What we can learn about gardening from New York City's The High Line

I let out a whoop of delight as I climb the final rung of the metal stairs and take in the improbable meadow floating above New York’s busy Meatpacking District.

This is the first section of the High Line, the magical urban park built on a derelict elevated railway line.

The High Line runs for 22 blocks (about 2.3 kilometres) along Manhattan’s western shoreline, stretching from Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street where the old railway line terminated. It twists and turns and meanders along the Hudson River providing magical views of that famous New York cityscape.

The railway line was slated for demolition before locals intervened to save it.

Fifteen years later, this important slice of the city’s heritage has been transformed into an urban wonderland.

Even though it’s a chilly winter’s day when I visit, the gardens are thriving with structural grasses and elegant shrubs.

There are more than 100,000 trees and bushes dotted along the wooden walkways as well as several weed species that moved in when the railway was abandoned.

I spy a tiny bird snacking on some red sprite winterberry fruits. I’m tempted to pick one of the berries and have a nibble myself but think better of it as the headline flashes in my mind (“Dumb Aussie tourist in coma after eating poisoned berry”).

Five million people from around the world flock here every year. But thankfully not in winter – I basically have the place to myself.

The best part about visiting during the Christmas season is that you can get up-close and personal with the plants. I inspect a winter-blooming variety of witch hazel, its long-twisted flaming orange flowers bright against the grey sky.

There are Christmas ferns, whitespire grey birch and what I later confirm is a rattlesnake master; spiky balls on long sturdy stems.

The High Line was designed by Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf to delight across the four seasons. I’m surprised by how many spring flowering plants offer architecturally beautiful bare stems and seed clusters to admire in the colder months.

Grasses, perennials and ornamentals grow seemingly haphazardly between cracks and pathways, even through remnants of the old rail tracks.

In some sections the park is so meditative and immersive I forget I’m still in the heart of a bustling metropolis.

The High Line is also a beautiful setting for the cultural life of New Yorkers.

Throughout the year there are art displays, open-air theatrical performances and musical events.

But today I’m being treated to a serenade for one. In a tree above me a mockingbird is calling for its mate. A sign that nature can thrive in the big city.