High Line Blog

Spike winter hazel blooms with plentiful yellow flowers in late winter or early spring.

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 — 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.

Dawn bodnant viburnum has bright pink flowers that are at their peak this time of year.

The High Line’s planting design is inspired by the self-seeded landscape that took root on the elevated rail tracks after the trains stopped running. The High Line includes more than 300 species of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees — 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 two of our Gardeners’ current favorites.

An aerial photo of our staff and volunteers hard at work between West 18th Street and West 20th Street. Photo by Rick Darke

We have just completed our second week of High Line Spring Cutback.

Spring Cutback is an intense six week-long process in which we cut back the High Line’s wild grasses, perennials, and shrubs to make way for new spring growth. It’s our biggest horticultural task of the year and High Line Gardeners couldn’t do it without the help of a dedicated group of volunteers. Stop by the park and see the transformation underway as spring bulbs and new green growth pop up, and follow us after the jump for an update on this week’s work.

The rail yards section will extend the High Line’s distinctive design vocabulary established south of West 30th Street, evoking the High Line’s history as an active freight rail line, and the unique self-seeded landscape that grew up between the tracks when the trains stopped running in the 1980s.

Last night we unveiled the initial design concepts for the rail yards section of the High Line at a community input meeting at Public School 11 in Chelsea.

More than 400 neighbors, supporters, members, and friends turned out to listen to James Corner and Ric Scofidio, of the High Line Design Team, present their concepts, share their feedback, and ask questions.

The never-before-seen images represent the first vision for the High Line’s unique landscape at the rail yards, which is still overgrown with wildflowers and grasses that grew up between the tracks when the trains stopped running in the 1980s.

Follow us after the jump to learn more and view the designs.