Gardens & Gardening

Anyone walking in the Upper Monroe neighborhood is treated to a wide variety of gardens. Many consider Upper Monroe a "garden district" neighborhood.

There are many neighborhoods around Rochester with lovely gardens that might be considered "garden districts". Upper Monroe certainly considers itself one of those areas. Indeed, gardens (public as well as private), parks, wooded trails and even an old growth forest are all a part of the Upper Monroe neighborhood.

Garden Stroll 2026

This year UMNA will host an expanded "Garden Stroll" program: Saturday, July 11th | A Garden Stroll in Upper Monroe

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In 2025 UMNA hosted an informal walk thorugh the neighborhood highlighting gardens visible from the public right-of-way. The event was so popular UMNA is currently planning an expanded program in 2026.

Community Gardens

The Upper Monroe Neighborhood Association works with private property owners and the City of Rochester to develop and care for community gardens & planters at various sites in Upper Monroe. These Community Gardens may be found at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Culver Road; along the parkway median on Werner Park (visible from Monroe Avenue); at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Belmont Street; at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Rosedale Street; at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Laburnam Crescent (as well as along Laburnam Crescent heading north); at the intersection of Monroe Avenue and Engel Place and Field Street; and along the base of Pinnacle Hill demarcated, in a section, by a charming single layer laid-stone retaining wall running roughly between Alliance Avenue to Rosedale Street.

UMNA's #ShareTheCare of our community gardens page invites participation in the care of these community gardens.

Monroe Ave & Culver Rd - Summer, 2023

Werner Park as seen from Monroe Ave - Summer, 2023

Monroe Ave & Belmont Street - Summer, 2023

Monroe Ave & Rosedale Street - Summer, 2023

Monroe Ave & Laburnam Crescent - Summer, 2023

Monroe Ave & Engle Place - Summer, 2023

Children's Garden on Laburnam Crescent

Private Gardens

The Upper Monroe neighborhood has an abundance of private gardens visible from the public right-of-way (sidewalks & streets). See: Points of Interest.

Wide Water Gardens

Wide Water Gardens is an independent organization from UMNA. UMNA initiated and then supported the creation of Wide Water Gardens many years ago. WWG is the city’s largest privately supported community garden, located at Rosedale and Hinsdale Streets.

Using a NeighborGood grant from the Rochester Area Foundation, the group designed and built some 28 garden beds in the growing season of 2010. Wide Water Gardens is named after a historic section of the Erie Canal, near Lake Riley on Culver Road, that was wide enough to allow boats to turn around. The creation of Wide Water Gardens was a joint project between the UMNA, Third Rochester Enterprises Corporation (TREC) and the City of Rochester. Its mission is to bring “a new urban agricultural, educational and recreational resource to the residents of the City of Rochester and surrounding communities.”

Please see our Hills & Parks page for information about other natural amenities found in the Upper Monroe neighborhood.

Check out our Points of Interest page to see cool stuff and plot out an interesting walk through the neighborhood.

Nearby

Although Highland Park is not located in Upper Monroe, it's lilacs and other plantings are within walking distance of the neighborhood.