Reuters reports Leonard Green & Partners LP is considering selling Brickman Group Holdings, Inc. The value of the Gaithersburg, Maryland company could be as much as $1.5 billion.

In a 2010 ranking of the top landscape companies in the U.S. (sponsored by Bobcat), Brickman Group Holdings earned the number three spot, surmounted only by The TruGreen Cos. (#1) and ValleyCrest Landscape Companies (#2).

Leonard Green has owned a majority stake in Brickman since January 2007. The current Brickman CEO is Andrew Kerin, a former senior executive at ARAMARK Corp. (global food, hospitality and facility services).

Theodore Brickman Sr., a horticulturist for the Chicago Park District, founded Theodore Brickman Landscaping in 1939. Brickman's son, Dick, joined the company in 1954 after earning a degree in landscape architecture. Today, Brickman has over 160 branches in 29 states. The Brickman team includes landscape architects, horticulturists, designers, sports turf and irrigation specialists.