Keathly’s Nursery & Landscape Co.: A Local Business With Deep Roots

Keathly’s Nursery & Landscape Co. has grown into a local horticultural legend that is deeply rooted in family history and continued community presence. It carries an established legacy in our local community as far back as long-time residents can remember, with an interesting history and evolution behind this unique family business.

A Growing Business

Richard Keathly, owner and landscape designer, describes the nursery’s humble beginnings, when his parents, Jack and Lou Keathly, first started the business over 60 years ago. It began on the family farm as a small roadside stand with only a few pecan trees. He remembers the store moving to its current location, where he and his siblings played on huge dirt piles while alternating between nursery chores. By about age five, Richard was already waiting on customers while barely tall enough to see over the counter.

Richard went to college without a definite career goal, but with some persuasion from his father he eventually earned a degree in landscape design from Oklahoma State University. He returned to Ponca City, where he built a career rooted in combining creativity and family tradition. He says his biggest motivator for remaining in this community is “the satisfaction I get from continuing the legacy business my parents established and my family built together.”

Keathly’s Nursery is a true family business, captured by the writing on the wall. If you look closely, you can still see signs of the Keathly children growing up at the nursery. Some of their height markings remain on a hallway wall, providing a time capsule and lasting reminder of the generations of family that have literally left their mark on this business. His three children, Layne, Austin and Annie, all grew up working at the nursery. Layne is now a primary care physician in Yukon, Oklahoma, and Austin is an attorney in Oklahoma City. Annie graduated college with a business degree and is now a full-time mom while helping her father with nursery designs, including major projects such as the Creek and Kilpatrick Turnpikes, and the Sandridge corporate office building complex in Oklahoma City.

Beyond family roots, Keathly’s Nursery is also shaped and supported by a well-rounded and long-tenured team. Several employees have been with the company more than 20 years, bringing the experience and expertise that customers have come to trust.

A Unique Destination Experience

Visiting Keathly’s is an experience. The business spans approximately 15 acres, sitting within an impressive 100+ acre property. It features multiple greenhouses, plant bedding fields and extensive collections of trees and shrubs. It is a serene slice of beautiful Oklahoma, with colorful blooms, pollinator gardens, flowering shrubs and rows of scenic trees. It really is something you must see for yourself! On an average spring day, it’s often bustling with activity, and simultaneously a surprisingly peaceful retreat. It’s a great place to go for a family shopping adventure, a fun day trip or a solo walk, all while admiring the view.

Team members enjoy hearing about customers’ planting ideas and often delight in seeing photos of their completed projects. Several customers have commented with excitement about the recent store renovations and the variety of new products. Staff members take pride in introducing first-time customers to the nursery’s main areas and offering a quick guided tour. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener and frequent Keathly’s shopper, or an aspiring green thumb, stop by and see what Keathly’s has to offer. Just be prepared, there’s so much more to see than will fit in a single visit!

Facing Challenges by Creating Opportunities

Over the past decades, there have been significant challenges pushing the company to evolve into the business you see today. Richard mentions two stand-out situations that invited significant growth, “First was the loss of so many local jobs when Conoco merged with Phillips 66. I embraced this as an invitation to expand my landscaping territory. As a result, I now have many regular customers in Stillwater, Oklahoma City and beyond. We have completed projects for almost every recent OSU coach, many oil executives and several land developers in Oklahoma City and the surrounding area.”

The second challenge Richard mentions as opportunity for growth is competing with larger box stores. He says, “Even though our prices are competitive and often lower, I regularly hear customers say they decided to shop our nursery because we consistently carry healthy plants, including varieties not often found at larger stores. I think we are changing the mindset of some customers who are used to shopping in bigger box stores and have now decided to visit our specialized facility. With our friendly service and knowledgeable staff that are always willing to help, we often hear new customers say they will be back and are excited to bring in friends and family too! We love offering promotions that help the customers save, while not compromising on quality and variety!”

Continued Growth

Keathly’s Nursery is a full garden center, offering landscape design services to a variety of people and spaces, ranging from residential projects to sizeable commercial properties. There really isn’t a design that’s too big, small, conventional or unique for the Keathly team. Plans usually begin as a casual conversation before developing into a blueprint design and eventually result in stunning landscapes that bring smiles for years to come.

When asked about retirement considerations, Richard said, “I love what I do. I can’t imagine spending my time doing anything else.” The nursery is his passion, which is easy to see when you enlist his help with landscaping or tree selection. He continues to expand nursery selections and is always looking for new trends. He listens to customer needs, the current market and other leading experts, then finds a way to mesh those components together and pivot where necessary. He explains, “My favorite part of the job is seeing a completed landscape design brought to life, resulting in a satisfied customer. I still love making people happy with the work that I do, from designing to installation, and everything in-between.”

When asked about his future vision, Richard said, “I want to make the nursery a destination location, a place that’s fun to visit and enjoyable for the whole family! I plan to add even more spaces in the future to showcase an even greater variety of plants and garden products.”

Richard is dedicated to his career, having formerly served as the president of the statewide Oklahoma Nursery Association and been awarded “Nurseryman of the Year.” Those professional highlights pale in comparison to his pride for his children and grandchildren. Given his history and future goals, it’s easy to see that family is at the center of his heart and the core of his business.

Although Keathly’s Nursery & Landscape Co. is well established, it is still growing with several expansions, ventures and updates planned for the near future. This is the inaugural year of Keathly’s participation as a vendor at legendary local festivals, Oktoberfest and Herb Festival. Richard also agreed to being the opening presenter for “Speaker on the Patio” at Herb Fest, bringing visitors an informative discussion titled “Let’s Talk Trees.”

You can learn more about Keathly’s Nursery & Landscape Co. by visiting their location at 547 Big Snake Road in Ponca City, Oklahoma, or by viewing their website, keathlynursery.com, and joining their growing group of Facebook friends. Richard and his team wish everyone a happy growing season—may your gardens, families, flowerbeds and hearts be full!