September 22, 2020
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
I am happy to report that the outpouring of support for our virtual September Soiree exceeded our most ambitious projections. It is heartwarming to know how much this garden means to so many of us in this time of great tumult. Many thanks to the nearly 200 supporters of our most important fund-raiser of the year. It looks as if funding for the planned hoop house is nearly in place.
Each winter, in secrecy equaled only by a papal conclave, our gardeners place their seed order for annuals. Often led by Drew Schuyler, their choices are interesting and bold, hardly what you would buy at your local nursery. This year, the most over-the-top selection has to be Gomphocarpus physocarpus, a curious milkweed whose nicknames range from “Giant Swan Plant Milkweed” to the less refined “Hairy Balls.” The picture says it all.
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
I am happy to report that the outpouring of support for our virtual September Soiree exceeded our most ambitious projections. It is heartwarming to know how much this garden means to so many of us in this time of great tumult. Many thanks to the nearly 200 supporters of our most important fund-raiser of the year. It looks as if funding for the planned hoop house is nearly in place.
Each winter, in secrecy equaled only by a papal conclave, our gardeners place their seed order for annuals. Often led by Drew Schuyler, their choices are interesting and bold, hardly what you would buy at your local nursery. This year, the most over-the-top selection has to be Gomphocarpus physocarpus, a curious milkweed whose nicknames range from “Giant Swan Plant Milkweed” to the less refined “Hairy Balls.” The picture says it all.
Welles Bosworth, the architect of Untermyer Gardens, designed the gateway at the top of the Vista to be small in order to maximize the drama of seeing the magnificent Vista. This year, the potted plants flanking the gateway (including the aforementioned milkweed) block this narrow opening, forcing you to sweep them aside to pass through. This is not an accident or due to deferred maintenance. Timothy Tilghman, our head gardener, deliberately lets them grow to encourage people to come into real contact with these plants.
After their transcendent, sold-out performance a week ago, we are very pleased to announce a second performance in the Walled Garden amphitheater by Lori Belilove and the Isadora Duncan Dance Company at 5:00 pm on Saturday, September 26. Tickets, at $50, are available on our website. The dancers will perform where Samuel and Minnie Untermyer watched the original Isadora Duncan dancers in 1923, nearly a century ago.
I will lead our first off-site tour at the extraordinary Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx at 2:00 pm on Saturday, October 3. The highlight of the tour will be the Untermyer family memorial, which was built in 1925 when Minnie Untermyer died unexpectedly. Featuring sculptures by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and a landscape with echoes of our own garden in Yonkers, the mausoleum is one of the most impressive at Woodlawn. The tour will also visit the Art Deco Straus mausoleum, the Egyptian-style Bache mausoleum (including its interior!), and others that share a connection with Samuel Untermyer. Tickets, at $30, are available on our website.
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On Sunday, October 4, join us in the amphitheater for Autumn Gifts, a concert of art songs by Handel, Schubert, Previn, Bach, Schumann, and Coward featuring soprano Ilana Davidson, tenor Marc Molomot, cellist Jing Li, and pianist Alex Ruvinstein. Tickets are $40. This will likely be the last chance to enjoy music in the amphitheater this season.
Please note that all of our events require participants to wear masks and socially distance.
Please note that all of our events require participants to wear masks and socially distance.
Finally, Timothy is back with another video, this time about vignettes in the Walled Garden.
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