Ben Eaton had always wanted a secret garden, to walk through an enticing gate and into a different world. In 1989, he successfully realized his dream, dismantling three burnt out buildings, brick by brick, to create a nursery. The Secret Gardener is his headquarters to showcase his business as a landscape contractor. The nursery is a continual work in progress and his next projects include an arbor over the perennial beds for roses and clematis to climb, replacing the front fence, and building a patio with an outdoor fireplace at the back of the garden. Ben loves meeting people, tourists, visitors, and weekenders who wander in off of busy Warren Street and he has met the majority of his clients this way. His projects cover Columbia County and he happily works 7 days a week, 9 months of the year. Growing up in New Jersey and New York, he discovered his passion for landscaping while working at a nursery during college. He launched his business out of the back of a VW Rabbit and today employs a crew of 13, of whom he is immensely proud. Most come to him with little experience and are now master stonemasons. He has a vast collection of antique toys, with a fondness for little trucks, which are artfully displayed in the shop and make an appearance in the garden and are planted with succulents. He loves his clients, whom put faith and trust in his vision and he is delighted that his Facebook page garners likes from Hungary, China, Indonesia, and all over the world.
250 Warren Street, Hudson New York
