The Designer
Jeremy A. Schmidt
Horticulturist. Garden designer. Writer. Speaker. Lifelong student of the natural world.
Jeremy A. Schmidt
Founder & Principal Designer
"The most compelling gardens are not built — they are revealed."
Jeremy A. Schmidt
This belief has guided Jeremy A. Schmidt's work as a horticulturist, garden designer, and lifelong student of the natural world. Through HORTCO, he creates immersive stone-based gardens that uncover the hidden potential of landscapes while celebrating the beauty and diversity of plants. A broad-based horticultural leader by experience and a deep thinker by nature, Jeremy is driven by the belief that great gardens become more themselves over time. His work draws inspiration from natural systems, geological processes, and the remarkable adaptability of plants, transforming overlooked spaces, challenging conditions, and unconventional materials into landscapes rich with discovery and meaning.
Since 2017, Jeremy has personally stacked more than 1,000 tons of stone in the pursuit of creating exceptional growing conditions for plants. His approach combines careful craftsmanship with horticultural expertise, resulting in gardens designed as much for plants as for people.
In 2026, Jeremy devoted himself to HORTCO full-time after nearly three decades of building the company alongside a career in public horticulture. Prior to founding HORTCO full-time, he served as Director of Horticulture at Bellingrath Gardens & Home (2023–2026) and as Research and Grounds Supervisor at Plant Delights Nursery and Juniper Level Botanic Garden (2008–2023). For much of this time, he maintained an extensive private garden that served as a living laboratory for many of the horticultural and design principles that continue to shape his work today. When not designing gardens, Jeremy can often be found weeding his garden, studying wild plant populations, playing online chess with questionable results, or pursuing fish that rarely share his plans for dinner.
1,000T
Of stone personally placed since 2017
200T
Reclaimed concrete transformed into botanical display
30yrs
Of horticultural practice and plant exploration
Stone, Plants & Place
Known for his expertise in crevice gardens, rock gardens, botanical displays, and rare plant cultivation, Jeremy has personally stacked more than 1,000 tons of natural stone since 2017 in pursuit of creating extraordinary growing conditions for plants.
His installations include the design and construction of one of the world's largest crevice gardens, transforming more than 200 tons of reclaimed concrete into a botanical display supporting thousands of plant taxa.
Through every installation, Jeremy remains guided by the conviction that great gardens become more themselves over time — designed not only to flourish today, but to grow richer and more meaningful with each passing season.
Research & Education
Jeremy is an accomplished plant explorer, researcher, and educator. His work studying native Trillium populations throughout the eastern and midwestern United States has contributed to a deeper understanding of the genus and advanced conservation efforts.
He has authored more than twenty professional publications, spoken at national conferences and botanical institutions across the country, and shared his horticultural knowledge with hundreds of thousands of gardeners through articles, presentations, videos, and educational programs.
His contributions to the horticultural profession have been recognized with numerous honors, including the North American Rock Garden Society Award of Merit, the Geoffrey Charlesworth Writing Prize, and recognition among Greenhouse Product News' Top 40 Under 40.
Credentials & Background
Education
- B.S. Landscape Horticulture — Southern Illinois University
- A.S. Horticulture — Illinois Central College
- Advanced Curatorial & Research Training — Longwood Gardens
Career
- Director of Horticulture — Bellingrath Gardens & Home
- Fifteen years — Plant Delights Nursery & Juniper Level Botanic Garden
- Founder & Principal Designer — HORTCO
Recognition
- North American Rock Garden Society Award of Merit
- Geoffrey Charlesworth Writing Prize
- Greenhouse Product News Top 40 Under 40
Expertise
- Crevice & rock garden design and construction
- Rare plant cultivation and botanical collections
- Native Trillium research and conservation
- 20+ professional publications
Start a Conversation
Jeremy works with a select number of clients each year. If you believe your property has potential waiting to be revealed, we'd love to hear from you.