The High Line Blog

  • Plant of the Week: Pagoda yellow dogtooth violet

    By Ayumi Akimoto April 19, 2018
    As spring bulbs emerge, the glossy, mottled leaves of a plant called Erythronium 'Pagoda', also called Pagoda yellow dogtooth violet, can be seen. They bloom from mid-April to May. It is in the lily family (Liliaceae), and is also known as trout lily. The common name comes from the trout fi... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Purple prairie clover

    By Yuki Kaneko April 5, 2018
    During our 2018 Spring Cutback, some selected plant species are intentionally left uncut, keeping their dried stems in the plant bed. This experiment is to provide more nesting opportunities and increase habitat for pollinators in the park. Some plants with slender stems are ideal for wild be... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Visions in Pink Chinese astilbe

    By Orrin Sheehan March 16, 2018
    Astilbe chinensis is a rhizomatous perennial belonging to the Saxifragaceae family. As its specific epithet implies, this plant is native to China and usually found growing along streams, rivers, and forest edges. Astilbe prefers consistently moist soil that is high in organic matter. They wil... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Common snowdrop

    By Orrin Sheehan March 6, 2018
    If you find yourself lucky enough to be strolling through the High Line gardens in late winter, you may notice the white nodding blooms of Galanthus nivalis, the common snowdrop. While other spring ephemerals and perennials are still slumbering away, this little bulb seems unaffected by freezi... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Midwinter Fire bloodtwig dogwood

    By Taryn Cunha February 21, 2018
    Each winter season on the High Line brings new discoveries and challenges that the gardeners must work with to keep the plants healthy and beautiful until March cutback. Between the high winds, frigid temperatures, ice, and snow storms, some of the plants can look slightly tattered by mid-Febr... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Gibraltar bushclover

    By John Gunderson February 9, 2018
    Lespedeza thunbergii 'Gibraltar', or Gibraltar bushclover, is a medium-sized, shrub-like, late-flowering perennial in the pea family (Fabaceae). Originally native to Japan and China, Lespedeza thunbergii has naturalized throughout much of the Northeast United States. The cultivar 'Gibraltar' w... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Grey birch

    By Rachel Hokanson January 31, 2018
    Grey birches give us so much to discuss! Ornamental gardeners may first point out the unique form and chevron-marked bark (both on display this season). Or perhaps they will focus on the foliage-glossy green leaves that move well in the wind and turn an attractive yellow in fall. The practical... read more

  • Plant of the Week: White turtlehead

    By Yuki Kaneko January 22, 2018
    In the midst of harsh winter, gardens on the High Line continue to offer a glimpse of wild nature. Here, the perennials that have already finished this season's growth are left uncut until early spring. These plants display their natural forms and structures more prominently now than any other... read more

  • Plant of the Week: The Aster Family

    By Tim Kerins January 10, 2018
    For this Plant of the Week post, I focused on a plant family, rather than a single species. The winter structure this family brings is crucial to the overall feel of a Piet Oudolf garden in winter. As the largest dicot family with over 23,000 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees with an almost ... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Winter sun mahonia

    By Orrin Sheehan January 4, 2018
    Mahonia x media 'Winter Sun' is small to medium-sized evergreen shrub capable of growing ten feet tall and five feet wide. It becomes a prized specimen when it blooms in the late fall or early winter, producing fragrant yellow flowers. These inflorescences develop into clusters of waxy blue be... read more