The two acre plus site at Datar’s Crossing along Rt. 17 in Sloatsburg is roomy and wide, and will eventually accommodate gardens and exotic plant and fountain displays to go along with its current big mulch bins and terraces cut into the hills. Arden Hill Nursery is both a labor of love and family business that is betting Sloatsburg is the perfect place to grow.

“I’ve  been doing this for over thirty years,” said Oscar Winfrey, who opened Arden Hill on Mother’s Day after much careful planning and construction. Winfrey worked at Matterhorn Nursery in Spring Valley for 12 years, but decided to branch out and make his own way, which led him to Sloatsburg.

“I saw this place in Sloatsburg,” Winfrey said, “full of debris and found a little nook and decided to open up a nursery.”

With a bustling business that includes installations, landscape design and maintenance throughout the area, Winfrey and his wife, Lindsay, have big plans for Arden Hill, named after the small Orange County hamlet off Rt. 17 near Southfields. Arden is also Lindsay Winfrey’s middle name.

“We want people to come in and enjoy,” said Lindsay, during a recent morning visit. “We want them to come in and have a good conversation about gardening.”

“What we’re gearing for is to educate kids about organic gardening,” Oscar agreed, “have them come and plant a small tomato or something — and watch it grow and treat it organically.”

Both Winfreys have a vision of Arden Hill as something different and changing — complete with rotating water displays and an organic garden and farmer’s stand, which is currently underway with a partnership with Pine Hill Farm, an organic and conventional farm near Chester. The offerings will start out with organic produce, tomatoes and corn.

Oscar said he’d like Arden Hill to have a certain wow factor.

“I want to be more of an attraction, to educuate people,” Winfrey said. “But we want to be available for our locals. They’re going to come in and buy the perennials and mulch.”

Speaking of mulch, Arden Hill sells organic bags of pine mulch and also has a bin of hardwood brown mulch, dyed black mulch, and top soil. Arden Hill will deliver  a scoop — or yard — of the brown hardwood mulch to local residents for approximately $30.

“We’re building, we’ll get more product in,” said Winfrey, excited to finally be up and running and open. “We’re starting a seeding area up above where the gazebo is,” he said, pointing up to the terraced hills at the back of the property. “We’re clearing that and later on we’ll have larger trees and shrubs toward the back. Mainly, right now, we’re focusing on the front retail display area and our carry out container products — annuals, shrubs.”

Both Lindsay and Oscar Winfrey imagine big things for the nursery — holiday parties with the nursery glowing in warm light. And concerts, with the BBQ area fired up and people milling about the water displays and plants. But they also want to become a growing part of the Sloatsburg community, a garden center and destination focused on organic gardening for the avid and seasonal gardener alike.

The couple is planting those seeds one bag of mulch and perennial container at a time, firm in the belief that as they build it, you will come.

Arden Hill Nursery is located at 185 Orange Turnpike, Sloatsburg, NY.