40 Under 40, Class of 2020

Brent Markus

Company

InstantHedge, Rare Tree Nursery, Conifer Kingdom

Job Title

Founder

Accomplishments

• Manages three nurseries remotely. “I started as a landscape designer and while I’ve built my nurseries in Oregon I’ve also been building landscape design businesses in Chicago and Boston.”

• Developed and introduced InstantHedge (a finished modular hedge) to the U.S. market.

• Has grown 2,000 different varieties of conifer, Japanese maples and unusual woodies since 2007.

Extracurricular

Brent likes to collect vintage bourbon bottles and enjoys grilling for any size party. “I love to entertain.”

Fun Facts

“Horticulture has exposed me to so many amazing people — from selling Japanese maples to Martha Stewart to visiting famous collectors’ gardens throughout the world, it’s opened my world.”