I want a no maintenance garden - is that doable ?

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaLighting and IrrigationPlant Health Care
Written By Peter Morris

The simple answer to that question is NO. There is no such thing as a no maintenance garden anywhere - let alone on a rooftop in Manhattan.

 

A hot sunny garden !

 

The rooftop environment

 

Think about a rooftop garden and the environment that it is in.  It bakes in the sun all summer long where it can be several degrees warmer than the ground.  Dark containers facing the afternoon sun will reach well above any temperature a root can tolerate. 

In winter it gets exposed to cold dry winds and freezing.  Since its not planted in the ground, individual planter boxes may freeze solid - affecting roots.  These conditions can damage plants and they will need pruning and shaping.

 

 

Snow will many times create a heavy burden on plants and misshape them. 

 

Cleaning

 

At the very least a terrace garden will need to be seasonally cleaned of leaf litter and debris - the drains too!  That means a good clean up in Spring to deal with what winter brought, another in Summer for leaf litter, then a final clean up including a prune in Fall.

 

A doggy pee patch may need washing and rinsing on occasion !

 

Irrigation

 

You will need your irrigation lines turned on in spring, visits to adjust the watering cycles in summer, and the system drained and shut off in fall (so the pipes don't burst ).  This irrigation work is the very bare minimum.

 

Fertilizing

 

You have plants in boxes - they will need fertilizer !!!  Irrigation systems are notorious for leaching out fertilizers from the soil - so once very 2 months at minimum - once a month is even better. 

 

Root pruning

 

With age and growth comes the need for root pruning.  As plant roots grow over time the soil gets compacted.  This root bound soil will stunt the growth of the plant - flowering too.  One has to address this by digging holes (carefully) in the planter and refilling with fresh soil and fertilizer.

 

Pests !

 

Oh yes.  If you thought bugs and funguses could not find your garden on the 50th floor rooftop - think again!  About the only bug we rarely find on a rooftop is a mosquito - probably because their wings are too delicate to fly up and deal with the wind.  But don't say it too loudly !!

So plan accordingly - because on occasion you may need the help of one of our NYS licensed pesticide technicians. 

 

 

A well kept garden.

 

So put the work in to it that it deserves and you will reap the rewards of a beautiful garden for many years to come.

 

 

A beautiful garden that enhances a stunning view !

 

For a garden maintenance plan that works for you - 

Call Plant Specialists TODAY !

Our Garden Care Team can help you with your garden needs!

Don't delay – the sooner the better !

 

 

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 51 YEARS !

 

 

 

Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBA

All photographs used with permission from our own customers gardens !

 

 

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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