ABOUT US

Get to know who we are, how we began, and learn about our mission in landscape architecture and landscape design.

Ground & Garden, a trusted family-owned landscaping company, providing expert services in West Lake Hills, TX

Owner & CEO

THE GROUND & GARDEN STORY

With over three decades in business, Ground & Garden is a family-owned company rooted in Austin, Texas. We offer comprehensive landscaping services, from innovative landscape design and construction to expert lawn service and lawn maintenance. Our mission is to create functional and beautiful residential landscapes that enhance outdoor living while ensuring long-term sustainability.

The Ground & Garden team of landscape design professionals working on a project in Austin, TX

Meet the team

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BRENT WILTSHIRE

Owner & CEO

As a young boy I loved being outside. I loved mowing my parent’s yard and making it the most beautiful lawn on the block. My love for the outdoors and for landscaping inspired me to build my dream job and create a company where I could make yards and landscapes beautiful every day!

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned about owning a company is that to run a successful company, you must hire the best people. We hire people who share the passion, culture, and drive to do the best work for our clients and to work together as a team. Then, treat these people with the utmost respect and love. When I am not working, I love to spend time with my beautiful wife Stacy, who has been my best friend for 34 years and more recently has joined me in the business. I also love riding my bike on the hills and swimming in Lake Austin with Penny and Baker our two dogs.

Stacy Wiltshire

Owner & Head of Brand and Culture

I married into the landscape industry, however within the last 5 years I have become active in the management of Ground & Garden, and love being in partnership with Brent. I have learned that my passion is not actually landscaping, it is all the people that work with us.

It is the relationships that I have with our employees that fill me up, as well as the many customers that use Ground & Garden, some simply because they have actually done “life” with us in this amazing community. When I am not at work, I am spending glorious hours taking care of our new granddaughter and love to spend time outdoors, preferably on some beach somewhere.

Jack Jennings

Operations Manager

My love for the outdoors inspired me to take a career leap into landscaping and lawn maintenance from the corporate JOB of insurance.

I am inspired daily to keep projects running smoothly by communicating with the whole team. Our amazing team includes office administration, sales staff and our highly skilled crew force as well as our loyal clients. Outside of work you will find me spending time with family and friends, traveling or crushing some bird hunting with my dog.

BO WILTSHIRE

Construction Manager

My experience in the landscaping industry is fairly unique. I’ve had the opportunity to grow up alongside Ground & Garden and many of our team members. Our longest tenured employees have been with us since before I was born. Now, I’m lucky enough to work alongside them daily to deliver Ground & Garden’s custom design/build projects.

The challenges of custom design/install work overlap many of the rewards. Each day can bring new and unique opportunities – it forces you to stay creative in order to solve problems and deliver the highest quality of projects.

I spend as much free time as I can either fly-fishing or hunting – both activities that allow me to slow my pace of life from the often very busy pace of the landscaping industry.

Mark Lung

Account Manager

My lifelong passion for the outdoors and working with nature inspired me to seek a career in landscaping. My favorite part of working with clients is challenging myself to fulfill their lawn maintenance needs in an ever-changing environment. While I love working in the great outdoors, I’d rather be playing golf!

TOM RANDAL

Landscape Architect

My interest in landscape design probably was a spinoff of my general love of nature and working in the yard-garden with my mother who was a habitual hobbyist. I always was interested in art and drawing as a child. Landscape Architecture was a fulfillment of those pursuits, my approach to design involves studying closely the characteristics of the context: the existing lay of the land, the flora and orientation to the sun and wind, the interface with surrounding properties. Also, the most important thing is the desires and input of the clients. I strive to listen keenly to their ‘program’ for their vision. Crafting a composition that melds my interests with their requests is quite satisfying. I work in my garden - I especially enjoy planting and using herbs. My other hobbies: sculpting in stone and clay, playing the guitar, reading “spy” novels. I enjoy cooking. I travel as much as I can afford.

KATE HIGDON

Lead Landscape Designer

Gardening with my mom as a child was one of my main inspirations for studying landscape architecture and going into residential design. I also loved pouring over garden magazines, especially the English ones that showcased the old estate gardens with their strict green hedges and colorful flower borders. It’s not surprising then that my favorite current design trend is the return to traditional styles and “maximalism” with it’s focus on layers of texture, color, and personal touches. My love for this style carries over into creative pursuits on the weekends. When I am not spending time with family and friends, I love to work with fabric and geometric design to make quilts for them! It’s a hobby that lets me expand my creativity by working with various colors and patterns while keeping a slow, traditional craft alive.

NOEL VAN SWEARINGEN

Landscape Designer

Landscaping just fell into my lap. Literally! In a huge stack of papers. I was an architect at the time designing a restaurant and casino and was asked to do the landscape design. I had so much fun, I changed my career. I enjoy the pace at which it moves. FAST! And I enjoy putting life back into the earth. It allows me to give some part of myself to create the spaces we live in to connect with everyone around us. I get to utilize all of the counties I’ve travelled through and spent time in to create the built environment we live in. I don’t know if there’s a better job out there! I love to travel and encounter new cultures, food, people, and language. It’s all part of the human process to create. I also use travel as a means to do my favorite thing. Rock climb! I’ve climbed all over the world and use those experiences in every design I create.

JAICIE HALLEMAN

Assistant Operations Manager

Hey, I’m Jaicie! I’ve always been happiest outside—whether it was exploring, playing, or helping out in the yard as a kid. That love for the outdoors led me to the landscaping industry, where I keep Ground & Garden’s maintenance team running smoothly by staying flexible, rolling with the punches, and making sure our customers are happy.

I thrive in the fast-paced environment and love working with a team that’s not only hardworking but also fun and lighthearted—we get the job done and have a good time doing it! When I’m not at work, you’ll find me hiking, swimming, traveling, or snapping film photos. And, of course, spoiling my golden retriever, Sonny.

NATHAN MUNRO

Office Operations Manager

As office manager my goal is to create and implement best practices to facilitate the smooth operation of Ground & Garden. This allows me to be a part of a company that transforms people’s yards into beautiful outdoor retreats and allows me to take pride in being a part of a team that maintains those spaces with such a high level of service. As someone who spends their free time enjoying nature by camping with my family, I love working for a company that values its importance.

Carla East

Assistant Office Manager

My family’s business hauled surface materials for farms, home foundations and suburban gardens. We also got in the swimming pool business of building and servicing swimming pools. Most of our customers were homeowners seeking a backyard environment for exercise, family enjoyment and entertaining friends. Beautiful landscaping is a great addition to family homes, so joining the landscape industry seemed like the best next step after purchasing in residential construction. My favorite part of purchasing is having great relationships with nurseries and the local stone companies. Our sources provide gorgeous plants and native materials quickly and reliably. They partner with us at Ground & Garden to create unique and custom outdoor environments. It’s important to my family to stay close to nature; when we’re not working with the ground or a pool, we love being out on the lakes and rivers of Texas.