Nose Swiping

Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
 At the top of my list is to encourage you to attend our virtual symposium on woodland gardening. Timothy Tilghman, our head gardener, will moderate a panel of distinguished experts as they discuss native plants, local ecology, avian habitat, and aesthetics. This is a timely topic for us as we develop our Stumpery, which is on track to be the largest in the world, and for anyone who loves trees but finds it a challenge to garden under them. The virtual symposium will be presented live on Sunday, March 9, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and a recording will be made available afterward.

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As the lingering snow and ice have finally begun to melt, we are now moving into our Mud Season. Your best bet for a fairly dry walk is to stick to the woodchipped paths around the Temple of Love and the Rock and Stream Garden. If you plan to visit the Walled Garden, you might want to wear galoshes.

We try to be as environmentally friendly as possible, so the gardeners do the right thing by washing our thousands of plastic pots every winter so they can be used again. They have it down to a science, and you can see the pile of cleaned pots in the background.

The lowest segment of the carriage trail is situated directly above our neighbor, the Old Croton Aqueduct. It is supported by a crumbling stone retaining wall, which is in desperate need of repair and/or replacement. Thankfully, the City of Yonkers has agreed to fund the engineering work for this important project. Before any of the pre-construction design phase could begin, the morass of vines and climbing jungle had to be removed in order to expose the wall. This was recently done by our team, who were carefully protected against thickets of poison ivy, whose bark is as injurious as its leaves.

One of the great things about Timothy Tilghman is that he is quite accessible. Eagle Scout that he is, he has figured out how to answer his cellphone in the winter without taking off his gloves. As you may know, you can’t swipe a screen with gloved hands. His solution: he uses his nose!

With spring around the corner, our volunteer program is gearing up. Please consider joining the Conservancy as a weekend greeter, horticulture class gardener, or docent. Volunteers play an essential and valued role at Untermyer Gardens, helping to amplify the impact of our small organization. On Saturday, March 22, we will host our annual Volunteer Kickoff. If you'd like to attend, contact Maura May, our Education and Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected]. Learn more about our volunteer programs here.

Timothy Tilghman is back to talk about our winter treatment of the Persian Pool:

Warm regards,
Stephen F. Byrns
President