Blog Archives

Everywhere You Look

4/26/2023

Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,

Everywhere you look there is something to see. As our garden restoration is so young, it is exciting to see plants that only a few years ago were quite small begin to fill in. The lilacs are over the top in their fragrance and beauty, with redbud trees packing a colorful punch and fothergillas putting on a fine display.

We recently made another advance in our effort to render more of the garden accessible with the installation of a paved, low-slope path leading to the Temple of Love gate. This will allow visitors in wheelchairs to more easily enjoy portions of the Temple of Love and the Rock and Stream gardens, as well as the view of the Cherry Bowl, Daffodil Hill, the Hudson River, and the Palisades. Stay tuned for more progress on this continuing initiative, which last year saw the addition of two ramps that make the amphitheater fully accessible.

With our busy season at hand, the Conservancy is in need of volunteers to help as Garden Greeters on weekends. Our Garden Greeters are stationed under the tent near the entrance to welcome visitors, answer questions, and collect donations. If interested, please complete this form.

The Ornamental Vegetable Garden has just been given its first planting of cool season edibles, which will be followed by two more plantings this year, one of warm season crops followed by cool season crops again in the fall. We hope that most of the caretaking of this exciting new garden will be done by our Yonkers high school interns. Note the tuteurs for climbing plants made by our gardener Liz Dreeben out of Hudson River driftwood.

I am pleased to unveil our 2023 Minnie Untermyer Concert Series, now in its third year. Ten performances will take place in the renovated amphitheater, whose stage has been enlarged to allow more sprawling dance performances. With the backdrop of the magnificent Walled Garden in full view and with birds and butterflies flitting about, it’s hard to imagine a more beautiful setting for a summer concert. The performances range from classical to popular music, as well as dance.

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In the weeks ahead:
Click on any event to learn more or purchase tickets

Sunday, April 30 Garden History Tour: Vegetable Gardens to Temple of Love
Saturday, May 6 Container Planting Workshop with Maryam Farzaneh
Sunday, May 7 President's Tour
Saturday, May 13 Tree Tour of Untermyer Gardens: Walled Garden
Sunday, May 14 Garden History Tour: Walled Garden to Vista

Geared Up

4/4/2023

Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,

With spring at hand, we are gearing up for the season and making the garden shipshape for our visitors. A substantial effort is required to make our five current water features operational: the gardeners have been cleaning the canals, mucking out pits, and charging water lines. Our plan is to turn the water on this weekend if all goes well.

The daffodils below the Temple of Love are a vivid harbinger of spring, with their sunny colors and captivating fragrance. If you look in the woods, you can see remnants of a simpler type planted by Samuel Untermyer more than 100 years ago. They live a long time!

Not to be outdone, some charming low-growing bulbs are flowering near the Temple of the Sky.

The stairs flanking the Temple of the Sky and leading to the lower terrace are based on the design of the monumental stairs in the courtyard of the Doge’s Palace in Venice. As part of the Persian Pool construction, we have added lighting to the stairs. I couldn’t be more pleased with the simple, unobtrusive fixtures selected by our lighting designer, Jerry Kugler. The pool itself will be fitted with underwater lights, which will be a splendid addition to our Holiday Illumination come December.

Starting this weekend, our stalwart volunteer greeters will be in the welcome tent to answer questions and help visitors enjoy all the delights of the garden. Also at the tent, our book, Forgotten No More: The Restoration of Untermyer Gardens, may be purchased for $20 or picked up if it was purchased online.

Our schedule of public tours begins on Sunday, April 23. As we did in 2022, we will offer two separate history tours; the improved garden is now too big to cover in a single tour. One covers the Walled Garden to the Vista, the other the Vegetable Garden to the Temple of Love. Both tours offer outstanding interest and beauty; tickets may be purchased here.

Everywhere You Look

Geared Up

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