The Flower City: Exploring Rochester’s Extraordinary Flowers and Trees

Rochester became a global center for flower and tree nurseries in the mid-1800s, fostering our identity as The Flower City. George Ellwanger from Germany and Patrick Barry from Ireland led the way. Their nursery catalog was issued in 1843, selling fruit trees, ornamentals, flowers, and greenhouse plants across the globe. In 1888, they donated some of their land and trees to the City of Rochester to establish their first public park, Highland Park.

Want to explore Highland Park more deeply?

Prefer digital? Get the ebook on Amazon or Kindle Unlimited. By April 26—Frederick Law Olmsted’s birthday—the hardcover and paperback will be available through more booksellers.

Rochester, Louisville, Boston, and Buffalo are the only four cities with park systems designed solely by Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. Admire his planned landscapes along the river in Genesee Valley Park, Maplewood Park, Seneca Park, and Highland Park.

1. Highland Park

Host to Rochester’s celebrated Lilac Festival in May, Highland boasts the most extensive collection of lilacs in the country, with over 500 varieties across 1,200 shrubs. You’ll also find a vast Japanese Maple collection, 35 varieties of magnolias, 700 rhododendron specimens, and 300 conifer varieties in the pinetum. Many of the trees are the tallest of their species in the state, though few are native. Some have even described Highland as a museum or zoo of exotic plants and trees. Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University sent the original specimens to Rochester for simultaneous scientific study. Meander along paved and mown-grass pathways to find Lamberton Conservatory, the Poet’s Garden, Highland Bowl, and Warner Castle’s Sunken Garden.

2. Maplewood Rose Garden

Maplewood showcases 300 rose varieties that bloom between mid-June and late November. While Olmsted’s 1888 landscape design included a rose garden, the Greater Rochester Rose Society formally dedicated it in 1951 and has lovingly cared for the fragrant flowers ever since.

3. Eastman Estate Gardens

Appreciate a range of colors that begin with luxurious purple wisteria in May and end with bold yellow ginkgo leaves in November. While museum admission is necessary to walk through the Italianate Terrace and Library Gardens, designed by landscape architect Alling Stephen DeForest, the West Garden, designed by architect Claude Bragdon, and the Rock Garden, DeForest, are open to the public year-round.

4. Durand Eastman Park

The park encompasses 977 acres of land, including Durand Lake, Eastman Lake, and a swimming beach on Lake Ontario. Landscape architect Bernard Slavin used knowledge gained from working with Olmsted to design Durand Eastman, evident in the variety of mature trees in the arboretum between Zoo and Sweet Fern Roads in Pine Valley, Rhododendron Valley, Fruit Valley, and Katsura Glen.

5, Mount Hope Cemetery

The cemetery, established in 1838, is a popular destination for Rochester residents seeking a peaceful retreat from the bustling city. Walkers, runners, and bikers often use the well-maintained main roadways, even during the colder months. While the landscape is delightful year-round, this beautiful Victorian cemetery is extraordinary in October. The diversity of trees in the arboretum displays a vibrant array of colors, with bold yellows and reds carpeting the ground before the snow arrives.

More Around Monroe County

Greater Rochester

Flower City Guides

Flower Shows & Events

• Jan-Feb – Buffalo Botanical Gardens Lumagination
• February – Dutch Connection at Eastman Museum
• March – Annual Spring Orchid Show
• March – Orchid Show at Buffalo Botanical Gardens
• March – Plantasia
• March – Rochester Home & Garden Show
• March – Central New York Home & Garden Show
• March – Gardenscape
• April – Spring Wildflower & Orchid Show at Sonnenberg Gardens
• April – Spring Flower Exhibit Buffalo Botanical Gardens
• April-May – Lamberton Conservatory Holiday and Spring Shows
• May – Lilac Festival
• May – Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival
• May – Tulip Festival of Holland, NY
• May – Daffodil Trail in Powder Mills Park
• May – Williamson Apple Blossom Festival
• May-June – Flower City Days at the Market
• June –Maplewood Rose Celebration
• July – Lavender Festival at Ol’Factory Lavender Farm
• Aug-Sep – Sunflowers

Nurseries

There are dozens of incredible nurseries in the Rochester area to begin your own garden or arboretum. These are a few places you can visit for inspiration:

• Sara’s Garden & Nursery
• Garden Factory
• Bergen Water Gardens & Nursery
• Van Putte Gardens
• Wayside Garden Center
• Frear’s Garden Center

Fun Finds: Rochester’s 1st Christmas Tree

When doing research on a subject, I often stumble across fascinating information that warrants sharing!

From The Flower City: George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry:

George Ellwanger celebrated the establishment of the nursery with a fitting ceremony a week later when Vice-Chancellor Frederick Whittlesey affixed his seal to Ellwanger’s final citizenship papers, welcoming him officially as a new American.  

A little over a year later Ellwanger joined with other Rochester associates from the Old Country in erecting the first Christmas tree in Rochester. Hundreds of older Americans gathered to watch the strange ceremony, in front of the little German Lutheran Church on Grove Street, at which the tree was lighted up with candles.

Rochesterians were so pleased with the ceremony that it became a feature of the Christmas period and helped transform a purely religious day into a social and family holiday. See also Rochester’s First Christmas Tree.

Where are your favorite spots around our Flower City?

I’d love to hear from you—please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.