In the industry of landscape design/build firms, few have the history of Gale Nurseries. Founded in 1927, Gale Nurseries’ roots are in garden design and maintenance, later expanding to landscape architecture and project management. Now in its fourth generation of family leadership under President Christine Gale, the great-granddaughter of the founder, the company continues to impress and inspire with its artistic designs and attention to detail.  

 “I always knew I would be involved in the family business,” says Gale, who has a bachelor’s in business and management and a master’s in landscape architecture. She is continuing the legacy of delivering the best product while keeping customer service top of mind. House & Home spoke with Gale about their various services and why their level of expertise matters.

How is the company different today than it was when it first began?
We started as a nursery, and specialized in growing  and maintaining landscapes. When my grandfather took over the business, he became a landscape architect, which allowed us to design our own landscapes, not just maintain ones by others. As we grew from there, we’ve added different divisions. Now we can walk onto a site and do everything, except maybe build the house.

What are some of the different landscape elements you can design and build?
Anything homeowners might want, we’ve done, including vineyards, custom fire pits, custom pools, zip lines, in-ground trampolines, high-end chicken coops and vegetable gardens with raised beds made of granite—those are really popular now.  

How do you approach a project?
We design from the inside of the house out. We want to match the lines of the landscape with the lines of the home’s interior. When we visit a client, we want to know what their lifestyle needs are: do they need an outdoor kitchen; a pool? Once we know the scope of the work, we’ll create conceptual sketches and present them to the client to see what’s working or what isn’t and fine-tune the design from there. Once we have a strong conceptual design, we go into details and obtaining permits.

Garden design and maintenance remains one of your specialties. Why is this an important piece in landscape design?
We started out as a nursery so we really do know our plants. The way I’ve always looked at planting design is it’s the icing on the cake. It finishes everything off. We do grow a lot of specialty plants ourselves and use some things that others don’t, like delphinium—we’re known for that. That expertise also means we’re in tune to the trends. Clients are looking for sustainability in their gardens, and they also want more perennials—plants that will come back year after year. We’re also aware of things that threaten a garden. Deer are a problem for a lot of people in this area. We’re seeing them eat plants we haven’t seen them go for before, but there are still some plants—daffodils, begonias and thuja plicatum—that tend not to get hit as hard. The spotted lanternfly is also moving into this region and is an invasive species.

Why is it important for homeowners to use a company like yours with not only the experience but also an emphasis on the health of a garden?
One of the advantages is we start a project and stay on it for generations. We’re still doing maintenance and annual designs for projects my grandfather created. We are concerned with customer service and listening to clients and delivering the best product and services. There can be a lot of ego in design, but we really listen to the clients’ needs, taking into consideration when things bloom and making sure the clients are there to enjoy it. We are experts in classical design, but can deliver any style that suits the client, including contemporary and native styles as well.

Gale Nurseries
Gwynedd Valley, Pa. | (215) 699-4714
GaleNurseries.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 19, Issue 9 (March 2019). 
For more info on House & Home magazine, click here. 
To subscribe to House & Home magazine, click here. 
To advertise in House & Home magazine, call 610-272-3120.