WESTMINSTER —Inside a greenhouse on the eastern edge of Westminster, Northglenn parks employees move between rows of thousands of flower sprouts that are just beginning to peak through the dirt inside tiny seedling cups.
“We order all the seeds in packets, plant them and transplant them here by hand,” said Doug Kergerreis, a horticulture and streetscapes specialist for Northglenn. “We grow and transplant upwards of 13,000 flowers in a rented section inside this greenhouse, and then we water them and tend to them until they’re ready to be moved over to (Northglenn).”
On a recent day, Kegerreis and specialist Ben Cathcart started the process of transplanting the city’s infant flowers to slightly larger potting trays so that they can be moved to Northglenn and gradually planted all over the city next month.
For the past four years, Northglenn has worked with the city of Westminster’s parks employees in their greenhouse at 7130 Raleigh St. to grow all of the city’s flowers from seeds, starting them from packets in February. The partnership has helped Northglenn save money, add more flower beds to the city, expand its volunteer flower-bed planting program and learn the best practices for running a city-owned greenhouse.
“The city paid wholesale prices buying flowers in a variety of retail outlets. By growing our own, we get a better plant in terms of color and plant availability,” said Jim Mueller, parks foreman for Northglenn. “(We) used to spend $9,000 to $10,000 a year for flowers, now that we grow our own, the city spends in the $6,000 to $7,000 range.”
The cost savings and subsequent growth in flower inventory has affected the amount of flower beds sprouting up in Northglenn. Mueller said that before the transition of this program, the city wasn’t able to put flowers in all its gardens, and used to need to leave at least five or six beds barren.
“Now we plant them all and are always adding flower beds and pots,” he said. “New areas for flowers are the Peace Garden in EB Rains Jr. Memorial Park, the median on the 112th Avenue overpass, as well as pots on Washington Street. This year, there will be flowers at the Water Treatment Plant on 112th Avenue, too.”
All of the city’s flower beds and gardens are planted and maintained by Kegerreis, Cathcart and dozens of Northglenn residents who volunteer to look after an assigned flower bed through the city’s Partners of Parks program.
“Volunteers help plant the flower beds, do weekly weeding, and help to put the bed ‘to bed’ in the fall,” said Jenni Muprhy, volunteer programs coordinator for Northglenn. “They set their own schedules, and it’s typically an individual or small group. They are also honored at the annual volunteer dinner and at a dedicated flower bed partner meeting in the fall.”
For this planting season around the end of May, Murphy currently has 70 volunteers lined up.
“This type of volunteering gives residents the opportunity to do something they love and enjoy, while contributing to the city,” Murphy said. “It’s a social activity for the volunteers and the flower beds are a source of pride for the volunteers and for the city. It helps make Northglenn beautiful.”
The beautification of Northglenn isn’t the only perk; Kegerreis said that the city has learned a lot about running a greenhouse from Westminster, which will benefit them whenever the city is able to open its own indoor flower operation.
“We want to get residents more involved in the entire process, starting from planting in the beginning to transplanting, but Westminster has their own volunteers already, and it could get too crowded,” Kegerreis said. “But we are learning a lot about how to operate a greenhouse, so when it does come time to put that in for the budget someday, we can expand that volunteer base (in Northglenn).”
Mueller said there are no immediate plans or budget proposals to construct and operate a greenhouse. He said the city has discussed the possibility of establishing its own outdoor community garden in the future, however.
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com or @Mmitchelldp
How to help
If you would like to help take care of one of these flower beds, contact Jenni Murphy at jmurphy@northglenn.org or 303-450-8904.
