Situated between the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan bridges, sits an elevated terrace with breath taking views of the East River and the Manhattan Skyline. This rooftop terrace, which also functions as an upscale restaurant space, has become a popular destination for tourists and residents to enjoy a five-star meal while enjoying an incredible backdrop for photos. The client’s intent for our maintenance of the terrace landscape was a request to find the perfect balance between natural and manicured. The lush plant palette lends itself to the intrinsic forms of nature, but in order to frame and enhance the stellar site lines of the terrace, appropriate pruning needs to be instituted to promote the best views. Pruning also ensures clean lines around the seating areas to serve the spaces visitors.

This terrace has become a well-known destination for capturing some of the most amazing photos in the city, which means that it gets extremely busy during peak dining hours. In order to perform the landscaping without disturbing the clients programing and visitor needs, we execute the maintenance early in the day and off-site prior to the lunch rush.

Located on the fifth floor of the building and in close proximity to the east river, high winds are a continuous challenge. The shade trees have become established over the years and strongly rooted in place. However, the smaller perennial plantings pose a challenge when pruning. Attention to detail is necessary so that landscape debris isn’t blown around or off the terrace.

The client wisely requested a pollinator friendly plant palette for the under plantings. We installed plantings that promote bees and butterflies to travel to the terrace throughout the growing season. A lush wall of Boston Ivy frames the entrance to the restaurant, providing an enchanting mix of deep greens, red and purples.

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