On the OU campus, flowers, trees and shrubs flourish in the dozens of gardens stretching across the grounds. The employees of the Landscape and Grounds Department can be credited for maintaining the grounds and, in some cases, for attracting students to the university.

Haley Snell, journalism senior, says OU stood out among other college campuses from the very beginning.

“I toured Texas Tech, A&M, [and] I’ve seen Austin,” Snell says. “OU was so much prettier and just seemed homier and more connected with the community.”

Snell says there were many reasons why she liked the university, but its physical beauty played a big role in her decision to attend OU.

“My family loved it and from the first time I visited OU’s campus,” Snell says. “It made a great impression that has lasted, and I will remember the campus forever.”

Elizabeth Hart, psychology senior, says she has a great appreciation for the landscape, but sometimes she thinks the beds are redone too often.

“It’s a little overkill to dig up perfectly good plants that are still alive and beautiful,” Hart says. “I don’t understand why the landscape department would spend a lot of money on replanting when it isn’t necessarily needed.”

Allen King, director of the Landscape and Grounds Department, can explain. King says when the department decides to redo landscaping, shrubs that are pulled up are returned to the nursery for future use. Other plants may be composted for future gardening.

In addition, King says the money for landscaping comes not solely from the university budget but also from private contributions.

According to the OU website, gifts of more than $3 million have permanently endowed OU’s gardens.

“I think it is important to mention that the ‘named’ gardens are endowed,” King says.

These gardens include Pitman Parterre on the South Oval, the Peggy V. Helmerich Garden near the library and the Harold G. Powell Garden on the North Oval.

According to the OU educational and general budget for the fiscal 2008-09 year, the Landscape and Grounds Maintenance allotment is just shy of $2 million.

The money goes to good use. The Norman campus was recognized as the most beautiful education institution for outdoor improvements to gardens, sculptures and benches by the Keep Oklahoma Beautiful Environmental Awards program, according to the OU website.

The campus did not become award-winning quality on its own. Crews of gardeners and groundskeepers are easy to spot around campus, continually lending their hardworking hands to the beautification of OU.

Kerri Yandell is a self-proclaimed gardener at heart who has worked as an OU landscape technician for three years. She says it is a tough job that requires a lot of physical labor in sometimes harsh weather conditions, but she says she could not think of a more rewarding place to be.

“I tell people that I’m doing what I love to do every day, and it’s just an added plus that I get paid to do it,” Yandell says.

Yandell is one of 30 full-time gardeners responsible for planting and maintaining flower beds across campus. Clearing litter and debris, ensuring that walkways are clear and keeping shrubs trimmed for safety are just a few other tasks that the 60 full-time Landscape and Grounds Department employees are responsible for.

A typical day for these employees begins in the early morning with “litter runs” where they pick up trash for about 30 minutes, Yandell says. Although trash removal may not be her favorite part of the day, Yandell maintains a positive attitude toward those who may not realize that actual people have to clean up after them.

“The way I look at is that if they see [trash pickup] done enough, they will be more respectful and will eventually catch on,” she says.

After a quick litter run, the gardeners can put their green thumbs to good use in assigned gardens, which vary in size and are staffed accordingly, Yandell says.

King says it usually takes about a week to do a new project from start to finish, and the department utilizes its full staff of 60 during the undertakings of the larger beds, such as those located on either oval.

King says he and the employees welcome feedback about their work, whether it is positive or negative.

“Compliments tell us that we’re creating areas that people really enjoy to visit,” he says. “Complaints are investigated to see if indeed there is a problem and, if so, how it can be corrected.”

King says overall he believes students and faculty appreciate the beauty of the landscape and the hard work needed to maintain the grounds.

“I have had several professors, staff and students alike tell us that it is nice to go to work or school in a park-like setting,” King says.

Yandell says she encourages more students and faculty to voice their opinions and feelings about the flora.

“It makes me beam every time I hear a compliment about the landscape,” Yandell says. “You really feel appreciated for what you’re doing.”