Story by Kelsey Wagnor/Editor-in-Chief
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Photos by Andrew Hicks
GROWING A CITY WIDE LANDSCAPE t starts with a seed, or in this case 50,000 seeds.
Tucked away out of sight, located just behind the former Parks and Recreation main offices are three tiny greenhouses. From the outside, they appear nondescript. Measuring roughly 20 foot by 50 foot, with large metal fans, they are made of a variety of opaque materials and serve two primary functions: let in sunlight and keep out the cold. “We live and die by the weather,” says Terri Conner, as she recalls the last big freeze. Drastic measures were taken in the mid-February freeze to save the delicate plants. Heaters helped stave off the bitter cold and preserve the precious stockpile of plants.
In addition to Terri, these three greenhouses also have three other full-time employees, Brandy, Sara and Tammy, which make up the entire Horticulture Division. Terri serves as the Horticulture Supervisor of the small division. Their division may be small, but they have a tremendous number of plants they care for. “The City of Ponca City is so lucky to have Brandy, Sara and Tammy,” says Terri. “They plant the whole city of Ponca City. They grow, dig, fertilize, trim, make cuttings, weed, spray… they do so much.” “We start with seeds. The seeds get sown in little rows with heating pads underneath to keep them warm. As they sprout and grow, we move them up to six packs.” Terri points to Brandy behind her to illustrate the process. Brandy sits at a table, six-pack plastic trays filled with dirt in front of her. She is taking germinated seeds, separating them and placing each individual plant into dirt pods, one at a time. Tedious work. “These are Zinnias,” says Brandy with a smile, “they are annual flowers.” Unlike perennials, which re-bloom each spring, annual
14 April 2021
