The High Line Blog

  • Plant of the Week: Prairie dropseed

    By Sue Tropio September 16, 2016
    During September, Friends of the High Line is celebrating the Chelsea Grasslands – a special area of the park between West 18th and West 20th Streets that was inspired by the tallgrass prairie of the American Midwest. As part of the celebration, we're featuring plants and trees from the Grassl... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Bur oak

    By Rachel Hokanson September 12, 2016
    During September, Friends of the High Line is celebrating the Chelsea Grasslands – a special area of the park between West 18th and West 20th Streets that was inspired by the tallgrass prairie of the American Midwest. As part of the celebration, we're featuring plants and trees from the Grassl... read more

  • Plant of the Week: The Big Four

    By Rachel Hokanson September 5, 2016
    To kick off our September celebration of the Chelsea Grasslands, this week we are featuring a classic collection of prairie grasses, commonly called "The Big Four." All four grasses are found along the High Line, although only three are used in the Chelsea Grasslands planting: Andropogon ge... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Blackberry lily

    By Guilherme Goncalves August 29, 2016
    When I started gardening my backyard in Brooklyn, a friend gave me blackberry lily seeds. I planted them and soon forgot they were there. Other plants grew and grew, overshadowing the lilies, and because they had been shaded, they didn't bloom. Later, I started gardening here at the High Line,... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Purple love grass

    By Emma Leavens August 22, 2016
    One of our more subtle grasses, Eragrostis spectabilis, has reached its prime season on the High Line. At 12 to 18 inches tall, this clump-forming perennial grass tends to be an inconspicuous presence in the garden until it begins to flower in August when its splayed red to purple infloresc... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Rosenkuppel oregano

    By Matt Vermeulen August 4, 2016
    In New York City, home gardening can be a challenge. Looking up, you notice how people use any available space, be it on a fire escape, window box or on top of an air conditioner. Many choose to grow herbs, because often they are tough, have low water needs, smell great, attract pollinators an... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Leadplant

    By Sue Tropio August 1, 2016
    Amorpha canescens, also known as leadplant, is a deciduous shrub in the pea family (Fabaceae) that is native to the prairies of North America. Though the shrub is found throughout the High Line, it is not common to find this shrub in other parks in New York City. This is one of the reasons it'... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Hoary mountain mint

    By Tim Kerins July 22, 2016
    While hoary mountain mint is certainly not the showiest plant in bloom on the High Line this week, it should by no means be overlooked. This native perennial herb is an absolute favorite of pollinators, and with pollinator numbers in serious decline everyone should have some in their garden, i... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Wild petunia

    By Guilherme Goncalves July 18, 2016
    This is the season for tall and showy perennials like compass plant, Culver`s root and coneflower, but it's the much shorter wild petunia that draws my attention every day as I walk up north from Gansevoort to the lawn at 23rd Street. Seen at the many locations along the High Line, wild petuni... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Spiked gayfeather

    By Rachel Hokanson July 8, 2016
    Summer is hitting its stride in our High Line gardens. I love this time of year in my zone, the Chelsea Grasslands, because of the bold colors, overflowing planting beds, and abundance of pollinators. One striking perennial in the grasslands is Liatris spicata, or spiked gayfeather. "Spicata" ... read more