Owner / Founder
Jerry R. Parmenter
During Jerry’s thirty-year career he has been fortunate to receive training from many of the top craftsmen, designers, horticulturalists and entrepreneurs around the world. His resume includes an Honors degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Cornell University and an international work/study scholarship. This hardscape apprenticeship provided Jerry with comprehensive hardscape training in the United Kingdom and exposure to famous garden design throughout Europe.
Jerry has enhanced landscapes as far west as San Francisco and as far east as France with extensive training in Pennsylvania (Longwood Gardens), Delaware (William Frederick Jr.) and Vermont (Homestead Landscaping). All of this diverse field experience involving public gardens, private gardens, nurseries, design and landscape contracting prepared Jerry for his lifelong dream.
In 2001, Jerry returned to Voorheesville and founded Elemental Landscapes, Inc. Craftsmanship, professionalism and perseverance have been the secret to his success while forging relationships with hundreds of satisfied customers. Jerry’s growing team follow his company mission of improving lives by providing practical, affordable and responsible landscape solutions.
Jerry continues to work toward his goal of raising the standard of landscape design and construction throughout New York and beyond. He is the past President of the New York State Nursery & Landscape Association and remains very active on various committees. Jerry is a major proponent of education and enjoys sharing his knowledge with employees, professionals, homeowners and particularly students. He truly wishes for others to benefit from the green industry, as he has, while pursuing a career in the outdoors!
Aidan Strauss
Associate
Aidan joined our team in 2019 and has been a valuable member of our company. He is currently pursuing a degree in Construction Management at Roger Williams University. His work ethic will lead him to great things!
Abby Anders
Softscape Coordinator
Abbey graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Science from Eastern Connecticut State University. Following college, she completed the UConn Master Gardener program and took classes at the New York Botanical Gardens.
Abbey has always gravitated toward working outside; from being a camp counselor at a nature camp to working in nurseries grafting plant material. In 2017, she struck out on her own as a professional gardener along the shores of Long Island Sound in Connecticut where she remained self-employed for seven years. This involved maintaining perennial gardens, installing meadows, and using cover crops as alternative invasive weed control.
Looking for a change, Abbey moved to New York, where she became a plant healthcare technician. This position afforded her the opportunity to study and mitigate the effects of insects and diseases on ornamental trees and shrubs. This proved to be a great learning experience, but Abbey found herself yearning to get back to gardening.
Luckily, our paths crossed in the fall of 2024, and she has joined our team as our Head Gardener. Using Gertrude Jekyll’s perennial borders as her inspiration, Abbey hopes to bring more classic perennial gardens to the Capital District.
Outside of dreaming of flowers, Abbey enjoys knitting and embroidery, collecting depression glass, live music, and swing dancing. You will see that her positive attitude and youthful energy are invigorating!
Aidan Dutkiewicz
Technician
Aidan originally joined our team in 2020 and worked with us for one season. He returned in 2023 and has become a valuable team member who helps us out when his college is not in session.
Aidan is currently attending SUNY Oneonta, where he is majoring in physics. When not in school orat work, he enjoys fishing and martial arts. At a height of 6’ – 0”, Aidan is proud to be the tallest member of our team!
This Could be Your Mug!
Want to join our award-winning team and start a CAREER in the green industry? Click on the button below to find out more about our team and what positions are available.
