End of August. Summer is perhaps already in the last ones, but you have a promising first half of September on vacation ahead during which you plan to travel to some sun and beach destination. If you have a dog, cat or even a pogone as a pet there is no doubt what to do with them. In case you can’t leave it to a relative or friend There are hotels They are dedicated to caring for them. But … And the plants? What to do with the ficus of the room or that bonsai that your girlfriend gave you years ago? Do you ask for a neighbor to water him from time to time?
Faced with that task, more and more people are clear: nurseries for plants.
Wardrobe for plants? Exact. The concept may be shocking, but It is not entirely new. In 2004, the City of Pozuelo de Alarcón already launched a “hospital and nursery” service to help all those neighbors who had problems with their plants. The idea is to advise and offer phytosanitary treatments, but also, remember The Consistory, that the neighbors have a safe place to leave their cactus, ficus, potos and other domestic plants when they go on vacation. On its website, the City Council Clarify In fact, the nursery is open in summer between June 15 and September 15.
What are they for? So that when you go on vacation, the care of your plants does not depend on a volunteer neighbor, friend or familiar between time to your home to water and go up and down the blinds. In the nurseries the plants are monitored, they receive care and (if necessary) the staff applies treatments against pests. Philosophy is not very different from that of dog hotels, a type of business that It has spread all over the country.
The idea is that when you are not the living beings who are usually in your care do not be disregarded. All. “Plants are living beings, I can’t let them die, I have a responsibility,” I recognized Recently in The country Iván Giacomoni, a neighbor of Madrid who, before leaving his bonsai in a local nursery. “I prefer to take him to a professional rather than ask for favors.”
Who use the service? The fan of casuistry is surprisingly broad. They take advantage of plant nurseries people who plan to go on vacation and be out of home for days, but also people who are moving or works and prefer to keep their plants in quiet spaces. There are even those who resort to the service in summer, when the temperature in their homes rises too much, to prevent embarrassment from punishing certain species.
Giacomoni is A good example On another reason why people go to nurseries: he usually resorts to service for his Manzano bonsai, a delicate plant and with a high emotional value (it is a gift from his wife) that therefore requires special attention. Entrusting care for a relative or a friend who is not accustomed to that kind of tasks is a concern for the owner and a commitment for those who receive the order. Giacomoni admits that he often collects his bonsai of the nursery much better than he was when he delivered it.
What services do they offer? It depends on the nursery. All are basically dedicated to the same thing: caring for plants while their owners cannot do it, but the level of care can vary greatly from one to another. Last year The voice of Galicia interviewed to the person responsible for a Florist of A Coruña with a nursery service that submits to plants an exam to know their status and act accordingly. If necessary, they apply treatments to eliminate pests.
In another nursery in the Community of Madrid, they say that, “if necessary”, they even “speak” to plants. “We treat them as if they were family.” Excessive? Before the pandemic in Dubai a garden center decided to go further and offer A summer camp For plants with music and reading sessions.
And how much do they cost? Depends. If we talk about the Dubaiti center the first plants can receive at the service without cost, although (At least in 2019) For the following, 7.5 euros must be paid. Here in Spain you can find businesses that take care of plants between 0.5 and € 1.5 a day or between 3 and 7 the week, depending on the establishment and especially the characteristics of the ‘guest’.
In the case of the nursery of Galicia, for example, its manager Explain that the specific treatments “are part” and even a home care service is offered for the largest plants. Other nurseries, usually linked to groups and not to private businesses, offer Free services.
But … are there so? A quick search on Google confirms that it is not (nor by Asomo) a business as widespread as that of Canine hotels, but it is making its way little by little. TO The initiative From the City of Pozuelo, others have been joining: in the Chamberí area, in Madrid, there is a florist that has decided to launch the service after verifying that many of its customers returned on vacation concerned about the state of their vegetables, and the Circle of Fine Arts also welcomes them Between July and September Without any cost as part of your Climate Refuge Program. Its number of places, yes, is limited.
The service is not exclusive to Madrid, or Spain. Can be found in other countries, such as United Arab Emirates, Colombia or United Kingdom. There, in London, a company opened years ago A plant hotel With rooms designed for adapt to its tenants, which includes a spa service with nebulizers.
And how are you doing? At least they show that there is a latent need. The web From the Circle of Fine Arts of Madrid it informs that its nursery “is full and there is not even one more pot”, something that the person responsible for the program confirmed These days a The country: “We do not supply, we are overwhelmed. We have hung the poster completely until new notice.” The enclosure hosts in total 200 pots and the team already recognizes that it will try to expand the capacity for next year.
Images | Pedro Nogueira (UNSPLASH), Vadim Kaipov (UNSPLASH) and Huy Phan (Unspash)
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