Ten years ago, the unused space beneath the Miami Metrorail was home to little more than pigeons and sparse grass. Today, thanks to The Underline, this area has been transformed into a thriving ecosystem with over 100,000 native plants. Now, you can spot native butterflies like the Gulf fritillary, birds like the Gray Kingbird, and buzzing bees pollinating flowers.

We spoke to Asha Bertsch, The Underline’s Horticulture Manager, about her work enhancing Miami’s resilience by cultivating a 10-mile native ecosystem and corridor.

What are you most proud of achieving since joining The Underline?

I am probably most proud to have been able to create a small but mighty team of gardeners. Being a gardener is a really fun blend of biology, ecology, art, and design. It’s physical and cerebral, and incredibly rewarding to watch your work grow and take its own shape. I feel a lot of pride in being able to offer that experience to folks who have the interest  and skill to work in the world of native plants here. I get  a lot of fulfillment having the opportunity to provide mentorship to our horticulture staff, our interns and our summer apprentices. It’s great getting to create an interactive working space for our team to learn about native plants, giving them the tools to implement their ideas, and getting to facilitate a shared vision for our gardens.

Can you share a success story from a recent project that you have done with the Horticulture team or with volunteers?

I think one of our biggest success stories has been the increase in plant diversity we accomplished on The Underline. With the help of many volunteers, we added more than 60 additional native species to the gardens in the past year. That’s a huge win for increasing habitat, but also for engaging the public in native plant solutions. We get to showcase many incredibly beautiful native plants not commonly used in landscaping in a public setting all sourced from local nurseries. 

The horticulture team loves researching new plants and experimenting with what we can grow here. It keeps everyone learning and at the end of the day we get to grow a pretty biodiverse public garden that helps make Miami more resilient.

Can you tell us more about your efforts in creating green infrastructure and why plant diversity is so important for The Underline?

The Underline is an urban resiliency project, and biodiversity is an intrinsic component of that. Resilience refers to the ability to bounce back from disaster. In our case, that means the ability for our gardens to withstand the challenges of flooding, drought, extreme heat, and to provide habitat in the face of those challenges.The greater the diversity, the easier it is for an environment to bounce back from these challenges. 

So, we make sure to maintain a diverse mix of plants that each play an essential role in the habitat of an urban garden. We plant  trees to provide shade and canopy but also shrubs and herbs to protect the soil from erosion. Our grasses filter and absorb water, and our ground covers provide nectar for tiny butterflies. 

Every plant species in the garden has its own flower, whose shape and size is uniquely compatible with the specific insects that drink its nectar. The more shapes and sizes of flowers we have, the more butterflies, native bees, and beetles we can support. Likewise, the more types of seeds and berries we have, the greater diversity of birds we can feed. So, take the example of a natural disaster, say a virus, that kills all of our beautyberry plants. If we only had beautyberry shrubs, we would lose the habitat it provides to birds like catbirds and mockingbirds, and this wouldn’t be a resilient habitat for them anymore. But because we plant with that resilient diversity in mind, we would  still have plenty of bitter bush, firebush berries, and florida privet berries for those birds to eat.

By landscaping our park with the highest level of diversity in mind, The Underline gets to play the role of a garden as well as a resilient habitat at a time when these are becoming harder to find.

What advice would you give to someone interested in learning about horticulture and ways to get involved in Miami?

My advice to anyone interested in horticulture is, just start. Start with whatever you’ve got. Plant the seeds from the tomato slice in your sandwich. Grab the sweet potato in your pantry, stick it next to the window and watch it grow leaves. Go for a walk in your neighborhood and start developing an eye for what you like. Take cuttings of plants you find in your neighborhood (preferably with your neighbors permission) and try to grow them. Notice what works, what doesn’t.  A lot of growing plants is trial and error and having good observational skills. Don’t be afraid of failure. You’re going to accidentally kill a lot of plants before you get it right and that’s just part of the process. Tap into local networks. Join the Miami chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society to learn about all the amazing plants we have here. Visit Miami’s gardens, and ask questions. Volunteer in a garden, come volunteer on The Underline!

Why is private philanthropy essential to our park?

We couldn’t do the work we do without private support. The shift towards native plants is a big one for Miami, and it’s really important that we set the best  example for sustainable landscaping. This may seem like a simple feat, but caring for 120 acres of native plants has many nuanced challenges that take a lot of skilled work and thoughtful decision making. Our weeds are pulled by hand. Insect and disease issues are managed organically by integrated pest management. Our shrubs and trees are each carefully trimmed to highlight their unique natural shape, and showcase the beauty in their subtle flowers, colorful berries and whimsical seed stalks. We are not choosing the easy path to creating a park. We are choosing a path steeped with intention and a lot of hard work, because we believe it’s worth it to show Miami what a park can be. And, we would not be able to do it without support from the community members who believe in us.