Highland Park in Rochester

This year’s Rochester Lilac Festival takes place over three weekends—May 7-9, 14-16, and 21-23, 2021. Learn more

Highland Park draws larger crowds during the Rochester Lilac Festival in May, though the lilacs are not the only sights to see. For 2021, rather than a week-long event Highland will be hosting the festival over three weekends in May.

Frederick Law Olmsted designed this park in 1888, along with Genesee Valley, Seneca, and Maplewood, to be enjoyed year-round. Highland Hill is part of the greater Pinnacle Range that lines the southern border between the City of Rochester and Brighton.

Every pathway, every tree, every vista and every relationship between the land and water is intentional.

Table of Contents

1. Overview of Highland Park
2. What’s Blooming When
3. Plant Collections
4. Highland Park Reservoir
5. Lamberton Conservatory
6. Sunken Garden
7. Highland Bowl
8. Memorials

We’ve embedded the Highland Park Conservancy’s video, Rochester’s First Park: Highland Park, toward the middle of this article.

Overview of the Highland Park area

Walking the paved paths weaves you up, down, and through a diverse collection of flowers, flowering bushes and trees, taking you from the Pansy Bed to the Poet’s Garden, Tulip Garden, Lamberton Conservatory and the reservoir.

Crossing South Ave. you can wander toward the stage at Highland Bowl (outdoor movies and Shakespeare in the summer) and the well-hidden Warner Castle Sunken Garden.

Venturing across Mount Hope Blvd. you’ll discover the beautiful Mount Hope Cemetery in which you can spend hours discovering where the various pathways lead.

What’s Blooming When

You can witness something new in Highland Park every day of the year! But there are several very specific times I find myself compelled to visit:

Early April – carpets of blue Glory-of-the-Snow and Siberian Squill

Early May – Flowering trees, Magnolias, Lilacs, and shortly thereafter when the Buckeyes bloom

Late June – The Smoke Bush collection

Early November – Autumn foliage around the Conservatory, Sunken Garden, and Japanese Maple collection

For more information on what’s in bloom, we list everything at the bottom of this article.

Plant Collections

The Lilacs

The Rochester Strain of Lilac can have 8-12 radials. Older varieties have only 4.

Magnolia Collection

Visit Highland Park in late-April into early-May to witness the magnolia collection in full bloom.

The Pansy Bed

The bed turns over twice a year. In spring, master gardeners plan a new design for the pansy bed. Once the pansies have past their prime, the bed gets a new design with summer flowers.

Wandering

Every season presents a new landscape. Just wandering among the trees and flowering bushes in lower Highland Park you discover something new around every bend.

Japanese Maple Collection

The Japanese Maples are another fine example of extraordinary displays in every season. Autumn is my favorite!

The Poet’s Garden

Many people list the Poet’s Garden as one of their favorite spots in Highland.

The Rhododendrons & Azaleas

All azaleas are Rhododendrons (note the capital R), but not all Rhododendrons are azaleas. And they’re all intoxicating!

On average, rhododendrons are larger shrubs than azalea plants, and they have larger leaves. Also, azalea flowers usually have five stamens, while the rhododendron flowers have ten. Learn how to tell the difference

The Pinetum

The Pinetum contains 300 species and varieties of conifers from all over the world. If you love green, this is one of our favorite places to find hundreds different shades of it.

The Tulip Bed

I always refer to this section next to Lamberton Conservatory as the Tulip Bed, even though it is replanted with extraordinary summer flowers once the tulips fade away.

The Reservoir

The City of Rochester, through the Department of Environmental Services / Water Bureau, maintains three finished water reservoirs, two of which are open.

Highland Reservoir is the City of Rochester’s smallest uncovered finished water reservoir; having a capacity of approximately 26 million gallons. The City of Rochester’s primary water supply is from Canadice and Hemlock Lakes.

Lamberton Conservatory

The Lamberton Conservatory is open year-round. In addition to its tropical forest display, desert plants, economic plants and house plants, the Conservatory features seasonal floral displays. The exhibits are changed 5 times throughout the year, so that there is always something new to be seen.

Highland Park Conservancy invites you to join Noelle Nagel, the Monroe County Parks Horticultural Interpreter, for a 2021 video tour. She shares her vast knowledge of the plant and animal collections. Enjoy! 

HPC, founded in 1994, is a member-supported, all volunteer organization: the official not-for-profit partner of Monroe County for the stewardship of Highland Park. Learn more at highlandparkconservancy.org.

Warner Castle Sunken Garden

If you are starting near Lamberton Conservatory, head down Reservoir Ave., crossing South Ave. toward Mt. Hope Ave. Stroll around to the back of the castle and down the lawn, and there you will find the garden. It is the perfect escape from the crowds at the Lilac Festival!

Highland Bowl

Highland Park Bowl is an outdoor amphitheater used for summertime concerts, Shakespeare in the Park, and Movies in the Park.

Memorials in Highland Park

Memorials include the Vietnam Veterans Memorial of Greater Rochester, AIDS Remembrance, Crime Victims, Workers’ Rights, and the Frederick Douglass statue at Highland Bowl. The Warriors of Freedom memorial is under construction.

Lilac Adventure Zone

The kids love climbing around this natural playground build with logs.

More information about Highland Park

Cost: Free

Located in the City of Rochester (get directions)

More information: cityofrochester.gov/highlandpark/ or monroecounty.gov/parks-highland

Map of the park. If you are using Google Maps on your mobile device, add this map as a layer to help you navigate and not miss a thing!

What’s in Bloom Each Month

Here are a few highlights from the Highland Park Conservancy website on what you can see each month:

March and early-April

• Witchhazels – south of the Overlook
• Helleborus foetidus – Stinking Hellobore
• Helleborus niger – Christmas Rose
• Helleborus orientalis – Lenten Rose
• Eranthis hyemalis – Winter Aconite
• Galanthus – Snow Drops
• Chionodoxa – Glory of the Snow
• Scilla Siberica – Squill
• Crocus
• Primula – Cowslip
• Vinca minor – Periwinkle
• Sanguinaria canadensis – Bloodroot
• Narcissus – Poets’
• Anemone blanda – Windflower
• Hepatica acutiloba
• Podophyllum peltatum – May Apple
• Brunnera
• Epimedium – Bishop’s Hat
• Trillium grandiflorum
• Mertensia virginicus – Virginia Bluebell
• Asarum europium – European Ginger
• Arisaema triphyllum – Jack in the Pulpit
• Lathyrus vernus – Spring Vetchling
• Tulipa – Tulip
• Viola – Violet
• Polygonatum biflorum – Solomon’s Seal

Late-April – early-May

• Magnolias – southwest of the Reservoir
• Forsythias and daffodils – south of the Overlook
• Flowering pears – along South Goodman between Highland and Elmwood
• Tulips – corner of South Avenue and Reservoir Drive

Mid- to Late-May

• Crabapples – along South Goodman between Highland and Elmwood
• Flowering Dogwood – south of the Overlook
• Muscari – Grape Hyacinth
• Convallaria majalis – Lily of the Valley
• Doronicum – Leopard’s Bane
• Allium
• Hyacinthoides hispanica – wood hyacinth
• Azaleas – southeast of the Overlook
• Horse chestnuts – west of the Reservoir
• Lilacs – along Highland Avenue
• Pansy Bed – on Highland Avenue
• Spirea – southeast of the Reservoir
• Tree peonies – west of the horse chestnuts
• Wisteria – southeast of the Reservoir

Early June

• Rhododendron – southeast of the Overlook
• Iris – near the magnolias
• Hesperis matronalis – Dame’s Rocket
• Sweet Woodruff
• Herb Robert
• Virginia Waterleaf
• Day Lily
• Wild Columbine
• Erythronium – Dogtooth Violet
• Smoke Bush
• Mock oranges – southeast of the Reservoir
• Weigelas

July

• Hydrangeas – southeast of the Reservoir
• Hardy Geranium/Crane’s Bill
• Thalictrum – Wild Meadowrue
• Cimicifuga
• Anemone syvestris

August

• Annual bedding plants and Shrub Althea
• Hosta
• Wood Aster
• Gooseneck Loosestrife
• Golden Rain Tree

October

• Decaisnea fargesii shrubs –  This plant’s ripened bluish-colored and finger-shaped fruit provides for its commonly known name–dead man’s fingers. The shrub is native to western China and other western Asia countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, and northeastern parts of India.

November

• Look for the Katsura Tree to turn gold, then drop its leaves over a short period of time. This is probably the largest specimen in the state, overlooking the Pansy bed.
• Highland Park explodes with autumn colors

December, January and February

Enjoy the quiet among the evergreens.

Where are your favorite spots in Highland Park?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Your insight and experience is invaluable!