If you’ve been to Langdon Hall, you’ve had the pleasure of walking the property or touring the gardens. Even if you’ve never set foot here, you’ve probably heard of the gardens and the magic they bring. The gardens play a special role in every aspect of Langdon Hall. They’re part of the food you eat, the drinks you enjoy and the displays you marvel at throughout the grounds or at an event.
Not everyone here can say they have a small hand in every part of the property, but our Head Gardener, Jeremy Gehl, can. Jeremy began his journey with Langdon Hall after joining the Grounds team in April 2018. He quickly became a leader within the group, but never wanted the title associated with it.
“I remember when I first started the team looked at me as a knowledgeable asset and as time went on I became sort of the de facto assistant – everyone knew it, but I never wanted the title because of the stress that can come with it.” Stress and mental health has played a big role in Jeremy’s career to-date, and it’s the catalyst in what brought him to Langdon Hall.
“Gardening became my passion, and I knew by taking a title I’d be taking on added stress with it. I worked hard to get away from that in the corporate world and didn’t want it to affect something I loved so much.” Despite this, Jeremy went above and beyond for Langdon Hall and his team every day, regardless of what his “title” may have been.
This is what made Jeremy the obvious choice for Head Gardener when the position became available in spring 2021, but rightfully, Jeremy was hesitant. “Never in one million years would I have expected to be where I am today,” says Jeremy. “I love coming here every day, but Head Gardener is a big role so I wanted to take time to really think about it.”
Jeremy decided to take on the role over the summer on a “trial” basis and absolutely loved it. “I’ve been looking at this garden for years thinking of things I want to do, but I’ve never had the authority to do it,” explains Jeremy. “Now, I have room to really put my own stamp on things.”
The past few months have presented Jeremy with a unique opportunity. By starting this position in one of the many lock downs throughout the pandemic, he was given time to settle into the role – it’s been full-steam-ahead ever since.
When Jeremy was recently approached about officially adopting the title “Head Gardener,” he happily accepted. “I realized I was still having fun,” he says. “That’s the most important thing to me.”
If you’ve been fortunate enough to visit the gardens as of late, you’ve seen Jeremy’s touch. His creative eye and graphic design background brings a unique perspective that has transformed the grounds. The best part? He wakes up every day excited to come to work.
“What I love about this job is that no matter how stressful it might get, I can come out here, do some weeding and just listen to the soundtrack of the birds. It sounds nerdy, but in those moments I feel like nature is giving me a pat on the back.” It’s these small moments of joy that recharge Jeremy and keeps him excited to come back to work every single day.
That’s really all we can ask for, isn’t it? Those moments of joy that bring us back down to earth and remind us of our purpose, of our passion. The passion Jeremy has for gardening and for Langdon Hall is unparalleled – you feel it in his presence and you hear it when you speak to him. Langdon Hall is a special place, and it’s people like Jeremy that bring that extra bit of magic to the property.
We are thrilled to officially welcome Jeremy Gehl as Langdon Hall’s Head Gardener and can’t wait to see what he does next. We won’t give it all away now, but trust us – there’s some fantastic things to come!