The Living Legacy: How Rosehill Gardens Defined the Kansas City Landscape
There is a distinct feeling that accompanies the turn into a driveway on the region’s most storied properties. It is the quiet rustle of a mature Japanese Maple, the architectural symmetry of a perfectly manicured boxwood, and the sense that the land itself has a story to tell. For many Kansas City homeowners, that feeling of “home” is often a masterpiece curated by a single name that has stood as a community anchor for over a century: Rosehill Gardens.
The story begins in 1914, when Evert Asjes set out with a simple but profound ambition to beautify Kansas City. From a modest garden on Bales Avenue, he spent his days tending to the lawns of the city’s original mansions, quickly realizing that true quality could only be achieved if the plants were born of local soil.
This philosophy of “growing where you are planted” became the bedrock of the brand. As the city expanded, so did Rosehill, moving through four generations of the Asjes family and eventually finding its permanent home in Martin City.
Trust and Stability
Today, that legacy is upheld by Gary Weidenbach and Curtis Stroud — long-time employees who took the helm in 2007 with the family’s blessing. Their leadership represents a rare continuity in the industry, maintaining a staff of over 150 professionals, some of whom have been with the company for more than 35 years.
This institutional stability is exactly why the Rosehill brand is synonymous with trust. When you enlist Rosehill for residential landscaping, you aren’t just bringing in a crew; you are inviting a team of career horticulturists and master designers who view themselves as stewards of your property.
This dedication was recently highlighted in a transformation of a peninsula estate in Lee’s Summit. Over the course of six years, Rosehill designers worked in careful phases to turn a rocky, exposed roadside edge into a private oasis. By layering upright evergreens against stone faces and introducing integrated lighting that lifts the canopy after dark, they transformed a “designers’ dream” into a functional sanctuary where the homeowners now host quiet evenings by the pool, shielded from the world by lush, native screening. For ongoing care, Rosehill’s residential maintenance and irrigation teams ensure that these custom outdoor spaces remain beautiful and healthy year-round.
Beyond Homes, to to Kansas City Institutions
Beyond the private gates of the city’s finest homes, Rosehill’s expertise scales seamlessly to shape Kansas City’s most iconic public and commercial spaces through their comprehensive commercial landscaping services. Their commercial division handles massive civic installations and ongoing grounds management, applying the same meticulous attention to detail required for private estates to large-scale municipal projects.
From maintaining the pristine landscape standards at the world-renowned Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art which includes the latest project of replacing the green roof on the Bloch Building to executing the extensive native tree planting and site development for the new Morton Amphitheater, Rosehill Gardens ensures the region’s most prominent destinations reflect the natural beauty of the Midwest.
As a steadfast supporter of the KC South Rotary Club and local Chambers, the company has long believed that business success and community service are inseparable. Their contributions go far beyond professional landscaping; they are deeply personal. In the past they have launched a Veterans Landscape Giveaway, providing $10,000 in services to local heroes like Andrew and Vanessa Vanden Bout Geer, a young Air Force couple whose backyard was a simple dirt patch for their rescue dogs before Rosehill turned it into a welcoming paradise.
More recently, the team has lent its expertise to the “Save the Pillars” campaign at the historic Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden in Loose Park, ensuring that the stone structures of this century-old Kansas City treasure remain standing for future generations to enjoy.
What sets Rosehill apart for the discerning homeowner and commercial developer alike is the sheer scale of their expertise.
While big-box retailers source plants from across the country that may struggle in the unpredictable Kansas City climate, Rosehill grows 90% of its own stock. Across 1,000 acres of farmland in Belton and Freeman, they cultivate the “Rosehill Top 100” — a curated collection of hardy trees and perennials proven to thrive in local soil, available through their wholesale nursery and tree farm. This vertical integration means that when a specimen is placed on your property, it has already been acclimated to our specific sun, wind, and winters for years.
The Rosehill experience has evolved into a lifestyle that extends even beyond the garden. Their Martin City headquarters now features a boutique Winery and Event Space, complete with a greenhouse bar, live music pavilion, and fire pit seating. It serves as a community gathering spot where clients can enjoy a glass of wine surrounded by the very beauty they’ve integrated into their own homes.
It is this blend of professional excellence and neighborly warmth that has kept Rosehill Gardens at the pinnacle of the industry for 112 years. As they look toward the next century, their mission remains as clear as it was in 1914: to create environments that inspire connection, foster joy, and serve as a living legacy for the families of Kansas City.
Experience the Rosehill difference. Let’s grow something beautiful together. Ready to elevate your estate? Visit them in Martin City at 311 E. 135th St. or call to schedule a private consultation for your design and maintenance needs.
Rosehill Gardens: Rooted in Passion. Growing for over a century.