About Us / Company

Tom Schuster Landscape Concepts, Inc. is located in Reno, Nevada, is fully bonded and insured. As a small company we focus on the relationship with our clients, they come first. We build custom installation teams for each project individually depending on project size, complexity and schedule using skilled professionals that are also licensed, bonded and insured.

MISSION: We strive to create beautiful, harmonious outdoor spaces that are sensible, functional, environmentally cohesive and simply a lot of fun to experience.

Sustainability is paramount and needs to be at the forefront of our communities and we have answered by creating our own holistic program “ARCHETERRA”, a fusion of traditional landscape architecture and wildlife support within every project.

AFFILIATIONS: We are proud members and in close connections with organizations like Nevada Native Plant Society, Lahontan Audubon Society, Tahoe Institute of Natural Science, GBBO, iNaturalist and local garden clubs to continue learning about our environment and sharing knowledge and know-how. Special contributions have been made by volunteering as leading and supporting field trips and assisting national bird and butterfly counts.

“We are so glad we hired Tom do design our backyard! We ended up doing a complete overhaul on our backyard which was a big project and Tom was with us every step of the way.” Rebecca Kuhle

Biography -Tom Schuster (Dipl.-Ing., RLA)

Tom Schuster was born and raised in Munich, Germany, and lived there until 2000, when he moved to the United States.

He graduated from a Bavarian Gymnasium (equivalent to Junior College) in Biology and Latin, Chemistry and Geography and currently holds the German titles of “Gärtner” (which stands for a Certified Landscaper after a 2-year apprenticeship), “Diplom-Ingenieur in Landschaftsarchitektur” (which stands for an Engineer in Landscape Architecture after a 5-year university education) and the American title “Landscape Architect” with registration in Nevada. He also obtained several industry-related certifications such as ICPI Paver Installer, NCMA Wall Installer and Green Industry Nursery Worker. 

Tom designed, installed and managed residential landscape construction projects in Germany and Italy from 1993-2000, and has been designing and managing residential and commercial landscape construction projects in Texas, California and Nevada since 2000.  His international expertise lies especially in horticulture, themed landscapes and construction techniques for a broad array of outdoor landscape features. As an artist he always expressed his ideas and visions privately mainly in paintings and professionally within his landscape designs. In Texas, he also designed metal art for two years. Tom currently is the president of Tom Schuster Landscape Concepts, Inc.

He provides landscape designs and project management for residential and commercial design-build projects and incorporates art within his projects in the greater Reno-Tahoe area in northern Nevada.Locally, he is also a member of the Nevada Native Plant Society, the Lahontan Audubon Society, the Tahoe Institute of Natural Science and iNaturalist and has led field trips and provided volunteer efforts with those organizations. Tom’s backyard is WWF-certified as “Wildlife Habitat”. See photos in gallery.

In his spare time, Tom enjoys studying natural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and discovering their species all around the world and pursuing artistic activities.

Awards

LA Trophy Award – Residential Installation

Nov 2018 Nevada Landscape Association (NLA)

2. Place – Vigil Residence (Reno, NV) (collaboration with Landart; design and layout of plants, water feature and Zen Garden; installation by T&T Lawns Plus)

LA Trophy Award – Residential Installation

Nov 2014 Nevada Landscape Association (NLA)

2. Place – Bailey Residence (Reno, NV) (complete design; installation by Gail Willey Landscaping)

TMWA “Water-Efficient Landscape Award – “Design by Professional”

Sep 2008 TMWA

1. Place – Sullivan Residence (Reno, NV) (complete design; installation by Gail Willey Landscaping)

Yard of the Month Award – Residential Landscaping

Nov 2002 South Shore Harbour Community Association

Hartley Residence (Houston, TX) (complete design; installation by Bluebonnet Landscaping)

Gardens Visited and Studied

In Germany
  1. Sanssouci
  2. Gartenanlage-Gedenstaette Karl Foerster
  3. Pfaueninsel 
  4. Botanischer Garten Muenchen-Nymphenburg
  5. Sichtungsgarten Weihenstephan
  6. Schlosspark Linderhof
  7. Schlossgarten Nymphenburg
  8. Westpark Muenchen
  9. Englischer Garten Muenchen
  10. Schlossgarten Schleissheim
  11. Schlosspark Herrenchiemsee
  12. Insel Mainau
  13. Westpark Muenchen
In Austria
  1. Hellbrunn
  2. Schlossgarten Schoenbrunn
  3. Schlossgarten Belvedere
In Italy
  1. Isola del Garda
  2. Orto Botanico di Pisa
In United States
  1. Airlie Gardens (Wilmington, NC)
  2. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (Tucson, AR)
  3. Balboa Park Gardens (San Diego, CA)
  4. Biltmore Estate (Asheville, NC)
  5. Botanical Gardens at Asheville (Asheville, NC)
  6. Brookgreen Gardens (Pawleys Island, SC)
  7. Conservatory of Flowers (San Francisco, CA)
  8. Descanso Gardens (Los Angeles, CA)
  9. Desert Botanical Garden (Phoenix, AZ)
  10. Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden, The (Seattle, WA)
  11. Hakone Gardens (Sarasota, CA)
  12. Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden (Hilo, Hawaii)
  13. Houston Arboretum and Nature Center (Houston, TX)
  14. World Botanical Gardens and Waterfalls Hilo, Hawaii)
  15. Huntington Botanical Gardens (San Marino, CA)
  16. International Rose Test Garden (Portland, OR)
  17. Japanese Garden (Portland, OR)
  18. Japanese Friendship Garden (San Jose, CA)
  19. J. Paul Getty Museum, The (Los Angeles, CA)
  20. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Austin, TX)
  21. Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (Palm Desert, CA)
  22. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens (Charleston, SC)
  23. Middleton Place (Charleston, SC)
  24. Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis, MS)
  25. North Carolina Arboretum (Asheville, NC)
  26. Portland Classical Chinese Garden (Portland, OR)
  27. Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s Botanical Garden (Kingsville, MO)
  28. Regional Parks Botanic Garden (Berkeley, CA)
  29. San Francisco Botanical Garden/Strybing Arboretum (San Francisco, CA)
  30. Sara P. Duke Gardens, Duke University (Durham, NC)
  31. Tucson Botanical Garden (Tucson, AR)
  32. University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
  33. University of California, Davis Arboretum (Davis, CA)
  34. University of California, Riverside Botanic Gardens (Riverside, CA)
  35. University of Nevada, Reno Arboretum (Reno, NV)
  36. Walt Disney World Resort (Orlando, FL)
  37. Washington Park Arboretum and Japanese Garden (Seattle, WA)
  38. Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Garden (Reno, NV)
In Thailand
  1. Bang Pa-in
On Sri Lanka
  1. Various Botanical Gardens
On Teneriffa (Canary Islands, Spain)
  1. Teide National Park 

Further interesting botanical sites/habitats visited and studied:

United States National Parks visited and studied
  1. Arches
  2. Badlands
  3. Big Bend
  4. Biscayne
  5. Bryce Canyon
  6. Canyonlands
  7. Capital Reef
  8. Carlsbad Caverns
  9. Crater Lake
  10. Death Valley
  11. Everglades
  12. Hawaii Volcanoes
  13. Joshua Tree
  14. Kings Canyon
  15. Olympic
  16. Petrified Forest
  17. Pinnacles
  18. Redwood
  19. Saguaro
  20. Sequoia
  21. Yellowstone
  22. Yosemite
  23. Zion

… and innumerable other State Parks and Nature Preserves.