With New York City experiencing its second-longest rainless streak since 1869 and brush fires erupting across the Tri-State Area, the High Line has been experiencing the driest autumn in its 15-year history as a park.

Amid our city’s first drought watch in over two decades, our horticulture team’s longtime practices to conserve water and cultivate resilient gardens have taken on even greater value. Our long-standing philosophy of prioritizing resilient and locally adapted plants and water-conscious irrigation practices are proactive measures that help ensure our gardens can survive extreme conditions, withstand climate chaos, and reduce our consumption of critical resources.

The foundation for drought-tolerant gardens? Look towards native and resilient plants

Soaring 30 feet in the sky on the west side of Manhattan, with planting beds as shallow as 18 inches deep, the High Line’s plants are no stranger to navigating survival in challenging conditions. Based on the foundation of naturalistic—or nature-inspired—design established by garden designer Piet Oudolf, the horticulturists continue to curate a plant palette designed to withstand temperature and precipitation extremes.

“Due to the unique growing conditions of the High Line, we have to choose plants that are pretty resilient to begin with,” said senior director of horticulture, Richard Hayden. “Plants that thrive 30 feet in the air in only 18 inches of soil are excellent examples of species equipped to survive the curveballs of a changing climate.”

Our gardens are populated with a variety of species of plants that don’t require a significant amount of human intervention or input to ensure their survival. The incorporation of tenacious perennials like Ascelpias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed) and sedges like Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge) provide a strong foundation for our 1.5 miles of gardens to weather the current drought advisory—and other unexpected climate conditions that may arise.

Left: Pennsylvania sedge | Right: Butterfly milkweed

Since the park opened in 2009, our horticulturists have expanded their collection of plants in our gardens beyond our foundational plans. In order for a new plant to be considered, it needs to pass the test for having the ability to withstand the climate extremes that have increasingly become New York’s “new normal.” Pinus rigida (pitch pine) and Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage) were more recent additions incorporated into our gardens for which resilience was a key factor in their selection.

Incorporating nature-inspired plants and native plants that minimize the amount of water or human input in the upkeep of our gardens makes it easier for our horticulturists to maintain the health of our gardens through moments of turbulence.

Russian Sage

Coming together to cut back on water consumption

Under a drought advisory, residents are encouraged to voluntarily conserve water due to the risk of drought. Fortunately, we’re prepared: Water conservation has long been a priority of ours when implementing and updating our irrigation practices, and our proactive measures to meaningfully reduce consumption mean that we are well-equipped to keep our plants alive during this drought advisory—without needing to overhaul our current irrigation practices.

Recently, we installed an updated moisture sensor irrigation system in the park’s plant beds. As part of our updated system, there are now 44 individual moisture sensors that relay real-time soil moisture data to our horticulture team. Thanks to this system, we can now water the High Line’s plants only when needed—rather than on a fixed, time-dependent schedule.

In the High Line’s organic gardens, we don’t utilize chemicals for pest control, and the soil used throughout the park’s gardens is specifically engineered to optimize water retention. Our only supplemental nutrition comes in the form of compost or organic fertilizers. The intentional combination of a high concentration of organic compost and sand creates a soil that can both effectively retain and drain water, which has been essential for the nourishment of our plants.

“Adding organic matter like compost can increase the soil’s capacity to retain water,” said senior horticulture manager, Yuki Kaneko. “It helps us to use less and conserve water.”

And as we join other public spaces across the city in shutting off our water from November to early April, we are preparing to eliminate further unnecessary water consumption in the cooler months. Whether at the individual or institutional level, New Yorkers’ collective efforts to reduce water usage can potentially postpone or eliminate the threat of a future, more dire water shortage.

A new reality—survival in the gardens amidst climate chaos

The evolving climate impacts every single inch of our gardens, and we understand the importance of the High Line’s role in safeguarding the health of our gardens and urban ecosystem.

The birds and insects, including 33 species of native bees, who visit and live in the park depend on the health of the High Line’s plants for their survival. By keeping our gardens healthy and organically maintained, we can continue to be a reliable source of resources for pollinators who visit or make their home on the High Line. And for our human visitors—protecting the health of our green spaces ensures that the millions of New Yorkers and parkgoers who visit the park each year can still access the environmental, physical, and mental health benefits that come with spending time in urban green spaces.

Proactively making these choices in our horticulture practice and fostering a culture of adaptability is what will set our gardens up to survive throughout future occurrences of climate chaos. While we can’t precisely predict every future climate event that happens on the park, our horticulturists remain dedicated to weathering these changes with expertise and a steadfast commitment to serve our fellow New Yorkers and parkgoers.

Our horticulture staff work year-round to maintain our gardens for millions of New Yorkers and parkgoers. Keeping our 1.5 miles of naturalistic gardens thriving and healthy through adaptive and mitigative practices is only possible through the people-powered support of members like you. Almost 100% of our annual operating budget is provided through donations.

Want to help us keep our green space resilient for New Yorkers? Consider making a donation to support the High Line today!