
FEATURED GARDENS
-
SATURDAY, APRIL 15TH: 10AM-5PM
-
Last entry at 4PM
-
-
SUNDAY, APRIL 16TH: 12-4PM
-
Last entry at 3PM
-
We are honored that these Knoxville residents have opened their properties to the public as a part of our annual celebration of East Tennessee's natural beauty! Our Spring Featured Gardens event features NINE spectacular properties: GATOP, the Gardens of 4th & Gill (4 properties), and the Gardens of North Hills (3 properties). Each garden is unique in design and offers a variety of plant material and special features. This event is free though a $5 donation per garden is suggested. Tours are self-guided; although Dogwood Arts staff and volunteers will be on-site for questions. No tickets are required.
​
There is limited parking at each garden, and guests will be admitted on a first-come-first-served basis. Comfortable or hiking shoes are recommended.

GATOP
(GOD'S ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS)
DR. ALAN SOLOMON
2634 DELROSE DRIVE
KNOXVILLE, TN 37914
​
**NOTE: The entrance to GATOP has changed from years past! Please use the updated address above for your GPS and do not attempt to enter the garden on Riverside Drive.
Included in the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Gardens, GATOP [God’s Answer To Our Prayers] features many hundreds of botanical specimens such as conifers and hollies, extensive displays of wildflowers, perennials, and ground covers, as well as numerous water features and large marble outcroppings. Complimenting this unusual garden are stainless-steel, iron, bronze, and stone sculptures. The marble loaded wagon pulled by two mules is manned by bearded twin brothers, Homer (1) and Homer (2) and adjacent to the wagon repair and blacksmith shop. The site features one of Knoxville’s oldest marble quarries. One of Knoxville’s most lovely properties, we are grateful to Dr. Solomon for sharing this garden treasure with our community.

GARDENS OF 4TH & GILL
PARKING:
CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
201 THIRD AVENUE
KNOXVILLE, TN 37917
​
Stroll thru this beautiful neighborhood and explore 5 lovely urban gardens which make up “a necklace of gardens throughout the neighborhood” each adding a jewel of its own. Selected upon aesthetic appeal, uniqueness, and spaces that speak to the passion of the gardeners.
1. CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH - 'Pray & Play Garden'
-
201 THIRD AVENUE, KNOXVILLE, TN 37917
​
A unique place designed by a landscape architect from the 4th & Gill neighborhood. The garden is a blend of flower beds and grassy areas along with natural play structures for children. Below is an intimate amphitheater for lectures, concerts, and meetings.
Walking garden tour continues with:
​
2. The Garden of Cindy & Dave Kenny - Lovenia Avenue​
​
A bungalow’s bungalow surrounded by an elfin garden. A privacy fence around the sides and back of the house make the outdoor space perfectly tranquil and secluded even though it’s only feet away from the sidewalk and street. The homeowner calls the garden modest but happy. Complementary colors of perennials and scattered annuals match the house and season, extending the appeal way beyond the curb.
​
3. The Garden of Gabrielle Boudreau & Gordon Coker - Eleanor St.​
​
Our garden is a mix of old and new, ranging from new plantings to old brick pathways. Our philosophy in gardening leans to the naturalistic side, with flowing bed lines and massing of ornamental and native plants. We like to think of our garden as “rooms” that lead from one to another. Two large and ancient dogwoods, one pink and one white, create a shaded entryway to the garden. The majestic 120 year old ginkgo tree anchors the south side of the garden. As you pass by the ginkgo, the pathway has perennial flowers on either side and then opens into an herb garden—one of the first planting areas we created when we moved here. The herb garden, bordered by wintergreen boxwoods, was designed in the shape of a ginkgo leaf, an artistic call out to the ginkgo tree. The north side of the house has flowing flower beds planted with native perennials, Lenten roses, and deciduous trees and shrubs. In the back corner of the yard, a fountain is centered in the middle of the outline of an original water feature created in the 1920’s. Our garden is always evolving and we enjoy it immensely. It always puts a smile on our face when walking around. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
​
4. The Garden of Melynda & Bob Whetsel - Luttrell Street​
​
Purchased in December of 2006, ‘landscaping’ on this property was non-existent, with only one lone and rather pitiful dogwood tree in the front and a backyard parking area of asphalt chunks, gravel and kudzu. Optimistically, I called it a ‘blank canvas’ and with an artist’s eye and nod to historic gardens, I began designing. The gardens experienced several transitions before a trip to the English Garden at the Chicago Botanic Gardens convinced me that the English Walled Garden was the most appropriate design/style for the shape and size of our property. The formal design allows for more plantings in small spaces and the English Garden enhances the character of our 1890 Queen Anne house. Today, the gardens have evolved into a loose version of the English Walled garden style with an iconic pierced brick wall, trimmed border hedges and, boxwood. There are also woodland settings, water features, an Espaliered Pear Tree, and dahlias that create a wonderful backyard.
​
5. The Garden of Susan & Dan Howett - Luttrell Street​
​
If you’re looking for ideas for a container garden, you’ll find it here. There’s so much packed into the small front and back yards. An urban oasis with a twist of industrial whimsy; you might find a copper wire brush planted next to a giant allium. Back yard patio features two colorful ‘Flame Thrower’ redbuds; conifers and Japanese maples anchor the borders.


GARDENS OF NORTH HILLS
Enjoy the bountiful dogwoods and other flowering shrubs in this historic neighborhood. As a Level 1 Arboretum, there are over 40 labeled species of trees and more than 400 individual trees.
This garden tour includes 3 stops beginning at:
The Garden of Lloyd Ronnie King
1629 North Hills Blvd 37917
​
This charming cottage garden features over 229 mature dogwoods, azaleas, hydrangeas, Japanese Maples, and boxwoods along with wildflowers, ferns, perennials, and tulips.
​
The Peters-Mitchell Garden
2969 Kenilworth Lane 37917
Stone cottage built in 1930 with detached carriage house. This property features over 54 mature old-fashioned azaleas in a variety of colors; most were planted over 40 years ago. Enjoy the many garden folly features along the way as you stroll thru the fern garden, an underplanted woodland garden, and a free-form perennial garden.
The Claytor Garden
3033 Fountain Park Boulevard 37917
Robert Claytor and his late wife, Janice, spent almost 27 years searching for and incorporating the Strange, Unusual, and Hard-To-Find plantings for the c. 1928 Spanish Mediterranean home. A double-flowering dogwood tree, various palms & cacti, and many unusual, variegated varieties of plants and trees can be found at every corner. “We would just bring plants home from travels, other gardeners, local growers, and from online purchases and then find a spot. “ That continues today and this winter’s cold spell has fueled the search to replace.
VIRTUAL GARDEN TOURS:
PRODUCED BY POP FIZZ BRAND PRODUCTIONS
​
Since many people weren't able to travel to Knoxville last spring, we partnered with Pop Fizz Brand Productions to bring our Gardens to YOU! The videos below are intimate looks into two Open Gardens along the Historic Dogwood Trails in Knoxville, TN. Specially selected by the Open Gardens Committee, these exceptional gardens are works of art to be shown off during the peak blooming season in April.
LAKEMOOR HILLS DOGWOOD TRAIL
This Open Garden has sweeping views of the Tennessee River and was lovingly cultivated by longtime Dogwood Arts Volunteers and Trails Committee Members Ann & Dick Graf.
FARRAGUT DOGWOOD TRAIL
Enjoy this intimate look at the magnificent woodland garden that owners Michael & Mary Bates have been cultivating for over 25 years.