I first met Stephen Miotto back in 2016, when the Conservancy had just begun to think about restoring the mosaics at the Persian Pool in the Walled Garden. Stephen told me that at the start of his career he had actually worked alongside his family on a restoration of the Untermyer mosaics back in the mid-1970s. Now a preeminent mosaicist who has installed major public installations for New York City subway stations, Grand Central Terminal and around the world, Stephen has returned to our garden, grey-haired but eager! His crew will be at work over the next ten weeks or so to install the new mosaics, which match the original design. To ensure their long life, the mosaics will overlay an engineered concrete shell, and the pool’s water will circulate year-round to prevent freezing, cracking and buckling.
In my last newsletter, I ruefully commented on the invasion of lantern flies at the garden. As predicted, their honeydew has attracted sooty mold, resulting in unsightly stained leaves on many perennials; thankfully, the damage is aesthetic and their health is not affected so far. However, annuals are more vulnerable, and some of the vegetable crops may be at risk. We still have much to learn about this new foe.
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I am happy to report that we have begun to install plant labels. Several years ago, Timothy Tilghman tried out bamboo stakes, which looked good but never lasted more than two years. So, after trial and error, we have chosen an unobtrusive vertical stake made of anodized aluminum and laser-etched with the plant’s botanical and common names. About 100 have now been installed near woody plants in the Walled Garden, and over the years we plan to add more in various cultivated garden areas. They look splendid, and with a tilt of your head you can learn about some of our most distinctive plants.
The last Minnie Untermyer concerts are about to take place. Lori Belilove and the Isadora Duncan Dance Company return on Sunday, September 3, at 5:00 p.m. This will be one of the most ravishing performances of the series, with elegant dancing set to classical music on our enlarged stage. Then, Eléonore Biezunski & Friends will give a spirited performance of Yiddish music on Sunday, September 10, at 5:00 p.m., featuring international musicians on violin, accordion, bass, and vocals. The season concludes on Saturday, September 16, at 5:00 p.m. with the Mirror Visions Ensemble, a trio of vocalists accompanied by piano, who will perform classical and popular songs, including the Ballads of the Four Seasons, which Sir Arthur Bliss composed and dedicated to Minnie Untermyer in 1924.
We have a thriving volunteer docent program at the gardens, and this year added several school tours for children from pre-K through high school. Through this program we hope to introduce Yonkers students in particular to their own community’s public garden. We are recruiting tour guides now for the coming school year. Contact our volunteer coordinator, Maura May, for more information.
Our newest Board member, Cathy Ludden, is an outstanding horticulturist and native plant expert. A retired lawyer, she has a way with words, as you will see. I'm pleased to share an insightful article about tough invasive weeds that she wrote for the Greenburgh Nature Center, our friends to the north.
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
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