Rainbow Gardens, the San Antonio-based nursery chain known for its two Bandera Road and Thousand Oaks Drive garden centers, is eyeing a third location on a 9-acre property near Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch. The company has entered into a utility agreement for the site, a step toward the proposed development, but has not announced a construction schedule or confirmed an opening date.
According to WhatNow, the utility agreement marks early progress on the proposed Hill Country store, which would expand Rainbow Gardens' presence in the greater San Antonio area. A partner involved in the plans told the outlet that the project timeline remains open-ended, and the company has not disclosed further details about the planned store beyond the location itself.
The proposed site sits in an area where Rainbow Gardens does not currently have a presence, and the new location would give the chain an opportunity to serve more customers in the Texas Hill Country, the report notes. For now, shoppers in that corridor still have to make the drive into San Antonio proper, where Rainbow Gardens runs stores at 8516 Bandera Road and 2585 Thousand Oaks Drive.
Rainbow Gardens would not be the first nursery serving Boerne-area gardeners. Hill Country African Violets & Nursery, based in Boerne, advertises Texas native plants and trees, shrubs and perennials suited to the Hill Country. Its presence gives the proposed store a local retail context: Rainbow Gardens would bring its own established chain to the area, rather than opening in a market with no nursery options.
Boerne’s growth offers a demographic backdrop for the proposed expansion: the city’s population reached an estimated 24,047 in July 2025, up 34.6% from its 2020 estimate base, the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest city figures show. That increase points to a larger local customer base than the area had just a few years ago, although it does not establish whether growth influenced Rainbow Gardens’ plans.
A Family Business Rooted in 1976
Rainbow Gardens traces its origins back to 1976, when Frank Kirby and George A. Beere purchased an existing nursery near West Avenue and Blanco Road in San Antonio, per the same account. The pair later acquired another garden center near Thousand Oaks and U.S. Highway 281, and the businesses eventually adopted the Rainbow Gardens name. Today the operation describes itself as family-owned, serving San Antonio and surrounding communities.
Across its two existing locations, Rainbow Gardens offers plants and gardening supplies including trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables, herbs, houseplants, succulents and fruit trees. The stores also stock soil, mulch, compost, fertilizers, pottery, fountains, garden decor and gardening tools, the report states. Beyond retail, the company provides gardening advice, educational resources, classes and events for customers.
No Timeline Yet for Hill Country Shoppers
Despite the utility agreement, Rainbow Gardens has not laid out when construction might begin or when the Boerne-area store could welcome its first customers. That uncertainty leaves Hill Country gardeners watching and waiting, with the only confirmed detail for now being the 9-acre footprint itself. Until the company shares more, the project remains in its earliest, quietest stage.
