Corner Gardens

Since the 1970s, GRO's Corner Gardens have been transforming urban street corners into thriving green spaces that beautify the neighborhood while delivering vital ecosystem services. Our gardens help restore fragmented habitats for bees and butterflies, improve air and water quality, reduce flooding, and replenish degraded soil—contributing to a healthier, more balanced urban ecosystem.

We have roles waiting to be filled!

  • Assist someone with a corner garden

  • ‘Adopt' your own corner garden

  • Volunteer at upcoming garden events (plant swaps, seed swaps, community clean ups, garden walk)

  • Join a leadership committee dedicated to sustainable gardening in the neighborhood

If you'd like to join your neighbors in making our little corner of the world more beautiful, please consider working with the sustainability committee. By blending ecological restoration with urban revitalization, our initiatives continue to prove that small green spaces can make a big difference for both people and nature.

Click the button below to tell us more about how you want to get involved.

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In Honor of a Great Neighbor

A black-and-white newspaper article from May 8, 1991, in the North Center Irvine Park section of the Booster newspaper. The article features a group photo of seven people, including men and women, standing outdoors in front of a fence. The caption reads "Gardeners unite."
An elderly woman with white hair and sunglasses standing outdoors next to a landscaped flower bed with yellow flowers and greenery, in front of a large tree, on a sidewalk near a street.

B. Tersch

Thank you to the family of B. Tersch for contributing this information! 

GRO would like to acknowledge the pioneering efforts and dedication of our late board member, B Tersch, who spearheaded our corner gardens initiative in the late 1970s. B’s involvement in GRO was just not a side project for her, it was her full-time job (without pay) because she loves this neighborhood!  She wanted to contribute not just for her and her family, but for the community and generations to come. Besides leading the initiative to create corner gardens to beautify our community, she was key to cleaning up neighborhood graffiti, litter at parks and train stations, etc. She was quiet, carried a timid smile, but oh man, she was mighty! Until her health no longer allowed her to, she would wake up at 5-6 am to work on the corner gardens, Jacob Park, the riverbank, clear the drain gates after rain, walk with a can of paint to graffiti sites, etc.  Her persistence and influence was unmatched as it resulted in lasting traditions in the neighborhood.

An elderly woman with curly white hair wearing sunglasses, a purple t-shirt with a logo, black shorts, and hiking boots walking on a sidewalk in a parking lot with a large evergreen tree, flowers, and some buildings in the background.
A small garden bed with various plants and shrubs surrounded by a concrete border, with a sidewalk on the right side of the image.
Purple allium flowers blooming in a garden bed with a wooden sign in the background.
Photo of child helping with green corner garden.
A garden bed filled with yellow and pink flowers and green foliage, situated next to a sidewalk and street. A sign for Gro!er Rockwell Organization is in the garden. In the background, cars are parked along the street and a fire hydrant is visible.
A flower bed with orange, purple, and white flowers in front of brick apartment buildings, with a 'Do Not Enter' sign on the sidewalk.
Yellow 3D-printed sign with the letters 'LOVE' and a gear design, placed in a garden bed with green plants and purple flowers.
A sidewalk garden bed with green bushes and yellow flowers in front of a red brick residential building. A sign with organization information is visible among the plants. The garden is bordered by a concrete curb, with trees and a sidewalk in the background.
A lush garden with tall purple, white, and pink flowers in soft focus.

Well-Being Grows Here

Beyond their environmental impact, our corner gardens also nurture the well-being of residents.

Relieve Stress

Restore Mental Focus

Fostering Community Connections

Valuable Educational Opportunities

Become a Volunteer!

Volunteering in our committees is a 2-3 hour per month commitment. Please join us in making the neighborhood even better by volunteering with any sustainability project. In addition to the Corner Gardens, we also coordinate with city, county, and state government on local park and river clean up efforts.

Email us at grocornergardens@gmail.com to find out how you can help.

No time to volunteer? You can still help by becoming a member. Membership dues are the donations we need to keep doing what we do.

Become a Member