Tartarian aster is just one of the many varieties of aster you’ll find in bloom at the High Line this season. The plants’ distinctive lavender blooms are a sure sign that autumn has arrived at the park.

The High Line’s planting design is inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew up between rail tracks after the trains stopped running in the 1980s. Today, the High Line includes more than 300 species of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees — each chosen for their hardiness, adaptability, diversity, and seasonal variation in color and texture. Some of the species that originally grew on the High Line’s rail bed are reflected in the park landscape today.

This week we share with you one of our gardeners’ current favorites.

Our signature fall fundraiser, hosted at Colicchio & Sons, featured food and drink from the neighborhood's best chefs. Photos by Liz Ligon

We would like to thank Tom Colicchio of Colicchio & Sons for partnering with Friends of the High Line to present our third annual High Line Chefs Dinner on Sunday, September 30. Over 200 guests enjoyed delicious cocktails and small plates crafted by world-renowned chefs from the High Line neighborhood, all in support of the ongoing maintenance and operations of the High Line.