Joseph Hillenmeyer

I was born in Lexington, Kentucky, into a family with a Horticulture tradition that dates back to the 1700’s in France and Germany.  My great-great-great grandfather, Francis Xavier Hillenmeyer, came to America in 1838 after training at the famous Baumann Brothers Nursery in France. His arrival set into motion what has now been six generations of my family in the horticulture industry here in Lexington. 

I grew up in Lexington, leaving in 1993 to attend The McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN.  After graduation, I worked with Don Shadow at Shadow Nursery in Winchester, TN.  Don is a nationally recognized premiere horticulturist noted for his work in developing new cultivars of ornamental plants.

 In 1996 I traveled to New Zealand where I worked as the horticulturist at a horse farm and interned at a perennial nursery. My next trip took me to Western Turkey where I worked at the well-known Karaca Arboretum outside of Istanbul.  This is where I was really able to begin forming comprehensive ideas about garden design and thinking about organic connections between the garden and the home.  

I have now returned to Lexington where I began my own garden design firm in 2001.  Since then I have had the opportunity to continue to travel the world and the U.S. studying Garden Design and Horticulture. It has been a real privilege working with my clients these past few years, some of whose gardens you will be able to see here.