Landscape design & installation · Ambler, PA
Landscapes drawn by artists, built by craftsmen.
Since 1979, GLDesigns has turned overgrown yards and blank lots across Montgomery and Bucks County into gardens, patios and entries that still look right decades later. One team designs it, and our own craftsmen build it.
We start with a walk of your property, at your home.
Est.
1979
Designing and building landscapes for more than four decades
As seen on
Home Matters
Andrea Steinberg's work featured on the Discovery Channel
Associations
APLD · PLNA · PPA
Landscape designers, PA Landscape & Nursery, Perennial Plant Assn.
PA License
PA070480
Pennsylvania contractor license
Why GLDesigns
A painter’s eye, a grower’s knowledge, a builder’s crew.
Comparing landscapers isn’t like comparing refrigerators. You’re hiring for taste, listening and craftsmanship all at once. Here’s how we cover all three.
The eye
Trained in art, not just horticulture
Our team's backgrounds span fine art, design, photography and landscape architecture. We read your house, your interiors and your habits before we draw a single bed line.
The plants
Chosen by people who grow them
Andrea and Gary also run Gary's Perennials, selling hardy plants to the wholesale trade since 1984. Plant choices come from decades of watching what thrives here.
The build
Installed by our own master craftsmen
Carpenters, masons, master woodworkers, electricians and landscapers. The people who build your design are part of the team that drew it.
- “Designers are problem solvers.”
- “Good design looks like it was easy.”
- “Low maintenance doesn't mean no maintenance.”
Selected work
Gardens that look like they’ve always been there.
Recent residential projects across Montgomery and Bucks County, from full-property renovations to a single front entry.
Lower Gwynedd, PAMontgomery County 
New Hope, PABucks County 
Ambler, PAMontgomery County 
Fort Washington, PAMontgomery County 
Doylestown, PABucks County 
New Hope, PABucks County
Before & after
The house was there all along.
A front-yard renovation: overgrown shrubs edited out, the best plants kept or moved, and new planting that frames the entry instead of hiding it. Drag the handle to compare.
What we do
Design and build, under one roof.
A master plan for the whole property or one corner of it. Either way, we make sure the new piece improves everything around it.
Talk through your projectMaster plans
A measured base plan of the whole property, so every phase you build later fits the bigger picture.
Patios, walks & masonry
Patios reshaped to actually be used, walks that lead guests to the right door, and stonework that matches the house.
Planting design
Four-season color, natives that are easy to keep, and plants chosen to bring in birds, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Carpentry & lighting
Porticos, lattice, screened trash areas and landscape lighting, built by our own carpenters, woodworkers and electricians.
Garden furnishings
Official vendor for Campania International, Brown Jordan, Thos. Baker, Hammerworks, Whitehall and Twin Oaks Hammocks.
Ongoing maintenance
Once it's in, we can keep it looking the way it did on day one.
How it works
From the first walk-through to the first party on the patio.
Five steps, two meetings at your home, and a scale drawing you can hold before anything breaks ground.
Step 1: First meeting
We walk your property with you, talk about what you like and what you don't, and pick up your style from cues like your interiors. Then we agree on scope.
Step 2: Understanding your site
We measure everything, down to spigots and outlets, and photograph it all. That becomes a base drawing of your property.
Step 3: The design
We sketch several concepts before settling on one that balances your goals with sound architectural and horticultural thinking, and revisit the site to check it.
Step 4: Presentation
At our second meeting we present a scale drawing, photos of every plant and hardscape material, and a proposal for installation.
Step 5: Building it
Once you approve, we schedule construction to keep disruption low and finish as quickly as the weather allows.
Then enjoy it. Invite the neighbors. And if you’d like regular maintenance, we do that too.
Client reviews
What our clients say
I'm almost embarrassed to say, but when I came home and saw the changes, I actually hugged Andrea and said, 'It's worth more than we paid!' Our beautiful home was hiding behind large overgrown bushes… I felt that the house was transformed.
“You managed to maintain the real flavor of our woodsy environment while taming it and providing a wonderful array of plants that provided continuous blooms of one kind or another. A bonus that I hadn't figured on are the butterflies and hummingbirds we are seeing.”
Guy & BeckyLansdale, PA · Backyard & pond renovation “The circular design of the patio and its fluid connection with the walks makes for a seamless, integrated navigation and seating area. It also made the backyard appear much wider and interesting. We couldn't be happier with the end result.”
IS & PADoylestown, PA · New patio, walkways and landscaping “They reorganized our trees and changed the shape of our patio to make it so much more functional and pleasant to be on… They handled every aspect of the installation, down to the lighting. They exceeded our expectations.”
Ulrike & RainerLower Gwynedd, PA · Entire property and patio renovation “Andrea & Gary really listened to what we had to say and incorporated our ideas into the design plan… Now we've gone from the title of 'Worst yard in the neighborhood' to the 'Best.'”
Susan & DavidAmbler, PA · Patios, walks & exterior renovation “The landscape has a lot of natives and is really easy to maintain. There is always a surprise: some plants start blooming in February and there is color throughout the year.”
JBAmbler, PA · Backyard renovation
The designer
Andrea Steinberg
Co-owner and principal designer of GLDesigns, Andrea is a graduate of Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. She draws on a background in art and design and a deep knowledge of horticulture to create landscapes that feel inevitable once they’re built.
Her work has earned national recognition, including a featured segment on the Discovery Channel’s Home Matters, and she writes regularly for local newspapers and magazines. With her husband Gary, she also owns Gary’s Perennials and PerennialMarket.com, growing hardy plants for the wholesale market since 1984.
Since GLDesigns was founded in 1979, we’ve designed and installed projects from Hatboro to the Hamptons. Nothing beats returning to a garden years later and finding it has stood the test of time.
Professional associations
Where we work
Montgomery & Bucks County
From our base on Welsh Road in Ambler, most of our work is within an easy drive, including:
- Ambler
- Maple Glen
- Lower Gwynedd
- Fort Washington
- Lansdale
- Souderton
- Hatboro
- Doylestown
- New Hope
Larger projects have taken us into New Jersey and New York.
Questions
Before you call
Do you only design, or do you build it too?
Both. We design the landscape and install it with our own master craftsmen: carpenters, masons, woodworkers, electricians and landscapers. One team carries the plan from first sketch to final planting.
Can you work with the plants I already have?
Usually, yes. Many of our renovations keep the best existing plants, transplant others to better spots and remove only what's overgrown or struggling.
Will my new landscape be low maintenance?
We design for easy upkeep, often with natives and well-chosen perennials. As we like to say, low maintenance doesn't mean no maintenance, and we can handle regular maintenance for you if you'd like.
Can you design just one area, like a front entry or patio?
Yes. We take on full-property master plans and single areas alike. Either way, we make sure the new piece works with the rest of the property.
Where do you work?
Mostly Montgomery and Bucks Counties, from our base in Ambler. We've also designed and installed projects farther afield in New Jersey and New York.
How do we get started?
Call us or send the form below. We'll set up a first meeting at your home to walk the property and talk through your goals.
Start a project
Let’s walk your property.
Tell us a little about your yard and what’s bothering you about it. We’ll call to set up a first meeting at your home.
- Call
- 215-628-4070
- Studio
- 1122 E. Welsh Rd
Ambler, PA 19002 - License
- PA070480
