Peter Bevacqua & Stephen King

About

This magical garden is a private world hidden from street view in the hamlet of Claverack and has been evolving with devotion and care for the last 30 years. The 2-1/2-acre garden feels much larger because of its division into many garden spaces—spaces designed with a careful eye to structure, form, and texture. One area unfolds upon the next with its own sense of individuality. Among the features is the sun garden— formally laid out with topiary and surrounded by architectural yew hedges, but informally planted with billowy perennials that over the season blur the garden’s green architecture. There is a hydrangea walk, greenhouse herbaceous borders, and many unusual trees and shrubs. A boxwood cloud hedge, inspired by the work of Jacques Wirtz, replaces an old rose border, and a border consisting primarily of shrubs and small trees was designed for ease of maintenance while meeting the objective of structure, form, and texture. The garden continues to evolve. The addition of the 1/2-acre “Nearly Native Garden,” with its thriving beehives, adds another unique space to the mix. The focus here is primarily on native plants, with support from non-natives, to develop a special and unique plant community. But the thrust of the entire garden is to encourage biodiversity and habitat. The garden is featured in Gardens of the Hudson Valley (Monacelli Press), Private Gardens of the Hudson Valley (Monacelli Press), and Bevacqua is a featured designer in Garden Design Masterclass (Rizzoli) and the recent American Roots (Timber Press). The garden has been published in the New York Times, Berkshire Living magazine, Rose and Ivy magazine, New York Cottages and Gardens, and Gardenista.

This garden’s estimated size is 2-1/2 acres.

2025 Open Day:  Saturday, July 12

Hours: 10-4

Registrations are nonrefundable and nontransferable . Open Days are rain or shine events. Click here for FAQs.