Grown with Care
For the past six years, our in-house landscaper designer Ariana Fields has carefully shaped all the greenery throughout Wythe with the goal of creating a place of respite amid the bustle of the city. When walking through the building, guests can see her handiwork on the Garden Terrace, the second-floor Brooklyn Terrace hotel rooms, and the Bar Blondeau Patio.
With her pruning shears in hand, she meticulously maintains every flower and shrub to ensure the property looks its best for weddings, celebrations, and every day in between.
"It’s a gift to be able to come to work and learn more about these systems I’m interested in. The relationships between plants ,insects and birds fascinates me. It’s meditative because it keeps me present and mindful and pulls me out any sort of rumination."
"I've heard people say, 'roses like to be pruned.' IM LIKE 'Do they?' or are they just resilient?"
“I don’t like creating waste,” says Fields, who puts sustainability at the forefront of every decision. The perennials she chooses are planted deep into the soil so they can develop stronger root systems and retain more water.
Today, she's tending to a hedge of totem grass, which she hopes will grow tall enough to offer some privacy to the corner of Bar Blondeau’s patio overlooking the streets below. On the sixth floor at Bar Blondeau, Fields tends mostly to a set of perennials such as azaleas, amsonia, catmint, and smoke bush, all of which are native to North America. Year after year, these plants return—sometimes bigger than before—each marking the passing of time, each growing alongside the space. The passion flower vines she’s planted will eventually climb the metal trellises and frame the doorway of the bar.
Fields says her work brings her peace. The nature of her work allows her to be meditative and intentional. For her, the reward is knowing that her work will become the backdrop to important memories.
