Donald Pell Gardens
Donald Pell Gardens is a privately held, founder-owned landscape design firm founded in 1998 that provides integrated design-build-maintain services for high-end residential and institutional clients in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic, anchored by a 14-acre studio and test garden.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersPhoenixville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Donald Pell Gardens does
Donald Pell Gardens is a privately held, founder-owned landscape and garden design firm founded in 1998 by Donald Pell and based in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The company provides integrated design-build-maintain services for high-end residential properties and select institutional clients across the Mid-Atlantic region, with a design philosophy centered on naturalistic, impressionistic compositions of native and cosmopolitan plants that evoke regional landscapes. Operations are anchored by a 14-acre historic farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, acquired in 2008, which functions as the company's studio, test garden, and small nursery for propagating harder-to-find plant varieties.
The core service offering is organized into three phases—Design, Build, and Maintain—each delivered directly by the company's in-house team of designers, horticulturalists, masons, and installers. Donald Pell personally oversees all garden layouts and hand-selects materials at nurseries and quarries, with the firm emphasizing ecologically self-sustaining garden ecosystems designed to require minimal supplemental watering and mulching once established. Revenue is generated through bespoke, quote-based professional services contracts that typically span multiple years from initial concept through ongoing maintenance.
The go-to-market motion is purely consultative and relationship-driven, beginning with onsite meetings, collaborative design development with the client and qualified building trades, and concluding with construction oversight and recurring horticultural maintenance. The firm has accumulated industry recognition through multiple Perennial Plant Association awards, Association of Professional Landscape Designers Gold and Silver awards, HGTV Outdoor Awards finalist placements, and consistent Best of Houzz recognition from 2014 through 2021, alongside media features in The New York Times, Garden Design, Fine Gardening, and Flower magazine. Ownership and control remain entirely with the founder, with no venture capital or institutional investor involvement, and no parent company or subsidiary structure in place.
Donald Pell Gardens firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Donald Pell Gardens
- Legal name
- Donald Pell Gardens
- Website
- https://donaldpell.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Donald Pell Gardens is a privately held, founder-owned landscape design firm founded in 1998 that provides integrated design-build-maintain services for high-end residential and institutional clients in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic, anchored by a 14-acre studio and test garden.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Donald Pell Gardens industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Landscape Design Services
- NAICS
- Landscaping Services (56173), Landscaping Services (561730), Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Native & Pollinator Garden Design/Install (HSAIABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Landscape Installation (Plants, Sod & Soil) (HSAIABAB), Garden Bed Installation & Planting (Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs) (HSAIAFAB), Garden Bed Design, Layout & Planting Plans (HSAIAFAA), Vegetable & Herb Garden Installation and Maintenance (HSAIAFAM), Garden Bed Weed Control & Hand Weeding (HSAIAFAH)
Keywords
Where Donald Pell Gardens is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Phoenixville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Donald Pell Gardens business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Landscape Design Services: Custom landscape and garden design services including conceptual design, site analysis, and design development. The process includes collaborative effort between clients, the design team, and qualified building and design trades.
- Garden Construction/Build Services: Primary role in construction of gardens and landscapes designed by the company. Includes site preparation, soil amendment, hardscape installation, and planting. Company maintains highly skilled team always on site to install and oversee progress.
- Garden Maintenance Services: Ongoing maintenance programs performed by in-house staff of highly trained horticulturalists and gardeners for gardens designed by the company.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Design Phase |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Build Phase |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Maintenance Phase |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Donald Pell Gardens product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Donald Pell Gardens is a landscape and garden design firm offering integrated services across three core areas: Design (onsite consultation, conceptual design, and collaborative development), Build (site preparation, soil amendment, hardscape installation, and planting by an in-house team), and Maintain (ongoing care by in-house horticulturalists). The firm creates impressionistic, naturalistic gardens inspired by regional landscapes for high-end residential and institutional clients in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Product overview
Donald Pell Gardens is a landscape and garden design firm offering integrated services across three core areas: Design (onsite consultation and conceptual development), Build (construction and installation), and Maintain (ongoing garden maintenance). The company operates from its 14-acre Phoenixville Studio test garden in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Projects span residential gardens, institutional landscapes, and public exhibits, with a focus on naturalistic, impressionistic garden designs that evoke regional landscapes. The portfolio includes named projects such as the Temple University Ambler Arboretum, Ardrossan Farm, Colonial Farmhouse Garden, and various residential gardens throughout Pennsylvania.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Design Services
- Build Services
- Maintain Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Gardens designed to require little to no supplemental watering and mulching once established
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Donald Pell Gardens
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Donald Pell Gardens technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Donald Pell Gardens partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered project-level.
- Moto Designshopproject-levelArchitectural firm that designed the modernist home 'Blackbird' at Ardrossan Farm. Donald Pell Gardens designed the surrounding landscape gardens for this property, working in coordination with the home's architecture.
- Studio Bryan Hanesproject-levelLandscape architecture firm that designed COR-TEN steel rain troughs for Gladwyne Garden II. The garden design by Donald Pell Gardens frames and maximizes views to complement these architectural elements.
- John Milner Architectsproject-levelArchitecture firm providing preservation services for the Stylized Meadow project along Taylor Run creek, in coordination with Donald Pell Gardens' landscape design.
- Griffiths Construction, Inc.project-levelContractor for the Stylized Meadow project, responsible for implementing the landscape design created by Donald Pell Gardens.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Donald Pell Gardens competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Tilly: Tech-enabled landscape design and installation platform focused on front and backyard makeovers — adjacent emerging player offering a more standardized, scalable alternative to bespoke landscape designers.
- Verdant Plant Care: Northeast horticultural care company providing ongoing garden and plant maintenance for high-end residential properties — comparable on the maintenance arm of Donald Pell's Design-Build-Maintain offering.
- Yardzen: Online landscape design platform connecting homeowners with designers for remote yard design — adjacent emerging player targeting a different (lower-priced, less bespoke) segment of the residential landscaping market.
Broad incumbents
- BrightView Landscapes: Largest U.S. commercial and residential landscape services company; offers design, build, and maintenance at scale across many geographies — broad incumbent in the same landscape services category.
Direct peers
- Oehme, van Sweden: Award-winning landscape architecture firm known for naturalistic, ecologically inspired garden design in the high-end residential and institutional market — directly comparable to Donald Pell's naturalistic, native-plant design philosophy.
- Hollander Design Landscape Architects: New York-area landscape architecture firm specializing in bespoke residential garden design and master planning with ecologically minded plant palettes — direct peer in the high-end residential landscape design segment.
- Janice Parker Landscape Architects: Boutique Northeast-based landscape architecture firm focused on high-end residential gardens with a strong naturalistic and horticultural emphasis — closely comparable in scale, client profile, and design philosophy.
- Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Design: High-end residential and institutional landscape architecture firm offering integrated design and master planning — closely comparable to Donald Pell Gardens' bespoke, design-led residential and institutional practice.
- Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture: San Francisco Bay Area-based landscape architecture firm focused on minimalist, modern residential gardens using plant-driven compositions — directly comparable on design quality, project scale, and aesthetic-driven positioning.
- Swift Landscape Design: Long-established Mid-Atlantic landscape design-build firm serving affluent homeowners in the greater Philadelphia region — direct regional peer with overlapping high-end residential client base.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Donald Pell Gardens social profiles
Digital presenceDonald Pell Gardens financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Donald Pell Gardens leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Donald Pell Gardens funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Donald Pell Gardens M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Donald Pell Gardens
What does Donald Pell Gardens do?
Donald Pell Gardens is a landscape and garden design firm offering integrated services across three core areas: Design (onsite consultation, conceptual design, and collaborative development), Build (site preparation, soil amendment, hardscape installation, and planting by an in-house team), and Maintain (ongoing care by in-house horticulturalists). The firm creates impressionistic, naturalistic gardens inspired by regional landscapes for high-end residential and institutional clients in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Is Donald Pell Gardens a public or private company?
Donald Pell Gardens is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Donald Pell Gardens founded?
Donald Pell Gardens was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Donald Pell Gardens based?
Donald Pell Gardens is headquartered in Phoenixville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Donald Pell Gardens make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Landscape Design Services are the primary driver. The others are garden Construction/Build Services and garden Maintenance Services.
Who are Donald Pell Gardens's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Tilly, Verdant Plant Care and Yardzen. BrightView Landscapes is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Oehme, van Sweden, Hollander Design Landscape Architects, Janice Parker Landscape Architects, Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Design, Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture and Swift Landscape Design.
Does Donald Pell Gardens have an API?
No public API is recorded for Donald Pell Gardens.
What industry is Donald Pell Gardens in?
Donald Pell Gardens's product category is Landscape Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAIABAG, Native & Pollinator Garden Design/Install, with a secondary code of HSAIABAB, Landscape Installation (Plants, Sod & Soil). Its NAICS code is 56173 and its SIC code is 700.