Natty Garden
Some advice. When you see Joel Mahfood, owner of nursery and garden supply center Natty Garden, don’t sidle up and ask him if he sells any “special plants, if you know what I mean?” It’s a hacky joke, first of all, and one he’s heard before.
“We get that all the time,” Mahfood says with an obliging smile. Inspired by the lush vegetation of his native Jamaica, what he actually offers from his Prospect Heights store is a wide selection of leafy house plants, cacti, flowers, trees, shrubs and ivies, along with planters, pots, seeds, soil, plant food and tools.
Whether you’re gardening from an apartment windowsill or styling your backyard, Natty Garden is an oasis for all #plantlife needs. The nursery has come a long way since opening in 2008 at what used to be an open lot across the street. “It was just a table with some plants on it,” Mahfood says of his humble entrepreneurial beginnings, after a stint as a drummer ended. “If you came in, you would have laughed.”
Though his site lacked the basic necessity of water, Mahfood was resourceful, borrowing an extended hose from the body shop next door. His plan worked surprisingly well. “We started with little pansies, snapdragons, some hanging baskets, and it took off from there.”
“Plants are very therapeutic. It helps to see the growth over time, and to know that you are caring for a living thing.”
Mahfood claims plants are easy: “It’s just water and sun, you know?” Yet when pressed to explain the string of dead houseplants in our wake, he admits some basic know-how is required — what kind of light, how much water, pot size, temperature, etc.
“Plants are very therapeutic,” he says. “It helps to see the growth over time, and to know that you are caring for a living thing.” Luckily, Mahfood is happy to lend his expertise and answer questions on how to keep yours healthy. Don’t hesitate to ask him when you swing by!
636 Washington Avenue, 718-483-8833, nattygarden.com
