Closely Guarded Secret

April 17, 2025​

Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,

Everywhere you look at this time of year there is activity. Last week, in one day, our 11 gardeners and 15 members of the hort class planted more than 4,000 cool season plants, which now line the canals. The palette of snapdragons, pansies, kale, and cabbages will be a hot blend of yellows, reds, and oranges. Thanks to Drew Schuyler for the design and plant selection, which is always a closely guarded secret!

After a long winter in tight quarters in our greenhouse, the goldfish were released by our high school interns to a much more spacious environment in the canals. They are now quite plump, and we expect heavy breeding during the summer, so our current 75 goldfish will multiply to nearly a thousand! It sounds almost biblical.

If that weren’t enough, our water features are all up and running: the Walled Garden canals, the Persian Pool, the Ruin Garden grotto, the Temple of Love waterfalls and cascades, the Stumpery fountain, and the Rock and Stream Garden. Water, water everywhere!

Please also appreciate the Cherry Bowl, which is awash in various shades of pink. While the trees have been in place only since 2016, the gardeners have been assiduous in pruning them, giving them a beautiful form that will only grow lovelier with age.

Below the Temple of Love, Daffodil Hill is in full bloom, with tens of thousands of bulbs arrayed in sweeps, enabling one to walk on paths among them. Please come soon, as they will start fading shortly.

Finally, I am most pleased to announce our Minnie Untermyer Concert Series for 2025. Starting in early June and running through late September, we will have 11 concerts, our most ambitious season ever. There will be two performances each of dance, Persian music, and early music, as well as concerts that run the musical gamut—Yiddish, classical, American Songbook, jazz, and, for the first time, folk music, starring the legendary Tom Chapin. Every year, we ratchet up the quality and scope of our performers, using our sublime amphitheater overlooking the spectacular Indo-Persian Walled Garden. There is nothing like it, watching the birds and butterflies doing their thing amid the outstanding performances.

The garden is enjoying the brilliant bloom of early spring bulbs, whose short lifespans remind us how quickly things change in the garden. The consistent support of our monthly donors helps sustain us month to month and all year long. We often hear that monthly giving allows a donor to maximize their support in the long run. Please consider becoming a monthly donor and help ensure that the gardens remain beautiful and healthy throughout the changing seasons.

Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns, President