November 23, 2020
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
As the sun gets lower and the daylight shorter, we continue to prepare the garden for its winter nap. The fountains and canals have been drained, the aquatics removed, and the goldfish transported to the municipal greenhouse to await their return next spring. This is an essential annual procedure, but it’s always a bit sad.
Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
As the sun gets lower and the daylight shorter, we continue to prepare the garden for its winter nap. The fountains and canals have been drained, the aquatics removed, and the goldfish transported to the municipal greenhouse to await their return next spring. This is an essential annual procedure, but it’s always a bit sad.
A little-noticed change this year was Timothy’s decision to stop mowing the grass on the slope below the lower terrace of the Walled Garden and across the carriage trail. This is the first phase of what will become a 4.5-acre, 600-foot-long wildflower meadow sweeping toward the river. Farther down, we have been mowing some Japanese knotweed to death, hopefully, in preparation for more meadow.
Next year, we hope to remove another acre of grass, south of our front entrance driveway, to be replaced with native shrubs, part of an ongoing shift to grow more plants that will attract insects and birds. Less mowing, more birds.
Untermyer Gardens inspires many clever and creative responses. Read this wonderful poem from our dear friend and talented volunteer, Marilee Scheuneman:
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To our cultured friends of horticulture, Latin isn’t dead. We find this foreign language In every flower bed. Cryptomeria japonicae are rising very tall. A Davidia involucrata is growing near the wall. Albizia julibrissin is the Persian tree of silk. Araucaria araucana is a very ancient ilk. This is Yonkers’ Eden, how blessèd can we be. It means so much to everyone, especially to me. |
The beautiful but spiky Araucaria araucana, commonly known as the Monkey Puzzle tree, in our gardens is a descendant of trees whose forests were roamed by dinosaurs.
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Once again we are pleased to present Timothy in the garden:
Even in winter, this wonderful garden deserves an audience. We are currently open to visitors on a timed-entry reservation basis on Saturdays and Sundays; tickets are released every Tuesday morning on our website.
Your presence at the garden makes the hard work of our staff and volunteers worthwhile. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
Your presence at the garden makes the hard work of our staff and volunteers worthwhile. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
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