Earlier this month, sharpened shears and empty bins in hand, High Line horticulturists and volunteers kicked off Spring Cutback, one of our largest annual undertakings, which involves hand-trimming dried grasses and perennials along our 1.5-mile-long park to make way for a new season of lush growth.

This time-honored tradition is a quintessentially High Line initiative—weaving together sustainable horticulture practices, community involvement, and a celebration of the season. Our first Cutback dates back to 2010, the first spring following the opening of the park in 2009. Since then, each year, our dedicated horticulturists rally the community, enlisting the help of nearly 100 volunteers, neighbors, High Line Teens, corporate partners, and more to remove more than 160 yards (that’s roughly six garbage trucks full!) of dried plant material to be composted.

Spring Cutback is a core element of our sustainable, naturalistic approach to gardening. Unlike many traditional gardens, the High Line’s plants are not cut back in the fall. They are left intact until spring in keeping with our garden designer Piet Oudolf’s original vision for a four-season landscape, in which structural stalks and seed heads offer visual interest in the winter months. In their beauty, there is also purpose: pithy stalks lend sites for pollinators to nest over the winter, and dried seed heads provide valuable food sources for birds, making this style of gardening an ecological win for resident and visiting fauna.

The process of cutting back the park’s plants is a delicate one. Before Cutback begins in any section, staff mark specific plants known to house overwintering bees so they’re left to continue their slumber. Leaf litter and some debris are left alone to preserve habit for insects like fireflies and native Luna moths. Horticulturists must also navigate the new growth that has already begun—and that is beginning earlier each year. Green shoots of grasses and perennials are already soaking up the sun, and spring ephemerals—those hardy blooms that burst from bulbs—are already dotting the park.

We hope you’ll stop by to experience the new season in the park. And, if you see our team at work, we hope you’ll thank them too!

You can help support the High Line’s horticulture program by making a donation today →