The High Line’s aesthetic reflects natural cycles of life and death, and evokes feelings of being in a wild space. According to Piet Oudolf, who designed our gardens, “My biggest inspiration is nature. I do not want to copy it, but to recreate the emotion.” 

These landscapes don’t just happen on their own. While many natural processes take place in the park, the gardens have also been carefully designed and continuously cared for. Shaping the landscape design requires a good eye and an understanding of how the plantings will evolve over time. Changes in the gardens are guided by a team of gardeners who have collaborated with Oudolf for years.

We create different moods and compositions throughout the seasons. Hundreds of plant species evoke the patterns of woodlands and grasslands. Birds and insects thread through and animate the plantings. The mood of each garden changes through the year, conveying the ever-changing wonder and mystery of wild places.

Learn about the incredible work of Dutch planting designer Piet Oudolf, who translated the magic of the self-seeded landscape of the derelict railway into what you see today →

Garden Zones

Walk just a few blocks along the High Line and you’ll pass through several, incredibly different gardens.