everyone to enjoy in the gardens this month. With vibrant, cheerful tulips, to colorful, fragrant hyacinths, there is no better time to explore our gardens. Read this month’s featured plant list, and be sure to keep an eye out for the plant labels throughout the gardens to identify each of these plants.