Schmechtig Landscape Company

In the 1950s, the founder of the company, Klaus Schmechtig, came to the U.S. from Germany to work in Chicago. He was a highly regarded master gardener in Germany. He started Schmechtig Landscape Company in 1960.

Michael Schmechtig, inspired to practice landscape architecture by his grandfather and father, joined the company in 1987, bringing with him landscape architects and horticulturists. He now presides as president of the company. The general manager is Mark Fitzgerald. The two design directors are RLAs, Todd Hayden and Rob Schwarz. The company also has two landscape designers, a construction division and an irrigation and lighting supervisor.

Their philosophy is simple: Treat the landscape of our client’s property as an extension of their home.

The firm’s work varies greatly in style and categories: stately formal grounds; the grace and whimsy of an informal garden; grand entrances to backyard retreats; tranquil ponds to a pool oases; contemporary styling to historic preservation.

Photos courtesy of Schmechtig Landscapes

Winnetka Home—Ecological Pond and Waterfall, Private Residence

The pond and waterfall combine beauty and natural balance, just like in nature where fish and water plants benefit one another. Pink and gray granite boulders were carefully selected to complement the colors of the house and multi-seasonal plantings.

Wilmette Formal Garden

Redevelopment and historic preservation of this site includes a sunken rose garden flanked on both sides by nepeta, and complemented by the soft pastel pink shrub roses. This formal garden is bordered by a chipped bluestone gravel path and boxwood hedges.