Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,
The garden is in brilliant form as it slowly builds to its end-of-summer climax, with September being the absolute peak. The plants are flourishing, the weeds are largely under control, and the edging is nice and sharp. With the ample rain we had this season, it is looking pretty lush, too.
The garden is in brilliant form as it slowly builds to its end-of-summer climax, with September being the absolute peak. The plants are flourishing, the weeds are largely under control, and the edging is nice and sharp. With the ample rain we had this season, it is looking pretty lush, too.
There have been three separate masonry teams working here this week: one to repair the Vista stairs, one to finish urgent repairs to the Temple of the Sky podium, and one to install the limestone coping at the Persian Pool. Once the coping is complete, the mosaicist can begin to lay the pool’s new mosaic lining, the culmination of years of planning – not to mention fundraising.
I noticed a sticky substance on the stair railings of the Rhododendron Walk and wondered if our gardeners had been spraying nearby. Our assistant head gardener, Drew Schuyler, explained that this is the “honeydew” (i.e., droppings) of the spotted lanternfly, the invasive insect that has descended in droves here at Untermyer Gardens and throughout the Hudson Valley. A side effect of the honeydew is the growth of black sooty mold, which, unfortunately, will start to appear on nearby plants. At the moment, we are taking a wait-and-see approach.
In my last newsletter, I called attention to the lotuses blooming in the center of the Walled Garden. They still are flowering abundantly, but now their seed pods are more evident. To me, they resemble shower heads.
Our Minnie Untermyer concert this month will feature the popular Victor LaGamma Quartet performing jazz favorites on Sunday, August 13. This annual treat in the Walled Garden will occur as a beautiful August weekend winds down. Be sure to buy your tickets soon. Remember, it was Henry James who said that the two most beautiful words in the English language are “summer afternoon.”
WNYC’s Amy Pearl recently broadcast a three-minute segment on public radio about our ornamental vegetable garden, which is tended by Yonkers public high school students. You can find it here. I love our intern’s comment about purple pesto!
Kind regards,
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
Stephen F. Byrns
President, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
RSS Feed