Smashed Thumb Greenhouse

By Lizzy Petersen

Photo of Smashed Thumb Greenhouse garden taken by Lizzy Petersen

The Smashed Thumb Greenhouse, located off 116 St. N and Yale right before Highway 75, has an incredible story of origin. Tracie Poland, the owner of the greenhouse, was 38 years old when she threw rose moss out into her yard after she decided a garden would brighten up her house. When the flowers grew, she was brought to tears by their beauty and decided to do more. Although she had no experience with gardening, she planted flowers all down her driveway. With so many flowers, she decided to make signs pointing to her home but was surprised to find cars parked all the way down the street waiting for her arrival. 

Poland has been running her greenhouse, which is only open in the months of April and May, for 27 years. This year will be her last one. This career has given her incredible friends that see her regularly, gifts from customers on Christmas and endless love and admiration from her peers. 

She gives the advice that “If you give 100% and love everyone, you will get amazing customers and love in return.”

Poland was determined from the start to give her customers the best products possible. Not only does she take the time to tell you everything she can in terms of care for your purchase, she only sells plants that she has concluded are “Oklahoma tough,” which is something she discovered after a failed attempt at growing Lobelias. She also makes sure to warn her customers about “big box stores” such as Lowes that force bloom their plants. By forcing them to bloom before they are ready and not giving them adequate space to grow, they are taking away 75% of the plant’s lifespan. 

Although Poland never looked to hire many employees, she had people that would temporarily help her and had a friend that would come every Saturday to work. She never quite had the income to hire, and what she made was only truly sustainable these last ten years. From her revenue, she was able to buy things such as a tractor and make improvements to her house. 

Tracie Poland has worked incredibly hard to make others happy by doing what she loves. She has finally found true happiness of her own when she married her “true love” this past September. Sadly for her customers, 2023 will be her last year of business.  While she is sad beyond measure to say goodbye, she plans to go on to do more incredible things with her husband supporting her at her side. 

Her advice to everyone is, “It is a short life…don’t put up with negativity.”

Make sure to go to the Smashed Thumb Greenhouse to meet a living legend and give her love for her last year of business.