By Jessica Haimowitz

Floral designer, appropriately named, Anthony Green has no problem working twenty hour days. As the staff Floral Designer for the New York Racing Association, he always anxiously prepares for the highly anticipated Belmont Stakes. That means coming in at 4 a.m. every morning and staying until about midnight, making sure all the floral arrangements are absolutely perfect.

On a typical day when not preparing for the Belmont Stakes the always-energetic Green is in at 4 a.m. and out by about 12:30. This gives the husband and father of four plenty of time to spend with his children, relax at the beach and tend to his own garden at his home in Mastic Beach.
 
“My wife doesn’t understand how I can work with flowers all day and then look forward to coming home to mow my lawn and work in my garden,” Green explains. “But I love it. To me it’s not work. It’s my solitude.”
 
And indeed his passion is apparent in his work. On the day of the big race, Green was working diligently behind the scenes preparing the blanket of white carnations that is traditionally draped over the winning horse. Every year, for the past six years, Green has personally worked on the blanket and this year was no different.
 
On the morning of the race, Green was in at 4 a.m. to begin cutting the dark green velveteen material used as the blanket. Once complete, Green, with the help of a few staff members, began gluing over 800 white carnations in neat, orderly rows across the entire span of the enormous blanket. The blanket must be prepared the morning of the race, because it is important the carnations are fresh. It takes Green 2-3 hours to complete the blanket and get it down to the track to be presented to the winning horse after the race.
 
But this isn’t Green’s only responsibility at the Belmont facility. He began working for NYRA as a maintenance mechanic 20 years ago and was gradually promoted over the years until he was offered the position as Floral Designer. Green studied floral design for over six months to prepare for the new position and since then, his career at NYRA has literally bloomed. Aside from having the honor of creating the carnation blanket the Belmont winner adorns, he is also responsible for all the in-house floral arrangements.
 
Anytime an event such as a party, bar mitzvah or wedding is booked on the premises, it’s Green who has the task of creating all of the breath-taking fresh floral arrangements, table centerpieces and decorative pieces throughout the venue.
 
“A bride is usually always stressed out and frantic on the day of her wedding. But when she stops and takes time to tell me how happy she is with her flowers, that is truly rewarding. That’s when I know all the long hours are worth it.”