Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
During this quiet period before the happy horticultural storm ahead, a walk in the garden can reveal features often overlooked. Such was the case a while ago when I was walking on what we call “the machete path,” which was once so overgrown only a machete could tame it. I was looking at our twin ancient Roman columns at the bottom of the Vista from the side and noticed the hideous disfigurement of one of them. Last year in Rome, I met the expert on ancient marbles, who told me that later infill construction would sometimes carelessly cut into standing columns that were centuries old. These were truly the dark ages, perhaps akin to Untermyer Gardens’ dark ages before the Conservancy.
During this quiet period before the happy horticultural storm ahead, a walk in the garden can reveal features often overlooked. Such was the case a while ago when I was walking on what we call “the machete path,” which was once so overgrown only a machete could tame it. I was looking at our twin ancient Roman columns at the bottom of the Vista from the side and noticed the hideous disfigurement of one of them. Last year in Rome, I met the expert on ancient marbles, who told me that later infill construction would sometimes carelessly cut into standing columns that were centuries old. These were truly the dark ages, perhaps akin to Untermyer Gardens’ dark ages before the Conservancy.
Timothy Tilghman went to town with his chain saw last week, converting the trunks of fallen trees into much-needed rustic benches. Four new benches have been added to our picnic area, and a new cluster of three large benches reside near the carriage trail, looking up to the Temple of Love. This will become a new place where tour groups can rest after a challenging uphill climb from the Stumpery.
Bit by bit, our “fall clean-up” has been taking place in early spring. The beds in the Walled Garden, the Vista, and the Ruin Garden are now cut down, with the Vegetable Garden, the Temple of Love Garden, and the Rock and Stream Garden next in line. The native planting surrounding the front parking lot is deliberately being left untouched as long as possible as an example of the beneficial effects of “messy” garden beds on overwintering insects and pollinators.
Recently, I was amazed to see a whole new area cleared out by the gardeners. In a secluded corner of the woods, we now have a spacious secondary service yard, including two compost piles and stacks of stones and construction materials. This enabled the gardeners to transplant debris from the central stone outcrop around which our scenic parking lot revolves, turning a former eyesore into a lovely natural feature.
We are seeing a lot more birds here in the garden, and the more you know about them, the more you will appreciate hearing and watching them. Please consider attending one of the three bird walks coming up.
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrn
President
Stephen F. Byrn
President
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