I was walking around the flower district between Sixth and Seventh Avenues at
28th Street looking for pots, where I met Mike, the owner of The Plant House Inc.
at 127 W. 28th St.
AskaNewYorker: So what do you do?
Mike: I sell plants and flowers and pots for gardening. We do weddings and
other things.
AskaNewYorker: How long have you been here?
Mike: We’ve been here in the flower district for 26 years and we beautify
New York City. That’s our job.
AskaNewYorker: What’s your favorite plant?
Mike: Right now in the spring time we sell a lot of Oleander, flowering plants,
jasmine, and gardenias, which are my real favorites. A world famous, beautiful
plant.
AskaNewYorker: I love the scent of gardenias.
Mike: Wow! Every perfume, every soap! It’s fragrant, it’s phenomenal.
A white distinctive flower which is really gorgeous.
AskaNewYorker: And what about Tuber Roses?
Mike: Tuber Roses are very famous on the west coast. We don’t have a
big supply here because we have to bring them from the west coast. They’re
a cut flower. But, gardenias you can grow in a green house, or any house, and
are very popular. Just place them by the window and keep them moist.
AskaNewYorker: For a New Yorker who doesn’t have much of a green thumb,
what is the easiest plant to maintain, besides cactus?
Mike: You know, all the plants are very easy as long as you maintain them.
It’s just maintenance. Plants are so important for New York apartments
because we don’t have so much greenery and we have so much pollution.
We’re limited here with gardens, so we do lots of terraces.
AskaNewYorker: Where is your favorite garden in New York?
Mike: The biggest and greatest garden is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and also
the Bronx Zoo is beautiful and full of plants.
AskaNewYorker: What’s this plant here called?
Mike: It’s a fig tree. It’s great for indoors. Medium to low light.
Excellent plant. It’s a ficus variegate, the Latin name.
AskaNewYorker: I see you have plenty of orchids.
Mike: After the poinsettia, which is the most popular flower in the world,
most used, second is the orchid. The orchid flowers for a very long time and
is easy to maintain. It doesn’t need too much light, and it’s a
very durable plant. You buy a dozen roses and they last three or four days.
One orchid will cost about $35 and will last six to eight weeks. And, if you
maintain it properly, they’ll last forever. It’s wonderful for apartments.
It’s an air plant, grows without roots, and in the tropics they hang from
the trees. The most popular orchids are the dendrobium and phalaenopsis.
AskaNewYorker: Are the flower district shops being squeezed out with sky high
real estate prices?
Mike: Well, this whole district is changing with high-rises coming up all around
us, the rents are going way up. As long as we can afford to be here, we’ll
be here. It’s New York and the prices will dictate.
AskaNewYorker: What’s up with the tie around your neck?
Mike: That’s a memory of my mother. I just lost my mom eight months ago.
It’s a black tie, that’s the reason. My mom was my hero.
AskaNewYorker: I’m sorry.
(At this point we take a break so Mike can attend to some customers. Later,
Mike continues)
Mike, I really appreciate you sharing what you do with us.
Mike: Without green we can’t survive. I like to say, “Our indoor
plants are a solution for your outdoor pollution”. I really love my business,
but I’ve done other things.
(At this point, we walk back to his office)
AskaNewYorker: Do you like to cook? You look like you could be a chef.
Mike: I wouldn’t call myself a chef, but my brother, who is six years
younger, is a chef. I’m just a cook. We did have several restaurants,
one in the Florida Keys and one in the West Village, which we sold. So, we are
passionate about food. We come from Yugoslavia where they have food, wine, and
beautiful women. The crew that works here are from Yugoslavia, Italy, and Jimmy’s
from Kentucky.
AskaNewYorker: What’s this photo of a horse on your wall about?
Mike: I own a thoroughbred horse. He’s around nine or ten years old,
down in Florida. He was retired down on a race track, so instead of putting
him to sleep, we saved him, adopted him, and now he’s down on my farm.
You want to see something? (Mike turns open another door) Here’s Lucky,
an American bull dog and pit bull mix. Lucky was also rescued. We found him
on a highway with a broken hip, my son and I. He’s sleeping. He comes
to work, he’s part of the family. And then there’s Princess, sweetie
sweetie! Here she comes (from under a bed comes sweetie)! This is my favorite,
my girl. She’s 14 years old. We got her from the pound. She’s a
mix of Lab and Collie. We love Lucky. We brought him to the vet and had his
hips replaced. We’ve had him for five years. He was lost on the streets.
He sleeps and eats, that’s what he does.
AskaNewYorker: Has anyone ever told you that you resemble James Gandolfini?
Mike: Yes, but I prefer when people say I look like Marlon Brando! (Laughs)
AskaNewYorker: What do you think of the show “The Contender”? (I
see boxing gloves in the office)
Mike: I think it’s a great show. Mark Burnett is an unbelievable guy.
AskaNewYorker: So, who’s gonna win?
Mike: Whoever has the biggest heart is going to win, absolutely. Whoever has
the biggest heart is going to win.
