August 30, 2016
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens:
I am happy to report that the crumbling gatehouse did not collapse over the last year. Construction on stabilizing it has begun in the nick of time (thanks to the Gerry Charitable Trust), and new steel beams, lintels, timber frames, and a reinforced concrete bond beam at the top of the walls should put it in good order. We would love to create a Piranesian ruin filled with soothing green plants.
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens:
I am happy to report that the crumbling gatehouse did not collapse over the last year. Construction on stabilizing it has begun in the nick of time (thanks to the Gerry Charitable Trust), and new steel beams, lintels, timber frames, and a reinforced concrete bond beam at the top of the walls should put it in good order. We would love to create a Piranesian ruin filled with soothing green plants.
Near the very center of the garden along the carriage trail are huge piles of debris: tree trunks, compost, brush, and rocks. As more and more people come to visit and find new ways to traverse the property, we have become increasingly aware of this eyesore -- and increasingly less able to postpone attending to it!
So our stalwart crew of six has now sprung into action and is taking advantage of the August lull to get rid of this mess. We will now be able to see into the woodland for the first time, where we have dreams of planting a beautiful shade garden. Farther down the hill is a large area that was used by the City as a dump many years ago; it is now concealed by a rampant growth of Japanese knotweed. Dealing with that is something we will definitely postpone for some years!
So our stalwart crew of six has now sprung into action and is taking advantage of the August lull to get rid of this mess. We will now be able to see into the woodland for the first time, where we have dreams of planting a beautiful shade garden. Farther down the hill is a large area that was used by the City as a dump many years ago; it is now concealed by a rampant growth of Japanese knotweed. Dealing with that is something we will definitely postpone for some years!
Like the Little Engine That Could, we find ways to get a maximum done at minimum cost. I draw your attention to the Gates of Paradise as you enter the Walled Garden. There are times when we need to keep the gate closed, and we found that our mechanism was too strong for the door frame. So our Head Gardener, Timothy Tilghman (Eagle Scout, 1984), crafted a most unusual (and jury-rigged) closer: a low-tech pulley system with a tree trunk as a counterweight. It has never failed!
I am not by nature a neat freak, but I'm becoming obsessed with picking up litter in the garden, some of it decades old. Bottle shards, crushed cans, cigar wrappers, fast food containers -- the detritus of our wasteful and careless lives -- is something I cannot accept, so I find myself stooping frequently as Untermyer Park and Gardens makes its way from a trashed park to a treasured garden.
As I look out my window now, I see several Indian families making their way to the Walled Garden, gorgeously swathed in beautiful saris and madras shirts. Visiting our Indo-Persian garden, they are tasting a part of their heritage. The joy that our Garden of Eden brings to so many different people fills me with joy and increases my resolve to keep picking up the trash so that it is an inspiration to all.
As I look out my window now, I see several Indian families making their way to the Walled Garden, gorgeously swathed in beautiful saris and madras shirts. Visiting our Indo-Persian garden, they are tasting a part of their heritage. The joy that our Garden of Eden brings to so many different people fills me with joy and increases my resolve to keep picking up the trash so that it is an inspiration to all.
All my best at the end of a beautiful summer,
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
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