Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
Part of the rhythmic horticultural structure of the Walled Garden are the upright, fastigiate European beeches that line the paths flanking the canals. They echo the smaller trees from Samuel Untermyer’s day and add dignity to the magisterial Persian layout. Their downside is the extensive annual pruning required to keep them in proportion to the garden. The gardeners, of course, are up to the task with the help of tall ladders and pruners.
Part of the rhythmic horticultural structure of the Walled Garden are the upright, fastigiate European beeches that line the paths flanking the canals. They echo the smaller trees from Samuel Untermyer’s day and add dignity to the magisterial Persian layout. Their downside is the extensive annual pruning required to keep them in proportion to the garden. The gardeners, of course, are up to the task with the help of tall ladders and pruners.
Despite my deep familiarity with the garden, there are times when I am pleasantly caught by surprise. Timothy Tilghman and I recently went on a vehicular expedition through the garden that took us down to the evolving stumpery. Last year, when the gardeners removed some undergrowth near the carriage trail, they discovered two linked pits, whose purpose remains unclear.
Timothy took a shine to them and cleaned them out, while mentioning a desire to do something “woody” there. Voilà! A most interesting basketweave of branches is now being assembled around the pits. Timothy calls it our “dead hedge,” and best of all, it was built by our high school interns, sometimes using branches from the pruned beeches in the Walled Garden.
Timothy took a shine to them and cleaned them out, while mentioning a desire to do something “woody” there. Voilà! A most interesting basketweave of branches is now being assembled around the pits. Timothy calls it our “dead hedge,” and best of all, it was built by our high school interns, sometimes using branches from the pruned beeches in the Walled Garden.
Thankfully, climate change has not yet dried up Yonkers, which has received a good amount of rain this year. Visible in various areas in the woods are what appear to be small pools of vomit (sorry to be so blunt). Not a pretty picture, but what is it? According to Timothy, what we are looking at is slime mold.
Our last concert for August will feature Sonnambula in a performance of early music on Sunday, August 10, at 5:00 p.m. There will be a harpsichord, a viola da gamba, and a violin—good stuff! Looking ahead to September, we will offer three concerts: the folk singer Tom Chapin on September 7, Tom Gold Dance on September 20, and Marc Molomot and friends on September 27.
Our gardeners John Jacono and Liz Dreeben are co-leaders of our Youth Horticultural Initiative, which receives critical support from the Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation, the St. Faith’s House Foundation, Con Edison, and CDBG/HUD. In this video they will talk about developments in the ornamental vegetable garden, along with our latest team of Yonkers high school interns. As a teaser, here is a photo of an artichoke flower!
Warm regards,
Stephen F. Byrns, President
Stephen F. Byrns, President
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