A Love Letter to Shades of Green

Shades of Green,

From 1981 until now, you’ve been something extraordinary in our Alamo Heights. More than a nursery, more than a collection of plants. You’ve been a refuge. A soft place to slow down. A whisper of peace in a world that often moves too fast.

Thank you for being more than a nursery. For over four decades, you have been a sanctuary of color and calm. A place where beauty takes root, where children picked their first plants, where neighbors shared stories in the shade, and where every path has whispered the rhythm of belonging.

As you prepare to close at the end of this year, we feel that bittersweet pull. Sadness that one chapter ends, but deep gratitude that another begins. Because you, Roberta and Bob, have given us that. The promise of what’s next.

The Legacy Garden you are creating is like a seed planted long ago, now blooming into something even more beautiful. A sanctuary where generations will still walk winding paths. A labyrinth for reflection. Gardens for our children, fountains, a reading room, and more. A place to connect, to pause, and to remember we belong to this land and to each other.

Even as someone who hasn’t always spoken up, a quiet customer for years, I saw the joy you grew. I saw families sharing cartloads of color, friends finding comfort under your oaks, and familiar faces returning season after season. It has meant so much.

And I am hopeful. Hopeful my children will wander through the new garden too, knowing the same comfort and wonder I found here in my toughest moments in life. Also some of my most wonderful moments too.

To Roberta, Bob, and everyone who has tended this place: thank you for your courage, your vision, and for ensuring that what you built doesn’t vanish, but transforms. We are grateful. We are excited. We stand with you as you walk into this next season.

With love,

San Antonio

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