September 12, 2019
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
September brings payoff in the garden. The flowers are at their peak, the weather is cooler with less rain, and weed growth tapers down nicely. What hasn’t tapered down are the butterflies and bees. Now you can see hundreds of them gorging on the riot of flowers. Swarms of them appear at the Temple of Love and at the north pool of the Walled Garden.
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
September brings payoff in the garden. The flowers are at their peak, the weather is cooler with less rain, and weed growth tapers down nicely. What hasn’t tapered down are the butterflies and bees. Now you can see hundreds of them gorging on the riot of flowers. Swarms of them appear at the Temple of Love and at the north pool of the Walled Garden.
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I am pleased to announce the completion of our first summer intern program, which employed seven students from Yonkers public high schools and resulted in Phase One of our newest garden, the Rhododendron Walk. Intended to evoke the lost but magnificent rhododendron collection of Samuel Untermyer, next to the new Ruin Garden, it consists of a gently sloped area with nearly 100 rhododendrons planted under towering trees. The kids were GREAT, and the results show it.
The great British horticulturist Christopher Lloyd said that color combinations in the garden work in ways not possible elsewhere. He urged people to put aside conventional notions of color coordination and be bold when planting. Our head gardener, Timothy Tilghman, has done exactly that in the pots that frame the top of the Vista. They are anything but timid, with bright scarlet playing against hot orange and other fiery tones.
This week we unveiled our first batch of interpretive signage in the garden. Fabricated of impressively thick sheets of metal, these signs are handsome indeed. One can learn about Samuel Untermyer, the Walled Garden, the Vista, the Gate House, and the Temple of Love. Over time, we will add this attractive and helpful signage elsewhere.
A flurry of special events is about to happen. Our concert of the American songbook, “Summertime,” is nearly sold out, and will take place this Sunday at 4:30. Building on the success of last year’s fall symposium, we will present on October 19 “Restoring Gardens: Contrasting Approaches to Historic Garden Design.” Shobha Vanchiswar will moderate a discussion with Timothy Tilghman and the executive directors of Lyndhurst and the Jay Heritage Center, exploring different attitudes toward the revival of these noted, Westchester County historic gardens. Other educational opportunities may be seen here.
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
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