The mission of the Rochester Garden Collaborative is to preserve and promote the horticultural resources of the Rochester region. This area has an extraordinary selection of public gardens and parks, horticultural resources and public events that we'd love to share with you!
The Genesee River, which flows north through the City of Rochester, has three gorgeous waterfalls en route to Lake Ontario. Along the river, there are several walking trails and public parks including Seneca and Genesee Valley Parks. These two Monroe County-managed parks, along with the Highland Park Arboretum, are the main components of our Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park system that was originally built between 1888 and 1916. There are several Olmsted-designed city owned and managed neighborhood squares and parks. We also have three other arboreta and a historical cemetery that display a variety of tree and plant collections to educate both the home owner and landscape professional.
As home to Ellwanger and Barry's internationally renowned plant nursery, as well as myriad other growers, Rochester was once known as the “Flower City” beginning around 1860. In addition, the region has been home to important seed companies including Harris, Vick's and Crosman's (the oldest seed company in America). They satisfied the demand for vegetable crops and shade and fruit trees in the northeastern United States and the rapidly settling American west.
Today the Rochester region's public gardens with their formal and informal examples represent historical styles ranging from late 18th-century pioneer gardens to early 20th-century industrialists' estates with Italian, Japanese and English style gardens, as well as contemporary gardens. No matter what time of year that you visit, you'll always find something of horticultural significance.
We've listed many of the arboreta and public gardens on the following page. This site will be updated as a comprehensive reference to horticultural resources of the region.