| The End of Summer Signals a Change in Direction for Horticulture |  |  |  |
  Cooler mornings and shorter days announce more than just the arrival of Fall and football season, they signal changes in the city’s Horticulture Division. During the Fall, Horticulturist Ken Johnson and his crew shift from their warmer month responsibilities of maintaining approximately fifty city owned properties to preparations for the Christmas season and spring/summer of 2011.
From March to October, Horticulture crews are responsible for the mowing, edging, weed-eating, pruning, fertilizing and mulching of trees and shrubs, and irrigation maintenance in the properties listed below. In addition, the crews are charged with the design/planting/maintenance of new landscapes on city properties. “Off-season” for Horticulture only means a change in direction, not less work. Prior to the first frost, the Horticulture crews will remove all of the foliage from this summer, take cuttings, and then compost the remaining material. As the weather turns colder, Ken’s staff of five full time and two part time employees will move inside their heated greenhouse to winterize the banana trees and mandevilla (or Brazilian Jasmine) as well as plant next year’s landscaping material from seeds and cuttings. The heated greenhouse allows Horticulture to grow and maintain seasonal and tropical plants and trees that will otherwise die over the cold winter. The greenhouse facility maintains the division’s productivity during the winter months. Other winter activities include pruning of shrubs and trees on city properties and a winter application of specially blended fertilizers for those trees and shrubs. The importance of the greenhouse to the division’s operations cannot be overstated. It allowed Horticulture to grow 75% of all plant material installed on city properties in 2010. Much of the greenhouse’s 2010 production was created from seeds and cuttings from the 2009 material. By recycling the previous season’s material, the division saves $10,000 to $12,000 each year. Recycling, reuse, and donations are words used often when talking about the city’s Horticulture Division. Over the last year, the Autauga County Master Gardeners and local garden clubs provided donations to the city that allowed Horticulture to add flowers along the Creekwalk and several other projects. Plantation Tree Farm donated the trees in the Creek Walk Garden. Little Mountain Growers donated plant material that was included in the newest landscaping project at the Cultural Arts Center. Even the city Street Department donated damaged concrete pipes used in the Arts Center project. Johnson hopes to build a second greenhouse in the future to further their cost saving measures. By recycling available materials and growing from seed/cutting, Horticulture was able to keep the costs of the Cultural Arts Center project down to just under $7,000. A project of similar size and scope would have run approximately $27,000. Likewise, the Creekwalk Garden would have cost $24,000, but by using donations, greenhouse-grown plant material, and recycling of available materials, the project came in at just over $7,000. The Prattville Downtown Unlimited merchants donated the money used to purchase the bench and large fountain for that project. While the coming winter means the end of 2010’s blooms and foliage, it only means a shift in direction for Ken Johnson and the Horticulture crew. We applaud their creativity and congratulate them on a job well done in 2010. And if the chilly January and February days get you down, just stop by the Horticulture shop at 122 Ridgewood for a preview of 2011. Facilities Maintained by Prattville’s Horticulture Division
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