In this garden-mad city, native wildflowers paint the limestone hills, historic estates explode in curated bloom, and Cheekwood Estate & Gardens stands as the undisputed master of Nashville’s floral court.

This year’s most anticipated event, Fleurs de Villes ARTISTE at Cheekwood (Aug 2–10, 2025), will see a curated collection of floral mannequins, each robed entirely in fresh blooms and inspired by the museum’s permanent art collection. Fleurs de Villes ARTISTE Nashville opens on August 2, 2025, and features an incredible events line-up including a “Sip and Stroll” cocktail crawl, a “Roses and Rosé” reception, and daily drop-in conversations the floral designer and members of Cheekwood’s Museum team, where visitors can discover how each work of art was transformed into a floral masterpiece.

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TENNESSEE STATE FLOWER

Let’s begin with a few truths rooted in law and lore. The state cultivated flower, since 1973, is the iris – typically purple, sometimes white or gold, and always debated. Some say it was meant to be the German iris, others insist it was the native copper-red Iris fulva. Regardless, it’s in peak bloom by mid-April, and at country estates like Ellington Agricultural Center, and well as Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, where there is a dedicated iris garden with mostly the bearded variety. Meanwhile, the wildflower title belongs to the purple passionflower, or Passiflora incarnata, a vine so intricate it practically scripts its own parable. Called “ocoee” by the Cherokee, its ornate corona sparked comparisons to Christ’s crucifixion, cementing its place as theological botany. Come summer, it vines dramatically along trails near Radnor Lake, curling itself into legend. Other native flowers and trees (that can be seen in Cheekwood’s Howe garden dedicated to benefactor Cora Howes) include azaleas, trilliums, trout lilies, Virginia bluebells and paw paw trees. 

But no blossom is quite so photographed, cherished, and unofficially official as the cherry tree. A 2008 gift of 1,000 trees from Japan’s Consulate marked the beginning of Nashville’s cherry blossom era. They now froth in blush pink along Public Square Park, heralding early spring with a sakura-themed festival, Taiko drums, and a citywide exhale after winter. Though not formally designated, the cherry has become Nashville’s floral selfie moment, framing engagement shoots and mayoral strolls with photogenic diplomacy.

CHEEKWOOD ESTATE AND GARDENS: AN AMERICAN COUNTRY PLACE ESTATE

To truly inhale the soul of Music City in bloom, you must wander west toward Belle Meade, where Cheekwood Estate and Gardens unfurls across 55 acres of floricultural grandeur. The Cheek family built their home in 1929 and it remains one of the finest examples of an American Country Place Era estate. An heir to a prominent Southeastern wholesale grocery distributor, Leslie Cheek, Sr.’s sound investments allowed the family to build their dream home. Two generations of the Cheek family lived at Cheekwood before the family offered to make the estate a public garden and fine art center in 1957. Three years later, on May 31, 1960, Cheekwood officially opened to the public.

Today, Cheekwood offers incomparable beauty and inspiration through 13 distinct gardens, a 1.5-mile woodland contemporary sculpture trail, an accredited arboretum, a restored Historic Mansion, and an Art Museum where works from both Cheekwood’s permanent collection and traveling exhibitions are displayed throughout the galleries. From terraced gardens inspired by international travels to spaces dedicated to study and preservation, the gardens at Cheekwood have something to peak everyone's interests. 

In the spring, 250,000 blooming bulbs spill from Cheekwood’s gardens, creating a colour experience visitors won’t forget. The historic Martin Boxwood Garden that surrounds the Mansion offers sweeping views of the rolling hills, which are especially spectacular in the fall. The Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden is beautiful and horticulturally diverse, featuring numerous interactive features that are engaging for all audiences and is truly a celebration of Cheekwood’s year-round beauty. And the Blevins Japanese Garden (Shōmu-en) guides visitors on a meditative journey to an idyllic image of a mountain retreat. Other dedicated gardens celebrate Cheekwood’s extensive dogwood collection, herbs, wildflowers, and perennials. 

The Bradford Robertson Color Garden offers a seasonally updated celebration of colour and is one of the first gardens visitors to Cheekwood encounter. Located just outside Visitor Services and Botanic Hall, where one of the floral mannequins will be on display. The rest of the mannequins will be on display in the Historic Mansion and the Great Hall of the Frist Learning Center.

NASHVILLE FLOWERS BEYOND CHEEKWOOD

Beyond Cheekwood, the rest of Nashville offers petaled side quests. At Fort Negley and Elmington Park, the city’s endemic mustard plant – Paysonia lescurii – erupts in a golden superbloom each March. Locals call it “Music City gold,” and its faint honey scent hovers over picnic blankets. Shelby Bottoms Nature Center hums with butterfly weed and milkweed in summer, while the Belmont Mansion’s Italianate garden hosts sculpture tours flanked by blood-red beebalm. Even the Gaylord Opryland Conservatory deserves a nod for housing 50,000 tropicals under nine acres of glass. They’ve got a riverboat too, for a unique perspective.

Read more about Fleurs de Villes ARTISTE (Aug 2–10, 2025).