Trees are vital…
….to healthy landscapes, especially in our urban Park setting. Trees draw the eye up to the sky, offer shade and seasonal blooms and provide us with a spectacular color-changing show in autumn.
Our Horticulture staff has perfected the art of growing trees on piers—see graph: Turning a Pier Into a Park. And thanks to their continual efforts, trees in our urban landscape transport us from a world of concrete and glass and bring nature to New York City.
Trees Help Us Breathe
There are roughly 2,500 trees planted in Hudson River Park—from the nearly 90-year-old London plane trees at the southern portion of Chelsea Waterside to the newest Ginkgo trees planted in 2019 just north of W 34 St. By filtering air pollution, absorbing rainwater and helping to keep pollutants out of the Hudson River, our trees create a greener City for us all.
New York Trees are Tough
HRPK trees are selected for their toughness, resilience and their ability to withstand high winds and salt spray from the Hudson River. The most common trees in the Park—honey locusts—have proven to be nearly indestructible given the right care. Birches, tupelo, oaks and Japanese zelcova are all planted here because of their ability to co-exist with humans in the urban landscape. Evergreens, such as pines, cedars, hemlocks and hollies, offer year-round beauty and cover for wildlife that live in the Park.
Here are 12 of the favorite trees selected by the HRPK Horticulture staff: