Plant Doctor Phoenix Leung
By day, he works at a consignment counter in a supermarket flower shop. But by night, Phoenix Leung is the Plant Doctor—voluntarily devoting his time to saving sick household plants. He talks about why every life counts.
HK Magazine: What motivates you to treat other people’s plants for free?
Phoenix Leung: It teaches people to respect and cherish life, and to be more responsible. By saving a plant, I hope that I can tell people that although a plant’s life might appear to be inferior, it’s still a life and it’s very significant. No one should give up on life. When I was at 17, I almost died. I was hospitalized for a heart infection and the doctor almost killed me by using a defibrillator on the wrong part of my chest. It felt like I was sucked into a tunnel filled with light. After all I went through, I’ve become a brand new person.
HK: Do you believe in God?
PL: No, but I believe in karma. That’s why we have to respect all life forms, including plants.
HK: How did you first get started? Where did you learn the relevant knowledge?
PL: I’ve been working in this shop for almost eight years. A friend of mine asked me to work here because I took a gardening course when I lived in Canada. I used to dislike plants, but experiencing the harmonious environment of plant and man converted me. Then, something else happened that changed me. A woman begged me to save her plant, no matter what the cost, because it was a gift from her deceased mother. She told me that no flower shop would save it. Plant rescue was not on the service list and they kept asking her to buy another plant instead. At that point, I started to think, a plant’s life is a life, too. Why is nobody willing to treat them when they’re sick?
HK: Do many people call you up and ask for help?
PL: Definitely—I even get calls at 2am. But I don’t mind it really, I’m happy to help. But the problem is, some people see this as a free service so they don’t pay attention and then keep calling back, asking the same question. Also, even though I don’t charge people a consultation fee, if people have to buy expensive medicine, sometimes they prefer to discard their plants and get a new one. I always ask people to leave their sick plant with me if they don’t want it, so if I can cure it, I can donate it to schools or temples. I hate to see a life go to waste.
HK: What are the most common mistakes that people make when keeping plants?
PL: They water their plants too frequently. Considering many of them are kept indoors, they don’t actually need that much water. People think the plant will grow faster if they give it more water, but actually, it’ll kill it.
HK: Do you keep many plants at home?
PL: No, I only keep plastic plants. I see enough plants in my job, and I want to have a break at home. I prefer to spend my time taking care of other people’s sick plants.