The High Line Blog

  • Plant of the Week: Walker’s Low Persian catmint

    By Ayinde Listhrop June 19, 2017
    Nepeta racemosa is an herbaceous perennial native to the Caucasus, Turkey and Iran. Purple flowers bloom on spikes from late spring through fall and are loved by hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects. Cats are also interested in this plant! The leaves and stems of Nepet... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Red Feather Clover

    By Matt Vermeulen June 12, 2017
    Without the work of bees and other pollinators, we would not have fruits, nuts, berries or vegetables. But despite their importance to our very existence, many people have an irrational fear of bees. For people with an allergy, a bee sting can be serious, but for most it's merely an annoyance.... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Sweetclover

    By EM Rodriguez June 5, 2017
    Sweetclover, Melilotus officinalis, can be found growing on the Interim Walkway by the Western Rail Yards. It is an annual, sometimes biennial, ranging in height between two feet in poor, dry soils to eight feet tall in richer, moist soils. The leaves are in alternate arrangement on the st... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Mars Midget pincushion plant

    By Donavon T. Falls May 30, 2017
    As you make your way through the High Line this spring, notice the different stages of plant growth throughout the park. Some plants are still in their early stages of growth, while others have taken center stage in order to fill in gaps until summer. This is an essential design concept of mat... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Star of Persia

    By Ayinde Listhrop May 22, 2017
    Photo by Ayinde Listhrop This is certainly a beautiful time of year to visit the High line and perhaps my favorite time of year on the High line other than the fall. Many late spring bloomers are out and about, but be sure to not miss the Allium cristophii, or star of Persia! Allium c... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Blue Ice bluestar

    By Matt Vermeulen May 15, 2017
    As you walk along the High Line in May, look down. The park changes each week as more flowers emerge. This month features one of the signature plant genuses of the High Line—the Amsonia or Bluestar family. We have two main types, Amsonia hubrichtii, which is more upright with light blue flo... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Eva black elderberry

    By EM Rodriguez May 8, 2017
    he Chelsea Thicket on the High Line is a diverse collection of plants and dependent bird species that nest and forage for food year-round. This week, the Eva black elderberry, Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla 'Eva', is opening its flowers to the public, both human and avian. Photo by ... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Shooting star

    By Donavon T. Falls May 2, 2017
    Every year at the High Line, visitors congregate on the Sunken Overlook at 10th Avenue Square in order to experience the sights and sounds of New York City. Peering through the glass windows, visitors are subjected to an expansive view of the urban streetscape, as a river of brake lights flows... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Heartleaf foamflower

    By Ayinde Listhrop April 24, 2017
    Spring is here on the High Line! Tucked into the shadier areas of the High Line you will notice clumps of these magical looking flowers meandering their way through the garden beds. Native to the Eastern regions of North America, from as far north as Canada to as far south as Georgia, Tiarella... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Grape Hyacinth

    By Matt Vermeulen April 18, 2017
    It's been a long, cold, lonely winter on the High Line that at times seemed never ending. The cold weather continued through most of our spring cutback, including a winter storm that covered all of our plants in six inches of solid ice. But the ice slowly melted, and after we managed to dig th... read more