Municipal Nursery Saves Money, Ensures Quality, and Fosters Partnership With Southwest Middle Students
by SHAYLYNN MARKS
photos provided by KATRINA LYNN & CITY OF LAKELAND
Lakeland’s streetscapes, parks and public spaces don’t begin with a purchase order. Instead, they come from the City of Lakeland’s municipal nursery, where the plants used throughout the city’s landscaping program are grown in-house.
By producing much of its own plant material through propagation tactics, the City of Lakeland maintains greater control over cost, quality, and long-term planning — an approach city officials say strengthens public spaces while supporting efficiency and sustainability. The nursery is the only city-owned nursery in the state.
Cultivating Lakeland’s Landscape In-House
“What we do is we grow annuals,” says Miguel Sierra, who has worked as a grounds maintenance worker for the nursery the past six years. “We’re starting to grow trees and small palm trees, but mainly our focus is growing annual plants from seeds.”
According to Sierra, growing plants internally allows the city to stretch its budget further while maintaining control over plant quality and availability.
“That saves us so much money,” he says.
David Homuth, who has worked as a grounds maintenance worker nearly three years, says the ability to oversee plants from the earliest stages gives city staff confidence in how those plants will perform once they are installed across Lakeland.
“When you grow your own material, you know exactly what you’re getting,” Homuth adds.
Plants raised at the nursery are later installed by city crews in parks, medians, downtown areas and other public spaces. Since the city controls the growing process, staff can better anticipate seasonal needs, replacements, and large-scale projects, rather than reacting to shortages or delays.
That long-range planning also shapes how the nursery operates day to day, from propagation schedules to labor needs, allowing an open door to partnerships that extend beyond city staff alone.
How the Nursery Supports the City Year-Round
In addition to supplying plants for parks, medians, and public spaces, the nursery supports citywide initiatives such as Arbor Day, providing trees and materials used for community plantings and educational outreach. Nursery staff also assist with special city projects, seasonal beautification efforts, and replacements following storms or infrastructure work.
By maintaining a steady inventory of plant material, the nursery allows the city to respond quickly to community needs without relying on outside suppliers. That flexibility helps ensure public spaces remain healthy and visually consistent throughout the year, even when unexpected demands arise.
Day-to-Day Operations and Labor
Sierra says the work of volunteers makes a noticeable difference in what staff can complete.
“If David and I were to do 2,000 pots, it would probably take us about five hours,” Sierra says. “So having students or volunteers come out and help us, they’re helping us a great deal.”
That need for support has helped shape partnerships that benefit both the city and the broader community.
On a typical day, nursery staff rotate between seeding trays, monitoring growth, transplanting young plants and preparing material for installation across the city. Workloads shift with the seasons, weather conditions, and upcoming projects, making flexibility a key part of the operation.
The additional help allows staff to keep pace during peak planting periods. The extra labor supports efficiency without disrupting the nursery’s long-term growing schedule, helping ensure plants are ready when city departments need them.
That day-to-day rhythm has also created opportunities for hands-on learning, opening the nursery to community partnerships that provide support while offering real-world experience.
Connecting Agriculture and Education
One of those partnerships brings students from Southwest Middle School’s FFA chapter to the city nursery each month, where they assist with routine tasks while gaining firsthand exposure to agricultural work.
Katrina Lynn, who teaches agriculture at Southwest Middle School and advises the FFA chapter, outlines the hands-on work students take part in during their visits.
“They come out once a month from 6:45 to 8:15 in the morning,” Lynn says. “They’re helping with things like potting plants, laying weed cloth and getting areas ready for planting.”
She says the experience helps students better understand plant science, responsibility, and teamwork, while also showing them how agriculture connects to their own community.
“They get to see that what they’re learning actually matters,” she says. “They can drive through Lakeland later and know they had a hand in that.”
For city staff, the students’ help is especially helpful during busy periods, when extra hands make a measurable difference in keeping work on schedule.
“They worked hard the whole time they were out here,” Sierra says. “They didn’t slow down.”
While the extra help supports production, staff also view the visits as a chance to share skills and introduce students to potential career paths.
Growing Together
“We’ve had adult volunteers come out, and we also have individuals with special needs who help us,” Sierra says. “They’re able to work at their own pace and they do a great job helping us keep things moving.”
Homuth echoes that sentiment and explains that the time volunteers spend helping the nursery is invaluable.
“As far as helping us stay on task and keeping everything under control, without volunteering it does get really hectic out here,” Homuth says.
As Lakeland continues to invest in its municipal nursery, staff view the operation as a long-term asset — one that supports efficient landscaping while fostering community involvement. By growing plants in-house and opening the nursery to multiple partnerships, the city is able to strengthen both its public spaces and its connections across the community.If you’re interested in volunteering at the nursery, contact department supervisor Amanda James at Amanda.James@lakelandgov.net.
