Paradise Grows East of Temple at Lonesome Pine Nursery
By Janna Zepp | Photos by SKEEBO and Janna Zepp
Just east of Temple on Adams Avenue is a little paradise full of plants, trees, flowers and assorted yard curios. The soft sounds of people chatting with one another drift through the air as they come and go, usually with a haul of greenery in their arms.
It’s a peaceful spot, unless you count Liberty and Hank, two furry greeters who come to see you as you drive into the parking lot, and even they are pretty chill as dogs go. They just want to tell you hello before they go on about their very important nursery dog business.
At Lonesome Pine Nursery, the people are friendly, and after the winter storm that hit Texas harder than most of us remember, it is a much-needed salve for the gardener’s soul. Owner Jeanette Holtman even said that we were due for a hard freeze sometime around Feb. 15, but she certainly did not predict it would be as bad as it was.
“I know everybody was glad to see green again after that,” she says. “Like other growers, we were hit bad. It was awful. Just awful. There really aren’t words to describe it.”
But even the storm couldn’t keep her or the nursery down. The greenhouse kept plants warm and alive through the freeze, and more are arriving each day.
Jeanette personally goes to pick out and pick up from growers each plant that Lonesome Pine sells.
“I love being a part of the community here. I feel needed, loved and wanted,” she says, smiling. “It made my day when a regular customer of mine told me that my prices are fair and that she loves my plants.”
She also said that after 26 years in business, it’s finally getting really fun. When asked if she has ever thought of retiring, Jeanette says no and James Holtman, Jeanette’s son and employee, backs her up on that.
“Mom is really devoted to the business,” James says. “This is her happy place.”
Jeanette, and her late husband Henry, who passed away in October, began Lonesome Pine in 1995. They met in Westphalia at a dance when they were young.
“I wouldn’t let go of his little finger that whole night,” Jeanette says. “He was just the one for me. We were married 52 years.”
Before starting their nursery business, Jeanette and Henry worked together in a cabinet shop, spending their weekends for five years working for the late Ray and Virgie Looney at Plants & Things in Belton.
Jeanette loved the store and said she would change up the entryway display often to keep it interesting for customers and Virgie alike.
She tells the story of the Looneys trying to sell succulents and they weren’t moving the way they wanted them to. Henry suggested they have a succulent garage sale and Plants & Things completely sold out of their inventory.
Henry also told her that they couldn’t keep making cabinets the rest of their lives, and that someday they needed to consider doing something else for a living.
“I remember thinking that it might be fun to own a nursery of my own, but I never dreamed this big,” she says of Lonesome Pine. “And my mother loved plants. She passed away earlier this year. When I am here, I feel close to my mother.”
She says Henry worked hard to make her dreams come true. As her husband’s health declined, she made sure he always had a little secret garden spot inside the greenhouse or somewhere on the property to rest while still being available to customers. The family knew Henry’s days were limited, but they never thought he’d pass as soon as he did.
A portrait of Henry stands among the plants in the greenhouse so Jeanette can see him every day at work and she says she still hears him speaking to her as she goes about her business, advising her along the way.
“He was my mentor. He helped me to the very end,” she says, quietly. “I miss him every day.”
IF YOU GO
Lonesome Pine Nursery
3120 E. Adams Ave. in Temple
254-791-0884
Web: lonesome-pine-nursery.edan.io
