NEW YORK — The High Line announces “Engaging Nature: Dialogues on Urban Ecology,” a four-part virtual public program series that will illuminate the practices and expertise driving the High Line’s contributions to the domains of ecological horticulture, urban biodiversity and climate resilience.
As more and more professional horticulturists and home gardeners alike look to engage with holistic and ecologically-informed practices in their gardens amid changing climates, horticulture teams at the High Line and other top institutions across New York City have been at the forefront of studying and employing methods to foster plant and wildlife resilience.
Launching Earth Day 2025, April 22, at 6 p.m. EDT with a conversation between Rebecca McMackin, lead horticulturist for the American Horticultural Society and ecological garden designer, and Richard Hayden, High Line senior director of horticulture, about ecological horticulture, the Engaging Nature dialogue series offers nature-lovers a chance to learn what we can each do to contribute to a stronger and more harmonious urban environment.
“Experiences with nature are such a vital part of our wellbeing, and too often people think that you have to leave the city to connect with the natural world,” Hayden said.
“The High Line’s Engaging Nature dialogue series on urban ecology offers deeper understanding on the rich interconnectedness and interdependence between people and natural life in the greenspaces of New York City—and insights into how we all can advance this work.”
Through the Engaging Nature: Dialogues on Urban Ecology series, attendees will learn about the often-overlooked connections between plants, humans, wildlife, and the many elements that make up the natural world around us within the built environment of New York City.
From best practices for fostering a holistically healthy garden and recent learnings on the vital partnerships between native pollinators and plants that allow them both to thrive, to insights on horticultural resilience in the face of a changing climate and the care and keeping of some of New York City’s most vibrant greenspaces, the Engaging Nature dialogues reveal the role we play within the complex and unseen system of networks that undergirds the urban environment.
The dialogue series features experts across the fields of gardening, horticulture, and biology, including: Rebecca McMackin, lead horticulturist for the American Horticultural Society and ecological garden designer; Sarah Kornbluth, American Museum of Natural History field associate in entomology and native bee expert; Sam Hoadley, manager of Horticulture Research at Mt. Cuba Center; Thomas Rainer, landscape architect at Phyto Studio; and Margaret Roach, New York Times garden columnist, as well as horticulture specialists from the High Line, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Green-Wood Cemetery.
This public program series is part of the High Line’s annual horticulture celebration. Each year, the High Line selects an aspect of horticulture to showcase through a variety of engaging educational presentations on and off the park. “Nature in the City,” the 2025 horticulture celebration, focuses on urban ecology, featuring a range of programming and in-park interpretive content that illuminates the network of relationships between plants and urban environments. More information about the larger horticulture celebration will be announced in the weeks to come.
Further details, including additional speakers, registration information, and Zoom information, will be shared on thehighline.org.
Friends of the High Line, the non-profit organization that operates, programs, and fundraises for the park, requests a suggested donation of $20 for a ticket for each virtual program, $5 for seniors and students. Each program will be recorded and ticket holders will be sent a link to view the program after the event.