Pool Reconstruction Begins

September 22, 2022

Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,

At long last, the reconstruction of the Persian Pool in the Walled Garden is well underway. The crew from Glencar Water Gardens has removed the coping stones, drilled holes through three-foot-thick masonry walls, and traced the layout of buried pipes. The old ruined mosaic tiles will soon be covered, and the process of raising the floor of the pool and building new walls will begin. I cannot say how happy we are to have arrived at this point.

The sunflowers in the Vegetable Garden are a sight to behold. How did they grow so tall so quickly from seed sown directly in the ground just a few months ago? Was it the excellent compost hand-sifted by our high school interns and spread on top of the garden beds? Did the cover crop of clover planted there last year enrich the soil as we had hoped? Did the vigilant watering by our gardeners during the drought-like days of summer do the trick? As with everything here, it was a group effort. The formal yet quirky layout of the path through the sunflowers is almost like a forested maze, quite interesting spatially. I have never seen so many goldfinches flying around and gorging themselves on sunflower seeds.

Timothy Tilghman led a week-long archaeological dig right here in the garden to uncover the buried concrete gutters that line the mile-long carriage trail. This involved digging up yards of soil, removing weed trees that had grown over the gutters, and clearing away piles of stones from collapsed retaining walls. A few catch basins were uncovered. Who knows where the water originally drained? Are various pits nearby part of the original water management system? We will need to solve these mysteries as we find a way to deal with the heavy rainfalls caused by climate change.

Spotted lanternflies are now upon us and the rest of the region. They can do great damage in the garden, so we have removed several invasive ailanthus trees, which are an important host for them. There seem to be so many threats to the garden these days!

The other day, I encountered two pairs of people entering the Walled Garden. The first was a father and young son, who cried out in a delighted voice, “Oh my God, look at this!” The second was a newly married middle-aged couple who are frequent visitors. The woman, a long-time resident across the street, told me they needed a bigger apartment. I sadly thought that they would move away, but she said they hoped to find roomier quarters in their complex just so that they could stay close to the garden. Both those events made my day.

Looking ahead, I would like to recommend to those who have or know young children our second annual Family Fun Day. It will feature adventure tours through the garden, the once-a-year opportunity to fly kites on the great lawn, and a magic show. What better place to take your children on a fine fall afternoon?

Mehregan is the ancient secular Persian festival of thanksgiving. The Untermyer Gardens Conservancy will celebrate it in grand style on Sunday, October 2, with a gala featuring the world-famous performer Sattar, a delicious Persian dinner, and the traditional burning of esphand in fire pits for good luck. Tickets may be purchased below for the event, which helps support the garden. Please join us!