Last Hurrah

September 30, 2025​

Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,

As we move ahead into autumn, it is time to give thanks to our outstanding team of gardeners. Their skills become ever sharper, and their work ethic is unsurpassed. You need only tour around the garden to see the exacting level of maintenance they provide. Led by Timothy Tilghman, we thank them for an outstanding year and look forward to a burst of planting during the cooler days ahead.

The Stumpery is the scene of much activity right now as a series of stone cairns is being assembled as a counterpoint to the plethora of stumps accentuating the landscape. They will house a surprising water feature, to be revealed next spring. Also underway is the installation of a whimsical rustic seating area that will overlook the entire Stumpery, perhaps one day with a subtle river view!

My favorite horticultural “last hurrah” of the season is the panorama of asters sweeping down the hillside adjacent to the Temple of Love cascades. Short, medium, tall—they are often covered with pollinators greedily ingesting the tasty offerings of the flowers. Yum-yum, they seem to say!

The grasses in the ziggurat beds flanking the Persian Pool are quite dense and shaggy now. While their geometric pattern is a bit blurred at the moment, they make a novel statement where one would expect to find a planting of flowers. It’s nice to be surprised.

Please note that our annual Family Fun Day will take place on Sunday, October 5. This is a great opportunity to bring children to the garden for a picnic on the grass, a magic show, a visiting menagerie of pettable animals, art projects, a scavenger hunt, and more in a magical setting. Much of the Walled Garden will be reserved for you and your little ones, so please indulge them.

​Timothy Tilghman is back to share progress in the Stumpery.

Kind regards,

​Stephen F. Byrns, President