Carlmont Nursery says goodbye: Tyler family business to close after 50 years in Belmont

With Bob and Mary Tyler both 80 years old, and Ray Tyler, 53, seeking to ease into semi-retirement by focusing on his landscape business, the family opted not to renew their lease and will close the long-standing establishment in September.

In 1962, Bob Tyler purchased the nursery and carefully cultivated a business that specializes in Japanese maple trees as well as bamboo. Visitors are greeted by hundreds of plants with a variety of colorful leaves that Bob Tyler said he tediously studied before translating the foreign names into English.

Having passed his green thumb down to both his sons, Bob Tyler said he’s proud to have owned one of the Peninsula’s premier nurseries.

“To be successful, you have to treat customers the same way you want to be treated when you’re out spending your own money,” Bob Tyler said, adding his job was a pleasure because “you’re outdoors, around plants, around nice customers. You couldn’t ask for anything better. And I’m glad my son took over.”

Ray Tyler said he appreciates the loyal customers who’ve made his job enjoyable.

“Thanks for the warmth. Seriously, when people come in and [say] ‘it’s so sad to see you go,’ thank you for that. Because it shows you care. And we’re trying to put a good spin on it — they’ve earned their retirement and I feel like I’ve earned by semi-retirement,” he said.

Ray Tyler said his passion for greenery and design will be well nurtured as he plans to continue his landscape architect business while having more time to spend with his own family.

I enjoy “being one on one with people and being creative in their gardens,” Ray Tyler said. “It’s just so fun to see someone come in wanting a specific thing then take that and exceed it then get them up and passionate and loving it as well. Keeping it fun. Quite often I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and go ‘oh yeah! I could have done this and that and the other.’ I try to put my heart and soul into each one as I go.”

Educating customers is an inherent part of the business, particularly as the Tyler family has a wealth of institutional knowledge having now experienced three periods of drought.

During the 1990s drought, Bob Tyler said he was able to reduce the nursery’s consumption from 200 units of water down to 4 units by spraying a polymer sealant to retain moisture on his stock.

“You pick up little tricks along the way, now in our third round of going through this,” Ray Tyler said, adding residents don’t need to abandon their plants, but pull it back just enough to keep things alive. “Going from pristine mode to self-sustain mode, that’s how I label it for some of my customers.”

Reminiscing about former days, Bob Tyler noted how there used to be dozens of nurseries around the Bay Area. But as time passed and land was sold, eventually there were fewer and fewer competitors. Like a quaint Japanese garden in the middle of a neighborhood shopping center, the multi-level nursery is offering numerous sales and the Tyler family encourages people to come visit and say goodbye.

The customers, “they’ve become friends,” Mary Tyler said. “All these years, we feel like they’re part of the family.”

Visit the carlmontnursery.com for more information about the Tyler family and the Carlmont Nursery.

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

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