Family. Craft. Community.
50 Years of Beautiful Outdoor Living.
Family-owned since 1975. Now led by the next generation.
A Family Legacy, 50 Years in the Making
The Gardeners was founded in 1975 by Jay Desmarais — then called Duxbury Gardeners — rooted in a love of the land and an uncompromising commitment to craftsmanship. What began as a small, family-run operation on the South Shore grew into one of the region’s most trusted names in landscape design, construction, and maintenance.
For Jay, the business was never just about the work. It was about the people behind it — the crews who showed up every day with pride, the clients who trusted him with their most personal spaces, and the family he was quietly building a legacy for.
In 2025, after fifty years of building something exceptional, Jay passed the torch to his sons, Kyle and Matt Desmarais. They didn’t just inherit a company. They inherited a culture.
The Gardeners owners Kyle Desmarais [left] and Matthew Desmarais [right] with dad Jay [center].
“To honor our family-run roots by investing in our people, empowering them to deliver exceptional craftsmanship and services that result in unmatched client satisfaction.”
Our ROOTS define who we are — guiding how we grow our team, serve our clients, and honor the legacy we’ve built.
Respect
We treat our team, clients, and partners with the care, trust, and respect of a family-run business.
Ownership
We take responsibility for our work, our promises, our outcomes, and doing what is right.
Opportunity
We invest in our people through training, support, and growth — empowering them to succeed.
Teamwork
We work together with shared goals and mutual respect, knowing that collaboration drives excellence.
Satisfaction
We are committed to delivering exceptional craftsmanship and services that result in outstanding client satisfaction.
Second Generation
Meet the Brothers
Kyle and Matt Desmarais didn’t step into ownership from the outside — they were shaped by this company from the ground up. Raised on the nursery their father Jay founded in 1975, they grew up absorbing the craft, the culture, and the standard of care that has defined The Gardeners for 50 years. In 2025, they officially took the reins as Co-Owners — not to reinvent what made it great, but to build on it with intention.
Two different paths brought them to this moment. Two different strengths make the partnership work. But the mission has always been the same: do exceptional work, take care of the team, and make sure every client feels the difference.
Kyle Desmarais
Co-Owner
Kyle Desmarais grew up on a nursery, which means he never really had a chance to fall out of love with the land. From odd jobs alongside his dad to working his way up to foreman on the landscape crews, the foundation was built early — and built well.
After earning his business degree from Quinnipiac University, Kyle spent a stretch in the corporate world before realizing what he already knew: he was built for something else. In 2006, he founded H2O Irrigation after spotting a critical gap in quality and expertise within the industry. Building H2O gave him deep experience on large-scale commercial properties and a clear conviction about what a high-performing, service-oriented team looks like.
Kyle joined The Gardeners in 2018 as a Project Manager — a role he loved for the direct client contact and the chance to shape outdoor spaces one project at a time. Today, as Co-Owner, his focus is on building from the inside out: developing great people, creating a culture worth staying for, and raising the standard for what a landscape company can be — for both its team and its clients.
Outside the office, Kyle is most at home with his family — cheering on his two kids on the ski racing circuit (which has taken them around the world), out on the boat in the summer, or deep in the woods. For Kyle, the outdoors has never been just a profession. It’s where he belongs.
Matt Desmarais
Co-Owner
Matt Desmarais didn’t choose landscaping — he was born into it. Raised on the same nursery his father founded in 1975, Matt absorbed the craft, the culture, and the standard of care that would later define The Gardeners long before he ever held a leadership title.
After playing lacrosse at Hartwick College and spending two years coaching high school lacrosse in San Diego, Matt came home to Massachusetts with a clearer sense of what mattered. He joined The Gardeners, eventually running the maintenance division and growing the business alongside his father.
In 2025, Matt and Kyle officially stepped into ownership together — not just continuing a legacy, but building on it with intention. For Matt, the responsibility isn’t abstract. It’s deeply personal. The mission has always been the same: deliver exceptional work, take care of the team, and make sure every client feels the difference.
When he’s not on-site, Matt is happiest outdoors — at the beach, up in New Hampshire visiting his parents, or quietly on the water with a fly rod. He and his wife Danielle are raising their two daughters, Riley and Dylan, with the same love of the outdoors he grew up with.