A person tends a small garden with yellow flowers next to informational signs and a chain-link fence. Trees and parked cars are in the background.

Garden Spotlight: Roseland Community Center Park

Funded by the Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden Grant

Location: 12925 83rd Ave. Sebastian, FL 32958

The Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden Grant brings native beauty to parks, nature centers and other public spaces, creating educational opportunities while supporting local biodiversity.

After being awarded a 2025-26 Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden grant for Roseland Community Center Park in Indian River County, the Roseland Women’s Club is proving that you can make a big impact in a small space. The club stewards the park through an Adopt-A-Park program with partner organizations Friends of St. Sebastian River and Roseland Community Association. As part of this program, they have removed invasive species from the St. Sebastian River shoreline that runs alongside the park and planted natives to help reduce erosion. The Viva Florida garden itself sits in the park’s upland area — a 208-square-foot embankment beside the staircase leading from the parking area to the river.

The installation took place on October 15, 2025. In the months leading up to it, the site was prepped through solarization and re-grading to address the slope of the embankment. Soil solarization involves removing existing vegetation and covering the site with clear plastic sheeting. It is the most effective method for removing weeds without chemicals, but timing matters: solarization works best when done for six to eight weeks between June and mid-August. Curious park visitors asked about the process along the way, and some volunteers were even inspired to try it in their home gardens.

A sloped garden with rocks, mulch, a green drainage pipe, and a historical marker near a white building and black fence.
Roseland Community Center Park Viva Garden installation
Five men pose around a small, landscaped garden bordered with rocks, with a sign in front and vehicles parked behind a black fence in the background.
Indian River County Park staff pose with the Roseland Community Center Park Viva Garden

The garden may be small, but its impact is anything but. Friends of St. Sebastian River and the Roseland Community Association contributed volunteers and expertise, and project manager Judy Greenberg said creating the garden strengthened their partnership and gave them a new sense of community. Indian River County Parks and Recreation staff have embraced it, too — the maintenance director noted that the park wasn’t really on their radar before the Viva Florida garden went in, but has since become a favorite, thanks to the community spirit and volunteer support behind it. Regular visitors to the park include local residents walking through the historic district, casual anglers fishing from the dock, and attendees of meetings at the Roseland Community Building. Visitors have commented on the improvements, saying they love the vibrant Dune sunflowers (Helianthus debilis), Simpson’s stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans) and Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) groundcover.