Flowers!
Gardens & Flowers:
Rochester's Fragrant Legacy
If you love gardening, Rochester, N.Y. is a must-see destination!
The seeds of Rochester's well-deserved reputation for horticultural excellence had already grown to international acclaim during the 1800s. By 1859, Rochester had earned its title of "Flower City" as an entrepreneurial center of gardening excellence. From the size of its nurseries to the exciting, new varieties of plants being developed, 19th-century Rochester blossomed with a scope of gardening expertise that continues to delight visitors in the 21st century!
The wealth of gardens throughout the Rochester area during every season of the year is a fragrant legacy forged, in large part, by German immigrant George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry, an Irishman. After meeting in Rochester, Ellwanger and Barry made their fortune in the nursery business: starting with a few acres in 1840 and growing to more than 650 acres. Their Mt. Hope Botanical and Pomological Gardens took full advantage of the area's fertile soil and Lake Ontario's temperate climate to become the largest nursery operation in the world, shipping plants across America as well as to Europe, India and Australia. In 1872, several thousand trees were sent to Tokyo, Japan.
While George Ellwanger propagated more new varieties of trees and plants than any other person in America during his lifetime, he and Patrick Barry were not alone in establishing Rochester's flowering fame. By 1855, more than half the nurserymen working in the state of New York were from Rochester, and more fruit trees had been raised in Monroe County by 1856 than in the entire country. (See "Rochester helped a nation bloom" by Bob Marcotte, Democrat and Chronicle, Feb. 11, 2008.)
Gardens by the Seasons
Spring...
One of the largest and most popular flower shows in the country has been signaling the return of spring in Rochester for nearly 20 years. GardenScape, organized by the Genesee-Finger Lakes Nursery Landscape Association, has even been dubbed one of "the best flower shows, east coast and west" by The New York Times. Attracting more than 25,000 people, this four-day event features creative garden designs reflecting a different theme each year; workshops covering a range of horticultural topics; and a market component selling gardening supplies, decorations and plants.
In May, the city's largest floral celebration-the annual Lilac Festival in Highland Park-brings visitors from around the world to enjoy more than 500 varieties of this aromatic flower as they burst into bloom on more than 1,200 bushes. Becoming Rochester's first city park in 1888, Highland Park was designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and is one of the oldest public arboretums, or "tree gardens," in the United States. Now comprised of 155 acres, the first 20 acres to create a city park were donated by-you guessed it-George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry! And with an appropriate nod to historical destiny, many of the lilac varieties now found in Highland Park were first developed in Rochester. However, lilacs aren't the only game in town. Beautiful magnolia, rhododendron and azalea collections at Highland Park are crowd-pleasers, too, along with stunning beds of tulips and other flowers.
The "Sunken Garden" is another favorite spot. This hidden treasure was designed in 1930 by Alling Stephen DeForest, a well-known landscape architect in Rochester. It can be found behind Warner Castle, a picturesque building built in 1854 for Horatio Gates Warner that now houses the Rochester Civic Garden Center and its impressive horticultural library, one of the largest in the Northeast.
A short distance along Mt. Hope Avenue is another special spot, the Ellwanger Garden. Once the private garden of George Ellwanger, this vintage, 1867 garden has more than 25 beds of perennials, including peonies, irises and daylilies as well as roses, ancient pear trees and other plants. It has been authentically maintained by the Landmark Society of Western New York as a living museum since 1982.
Summer...
In June, roses take center stage at Maplewood Park Rose Garden, where several hundred varieties put on yet another floral show. The first rose garden planted here in the 1920s has become two acres of roses with more than 5,000 bushes and 300 varieties...and a popular backdrop for wedding pictures! Each June, the annual Maplewood Rose Celebration adds a range of activities for people to enjoy in addition to the spectacular vision of roses in seemingly every color.
Highly anticipated tours of homes and gardens are another staple of summer in Rochester with at least a dozen scheduled each year. Flowering trees along city streets, neighborhood gardens, "pocket parks" tucked into unexpected places, and a new "rain garden" along the Genesee River further enhance Rochester's blooming reputation.
Gardens created for George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company, are another summer treat. Surrounding his mansion home on East Avenue, tours of the gardens are included with admission to George Eastman House. Another opportunity to enjoy them on selected summer evenings is the "Garden Vibes" concert series.
South of the city in Mumford, N.Y., Genesee Country Village & Museum brings a 19th-century perspective with 13 heirloom gardens ranging from a dye garden, kitchen vegetable plot and Shaker medicinal garden to the formal designs favored in Victorian times. The Genesee Country Nature Center also provides signed trails for an exploration of the area's natural vegetation.
Autumn...
As the air turns brisk and trees rediscover their most vibrant hues, the colors of autumn are a perfect backdrop for chrysanthemums and other fall flowers popping up in parks and gardens everywhere. Another highlight of autumn is the bountiful harvests of apples, pumpkins and acres of grapes that feed nearly 100 Finger Lakes wineries. The lively Rochester Public Market and other farm markets around the area are filled with end-of-season produce from local growers, while mazes of corn stalks provide entertaining fun for those willing to get "lost" for awhile.
At Strong National Museum of Play, the Discovery Garden beside the main entrance still provides a delightful urban oasis of plants and flowers known to attract butterflies, birds and other wildlife. Open seasonally, admission to this delightful retreat is free, as are the more than 11,000 acres of public parklands in and around Rochester just waiting for visitors to come and explore.
Winter...
During cold-weather days, visitors can still enjoy the "Flower City." Bausch & Lomb's Winter Garden is a delightful haven where 775 large panes of glass enclose trees, shrubs and other plants plus a small pool and cascading waterfall...right in the center of the city! Another botanical retreat is Lamberton Conservatory. A fixture in Highland Park since 1911, the conservatory has year-around displays ranging from tropical forests and desert plants to exotic blooms and common houseplants. During "The Dutch Connection" exhibit each February, George Eastman House features thousands of flowering bulbs in a profusion of winter blooms along with a sale of potted bulbs and garden-related lectures. And the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden® at Strong National Museum of Play is an enchanting space filled with hundreds of butterflies flitting among tropical plants, no matter what the weather outside may be!
Yes, gardening is a deeply rooted tradition in Rochester, and its floral legacy continues to bloom with more than 70 garden clubs throughout the area; nearly 20 years of a city-sponsored gardening contest; and frequent awards for horticultural businesses, such as Grossman's Country Nursery being named a Top 100 Retail Garden Center in 2006-the only nursery in western New York to receive that recognition from Today's Garden Center magazine.
Come to Rochester at any time of the year to experience an exciting community of gardening excellence and flowering fame: "green thumb" not required!
"Must-See" Gardens
Ellwanger Garden (Historic perennial garden maintained as a "living museum")
625 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620
and
Stone-Tolan House Museum (Kitchen garden and apple orchard of 19th-centrury farm and tavern)
2370 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14610
(585) 546-7029
Genesee County Village & Museum (Thirteen re-created 19th-century gardens and a nature center)
1410 Flint Hill Road, Mumford, NY 14511 ~ (585) 538-6822
Annual Events and Tours
May: Native Wildflower Sale and Creating Backyard Habitats for Wildlife
May-October: Horticultural and nature center classes and programs.
George Eastman House (Four major gardens: terrace, library, rock and west gardens)
900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607 ~ (585) 271-3361
Annual Events and Tours
February: "The Dutch Connection" features thousands of flowering bulbs in winter bloom, potted bulb
sale and garden-related lectures.
May: Plant sale from divisions, cuttings and seeds collected from the historic Eastman gardens.
May - Sept.: Garden Tours
June - Aug.: "Garden Vibes" Concert Series
Highland Park (Includes huge lilac collection, Lamberton Conservatory, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Garden, Poet's Garden, AIDS Remembrance Garden, and a "sunken garden" at Warner Castle).
171 Reservoir Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620
Annual Event:
May: Lilac Festival
Maplewood Park Rose Garden (One of the area's largest rose gardens)
At Driving Park and Lake avenues, Rochester, NY ~ (585) 428-6770
Annual Event
June: Maplewood Park Rose Celebration
Rochester Museum and Science Center (Garden of Fragrance as well as flower gardens)
657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607 ~ (585) 271-4320
Sonnenberg Mansion & Gardens State Historic Park (Nine themed gardens include Italian, rose, Japanese, rock, moonlight, blue and white, sub-rosa, moonlight and pansy plus Lord & Burnham conservatory)
151 Charlotte Street, Canandaigua, NY 14424 ~ (585) 394-4922
Annual Events and Tours:
March: Orchid Show
May-Oct.: Guided Garden Tours
June: Rose Week
Strong National Museum of Play (Discovery garden outside is open seasonally and Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden® is open all year)
One Manhattan Square, Rochester, NY 14607 ~ (585) 263-2700
University of Rochester Arboretum (Includes six themed garden collections: rose, hillside history, butterfly, magnolia, lilac and dogwood)
612 Wilson Blvd., Rochester, NY ~ (585) 273-5627
Webster Arboretum (Includes lilac, rose, herb and five perennial gardens)
1700 Schlegel Road, Webster, NY 14580 ~ (585) 234-4622 ~ www.thewebsterarboretum.com
