There are some people who become part of a place in a way that is hard to explain until the day comes when you have to say goodbye.

After more than eight years at Kerby’s Nursery, we are saying goodbye to our Special Projects Director, Tara. And while we are incredibly excited for whatever comes next for her, there’s no getting around it: we are going to miss her. A lot.

For more than eight years, Tara has been one of those people who somehow made things happen. If it involved an event, a project, the crazy ideas that I am notorious for, or making something just a little more special, there was a pretty good chance Tara was somewhere in the middle of it.

She has been part of countless memories here at the Nursery, and she has left her fingerprints on more corners of Kerby’s than we could possibly count. More importantly, she became part of our Nursery family. The kind of person you see every day for eight years who becomes woven into the rhythm of your life, and when they leave, you notice the empty space.

So, Tara, from all of us at Kerby’s: thank you. Thank you for your creativity, your energy, your patience, your hard work, and for putting up with all of us for all these years. We wish you nothing but great adventures ahead. And yes, we reserve the right to call you when we need “just one quick little favor.”

But there is good news! Tara may be leaving, but she didn’t leave us unprepared. In true Tara fashion, she planned the entire fall season before she left! So while we’ll miss having her here, the fun at Kerby’s is absolutely going to continue.

Fall is coming, and we’ve got plenty of plans, events, surprises, and reasons to get outside. Tara made sure of it. Now it’s up to the rest of us to keep the fun going!