Covid 19 and New York City

Design and InstallationGarden CareLighting and IrrigationPlant Health Care
Written By Peter Morris

What can you say that hasn't already been said and isn't being or about to be reflected in cities all around the world. So over the next few blogs or for as long as this lasts I will continue to post images on our blog of our fabulous gardens but will enlighten you on life in New York City as we do our best to survive these trying times.

Beautiful Blue skies gently kiss the urban jungle below

So at the moment an emergency hospital is being set up in the Javits Center in Manhattan - it will hold 2900 beds. Their is an emergency Tent hospital that has just been erected in Central Park that will hold another 68 beds. The US Comfort also arrived in New York City with 1000 beds and they have just announced that the Site of the US tennis open in Flushing Queens is about to be converted to a 350 bed Hospital.

A punch of pink adds a modern element to this spectacular setting - modern but traditional was our directive.

So New York is preparing for things to get really bad, we are doing our best to socially distance. Restaurants, bars, clubs, gyms, many playgrounds, some subways and trains have closed. It feels like the air has been pulled out of the city, that we are all avoiding each other - but on the other hand it seems friendlier than it has ever been - not that anyone who visits would ever label us as friendly !

Synthetic lawn and custom planters under a Birch and Boxwood Forrest

Plant Specialists has - like many other businesses - closed its doors - we are operating on a skeleton stuff - skeleton meaning none of us are eating lol we are turning on whatever irrigation systems that we can gain access too making sure that the gardens at least get water and everything else we are just holding on.

Our design team is still working on some projects but that is all from their homes

So stay safe and well - for goodness sake stay in the house - and spare a thought or two for healthcare workers - my family and i baked cookies for NYU maybe i will tell you all about that tomorrow !

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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