Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
One of our most treasured volunteers, Chris Kenney O’Rourke, was struck by a car and tragically killed on her walk home from Untermyer Gardens on June 11. As a volunteer, Chris wore more hats than almost anyone—greeter, docent, garden class member, and more. A leader looked up to by many, she was the embodiment of kindness. We all loved Chris and will greatly miss her beautiful smile and spirit. She was a rare gift to the garden.
One of our most treasured volunteers, Chris Kenney O’Rourke, was struck by a car and tragically killed on her walk home from Untermyer Gardens on June 11. As a volunteer, Chris wore more hats than almost anyone—greeter, docent, garden class member, and more. A leader looked up to by many, she was the embodiment of kindness. We all loved Chris and will greatly miss her beautiful smile and spirit. She was a rare gift to the garden.
We will dedicate our July 9th concert in the amphitheater by the Westchester Philharmonic to Chris's memory. Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings will be performed, and a simple reception will follow.
The cool-season annuals along the canals of the Walled Garden put on such a great show this spring that it was sad to remove them. But the gardeners have filled the gap and installed a whole new planting of warm-season annuals that will mature at a height and scale not seen in previous years. Our assistant head gardener, Drew Schuyler, selected the planting, and he will describe what is there and the intentions behind the design in this week's video:
The cool-season annuals along the canals of the Walled Garden put on such a great show this spring that it was sad to remove them. But the gardeners have filled the gap and installed a whole new planting of warm-season annuals that will mature at a height and scale not seen in previous years. Our assistant head gardener, Drew Schuyler, selected the planting, and he will describe what is there and the intentions behind the design in this week's video:
Down in the Ornamental Vegetable Garden, another crop of cool-season plants had to be harvested. This was our inaugural vegetable planting, and everyone was delighted at how it shaped up. The elegant parterre layout, with circular beds quite similar to the ones in Samuel Untermyer’s day, really lent pizzazz to the colorful arrangement of lettuce, cabbage, and kale. The harvest was donated to three local agencies that distribute food to the hungry.
And if that isn’t enough, the gardeners rose to the challenge of planting a swath of about 700 herbaceous plants in the crescent bordering the front parking lot. They are all perennials, mainly native, and, we hope, unattractive to deer. The lion’s share was donated by the garden’s longtime friends Ira Feinberg and The Plant Group, the largest supplier of perennials in New England. The plants are of superb quality, and we are immensely grateful to Ira once again for his exceptional generosity. Many of the perennials seen at the garden come from the Plant Group.
As we turn the calendar to July, please consider attending one or more of our Minnie Untermyer concerts. On Sunday, July 9, the Westchester Philharmonic will return with a string quintet and feature Schubert’s great String Quintet, as well as other works by Schubert and Boccherini.
On Sunday, July 16, Townsley’s Jubilee Singers, a gospel choir from Brooklyn, will return to the garden after their smash performance last summer with selections of jazz, pop, Broadway, and hip hop, both sacred and popular.
On Sunday, July 23, Carlos Pavan and his Trio Concertante will perform classical and popular music for guitar, flute, and clarinet, including some works composed by Pavan himself. The guitar is perfectly suited to a garden setting.
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