Plants

We focus on keeping plants alive in real New York City conditions. This work turns tough, paved, or overlooked sites into plantings that stay steady and show visible care along people’s everyday routes to school, work, shops, and transit. These are blocks where climate stress and limited shade are felt most strongly in daily life. 

Many of these places have no water access, thin or built-up soil, and tight maintenance budgets. Heat, drought, salt, and constant foot traffic wear plants down quickly and push watering needs beyond what most partners can manage. Containers and beds often hold little soil and sit in hot, exposed locations, which means roots dry out quickly and lack the moisture and soil depth needed to withstand storms or prolonged heat. 

We start by looking closely at each site and selecting plant mixes that can handle heat, drought, salt, and compaction while still supporting pollinators and soil life. Crews rely on hardy annual and perennial mixes, thoughtful soil blends, and simple modular setups that work across corridors without heavy costs or specialized equipment. Tools such as self-watering inserts, mobile watering, and soil amendments and compost help plantings stay alive through extreme weather and irregular watering windows. Successful methods become part of everyday practice and training for local crews and HORTNYC trainees, who are gaining real-world, nature-based green jobs skills.

Over time, plantings last longer, require fewer replacements, and keep their color and structure even when weather and budgets are challenging. Residents and workers notice the change in their community and enjoy shade, color, and small moments of calm as steady green space brings some climate relief to blocks that once had almost no greenery. 

We plant pollinator gardens to give bees and butterflies steady forage and shelter in dense urban areas that typically offer no habitat. This work keeps nectar and pollen available across the growing season so insects can reliably feed and raise their young in a city of heat, hard surfaces, and limited green space. 

Many sites rely on small containers, narrow beds, or thin soils that heat up, dry out, and restrict root growth, and water access often ranges from inconsistent to nonexistent. Budgets are lean, and everyday wear from trash, foot traffic, and pets can damage young plantings before they establish.

We assess each site’s light, exposure, water access, and soil depth, then select plant mixes that match those limits while still feeding pollinators. We plan for sequences of bloom, so insects find forage from early to late in the season. Soil is strengthened with engineered media, compost, and mulch where roots need support, and drought-tolerant species and inserts help plantings endure dry or exposed sites. Modular layouts allow crews to repeat successful mixes and planter combinations across corridors, schools, and community program spaces.

As these gardens take hold, people see bees, butterflies, and other insects in everyday places: on the walk to school, near bus stops, beside benches, and outside residential buildings. Blocks that once felt bare or overheated begin to support active pollinator habitat that helps nearby trees, gardens, and food plants function. 

We plant street trees to deliver shade, cleaner air, and storm-water relief to areas that have gone without these benefits for years. This work expands and sustains canopy in places where greenery is sparse, heat is intense, and resources are limited.

Many city blocks have small pits with compacted or contaminated soil that restrict root growth and increase the effort and uncertainty of establishing young street trees. Salt, heat, and heavy traffic can strain new plantings and shorten their lifespan. Water access is inconsistent, and many sites cannot be reached easily and/or often enough to support young trees through their most fragile period, especially in extreme heat or prolonged dry spells.

We assess soil, light, utilities, and sidewalk conditions to confirm which sites can support trees and where pits can be expanded or connected into larger planting areas. We select high-quality trees and soil mixes suited to heat, salt, compacted soil, and limited water access. Crews mulch, stake, and prune young trees and provide watering and care over multiple years, with added focus during extreme heat. Ongoing monitoring informs species selection and care practices, and training helps ensure consistent follow-up care.

As young trees take hold, blocks gain cooler air, shade, and visible care where they once felt exposed. Over time, streets develop reliable stretches of canopy that make daily routes more comfortable, support cleaner air, reduce heat, and signal steady investment in shared streets and sidewalks.