What does Ben Weatherstaff tell Mary about the robin?

Ben says the robin is his only friend and that it follows him around. The same robin later shows Mary where the key to the garden is buried.

How does Ben find out about the secret garden?

He looks over the wall from a ladder and sees the children inside. After that he is allowed into the garden and helps with the work.

From The Secret Garden

Ben Weatherstaff

Crusty Yorkshire gardener • Gruff but gentle

An old gardener who is gruff on the outside but gentle inside, and a friend to the robin.

Who is Ben Weatherstaff?

Ben Weatherstaff is the old head gardener, bent like an old tree, with a scowling face and sharp blue eyes. He barks at Mary at first, but his face lights up whenever his friend the robin hops near. Ben has a soft heart under his crusty outside, and once he discovers the children’s secret, he joins them in the garden every day to cheer them on.

Ben Weatherstaff is a character in The Secret Garden, the 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.

What is Ben Weatherstaff like?

Gruff
Tender
Loyal

Ben Weatherstaff’s story

Ben Weatherstaff is the old gardener who works in the kitchen gardens at Misselthwaite. He is a grumpy, plain-spoken man from Yorkshire, and he tells Mary that she is as sour as he is. His only real friend is a robin, which he calls by name.

Mary and Ben slowly come to like each other, and Ben tells her a little about the robin’s life. It is Ben’s robin that leads Mary to the key to the secret garden. He knows the grounds of the manor well.

Later Ben gets a surprise. He climbs a ladder and peers over the wall and finds the garden full of life, with Mary, Dickon and Colin inside. Ben’s rude question about Colin’s legs makes Colin so angry that he stands up for the first time. Ben has happy tears, and from then on he joins in the garden work and cheers the children on.

“I’m lonely mysel’ except when he’s with me”

Ben Weatherstaff, about his robin. From the original 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

A moment to remember

When Colin stands up on his own, Ben hurries into the garden with happy tears and tells him his legs are as straight as willow wands.

Mary Lennox: the girl he teases and befriends
Colin Craven: the boy who stands up in front of him
Dickon Sowerby: the young gardener he works beside
Archibald Craven: his employer

Talk about it

Ben seemed grumpy, but he was kind inside. Why is it important not to judge someone by how they seem at first?

Questions about Ben Weatherstaff

Who is Ben Weatherstaff?: Ben is the old gardener at Misselthwaite Manor. He is crusty and rude with most people but fond of the robin, and he becomes a friend to Mary.
What does Ben Weatherstaff tell Mary about the robin?: Ben says the robin is his only friend and that it follows him around. The same robin later shows Mary where the key to the garden is buried.
How does Ben find out about the secret garden?: He looks over the wall from a ladder and sees the children inside. After that he is allowed into the garden and helps with the work.