Amando Flores

Amando grew up in Puebla, Mexico. In his 2016 interview, he recalled taking his first job at fifteen, working with roses in a nearby town known as the “Town of the Flowers.” “Flowers are alive. You take care of them, they give you beauty,” he says.

Amando’s father, Alberto, worked as the superintendent at 8 Gramercy Park South for over 30 years. "When I was old enough, I started helping him out," Amando says. "That’s how I got to know the Park. It was just part of our life."

A chance to learn

Since then, Amando has focused on learning as much as he can. "Every season is different," he says. "Spring is full of life. Summer is green and lush. Fall has those colors that just take your breath away. But if I had to choose, winter is my favorite. It reminds me of my hometown — the cold, the quiet."

As for his favorite spot in the Park, Amando can’t choose just one. "Wherever I am at that moment," he says. "There’s beauty everywhere here. You just have to look."

And when it comes to choosing a favorite tree or plant, Amando finds it impossible. "Of course, I love the ancient elm that has stood so long and seen so much," he says. "But asking me to pick a favorite tree or flower — it’s like asking me to pick a favorite child. I love them all."

Amando shares his life with his wife, a woman he first met when they were just kids in Mexico. "I think I had a crush on her even then," he laughs. "We were nine, ten years old. Then, years later, we both came to New York. We met again, and that was it."

"She’s my best friend," he says. "Sometimes she visits the Park in the spring to see everything in bloom. Every flower I plant, I think of her."

Together, they raised two sons — Albert, named after Amando’s father, and Jeovanny. Albert works in a pharmacy. Jeovanny is an attorney on Wall Street. "I’m proud of them," Amando says. "My wife, she made them the men they are."

Recently, Amando's beloved dog Roury, a cocker spaniel rescue, passed away. "Roury was my buddy," he says. "Every night after work, we’d walk for hours all over Brooklyn - exploring different neighborhoods."

Now, Amando visits kennels, intent on finding a rescue pup who needs all the love and care he deserves. "There are so many out there who just need a chance," he says. "I’ll know the right one when I see him — or her. But Roury — he will always be my boy."

Amando has also built connections with some of the Park’s longest-serving vendors — relationships that go back decades. "Like Mike Boag from Boag Landscaping," he says. "I met him 30 years ago when he was just a kid working alongside his dad and brothers. Now he’s running the company. We’ve known each other for a long time. Some of these people, they’re like family."

But it’s not just the vendors he’s connected with — it’s the people who call this neighborhood home. "This Park is their front garden," he says. "I feel a responsibility to make it beautiful for them, to keep it a place they want to bring their kids and grandkids."

"I see kids now who were seven or eight years old when I started," he says. "Now they’re grown up, in their thirties or forties, bringing their own kids to the Park. It’s amazing to watch time pass like that — to see them come back as adults with their own children. That’s why I love this place."

But the hardest part of his job? "Losing people," he says. "Flowers and trees come back. But people don’t. I still walk by the bench where Michael Osheowitz used to sit and think of him. He gave me a job when I really needed it. You don’t forget that."

Despite the challenges, Amando can’t imagine being anywhere else. "This is my life," he says. "I wake up every morning and think, ‘What can I do for the Park today?’ Even when I’m on vacation, I think about it."

And after 30 years, what’s next? "I just want to keep learning," he says. "Every day in the Park teaches me something new."

In June 2024, neighbors gathered in the Park to celebrate Amando’s birthday. There were green and white balloons, a table of cakes and pastries, and framed photographs of the garden on display. Amando took a turn as the guest of honor in the place he cares for every day.