Timberlake Nursery in Chesapeake, Va. closes

From The Virginian-Pilot:

I should have known something was up when I entered the greenhouse at Timberlake Nursery last spring. It was the last week of March, and the room blossomed and bulged with plants from corner to corner, looking more lush than usual. The spring rush had not yet begun – a handwritten sign cautioned that it was too early to plant tender annuals – but owner Pat Johnson had a glint in her weathered eyes. As I marveled, she rubbed her hands together like a mother who’d just finished preparing a smorgasbord for family who’d soon arrive.

Unbeknownst to me and other Timberlake loyalists, it sort of was a last supper. Johnson, 70, and longtime associate Cheryl Holman, 67, had prepared enough for patrons to feast on through the spring and summer. At the close of business on Oct. 31, each quietly retired.

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