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January 30, 2024

Dear Friends of Untermyer Gardens,

The results are in, and they tell a compelling story of growth here at Untermyer Gardens: we welcomed 175,000 visitors in 2023, up from 150,000 in 2022. Our calculations are based on a combination of factors, including clicker counts taken by our volunteers on weekends and during the Illumination, the quantity of brochures used throughout the year, and registrations for tours and programs. It’s a real treat to know that the garden brings joy to so many!

Just before the harsh winter weather set in, we completed a beautiful 200-foot-long stone retaining wall along the carriage trail below Daffodil Hill. The original wall had largely collapsed, compounding the impact of storm damage to the adjacent carriage trail and the slope below. This urgent repair dovetails with our project to make major improvements throughout the mile-long trail. It will take years, but the result will be a properly drained road, free of ruts and rocks, that traverses the more natural portions of the garden and woodland, greatly increasing their accessibility.

I attended two ballets over the past year; one was Romeo and Juliet, the other an assortment of short modern pieces. I admit to being a bit old-fashioned, so I tend to prefer a narrative ballet that tells a story. This put me in mind of Untermyer Gardens, whose architecture and structure are so strong, they lead one in a carefully choreographed passage throughout the landscape.

Ginny Keim, one of our longtime Board members, maintains a cherished garden at her home and is also something of a poet. Here is a poem of Ginny’s that has particular resonance for garden lovers as we await the spring.

Do the zinnias know their bright blossoms

Continue to lift in a crushing world?

Do they say their own silent “thank you” for the last frost

(Not knowing what it portends)?

Do they know the joy they bring to our garden and table?

Do the dahlias know their late summer blooms sing for the bees?

Do they know our promise to dig them up,

To keep them safe for next Spring’s planting

Keeps our hearts safe—planning for

Another bright Spring?

The humanity of flowers lifts me up—

In this world—so stark, so inhuman.

Do the flowers know they are symbols of hope

For next year’s garden beauty,

For next year’s quiet beauty?

A haven for the swallowtails and monarchs, and bees

And for my hopeful heart.

Please take advantage of this year’s Winter Symposium on the subject of vegetable gardens, as well as our winter classes.

Join us on Saturday, February 4 for our annual Volunteer Season Kickoff. Learn about our volunteer programs, meet experienced volunteers, and tour the gardens (weather permitting). Please contact Maura May at mmay@untermyergardens.org for more information or to RSVP.

Timothy Tilghman, our head gardener, is back with a video about his preparation for this year’s vegetable garden.

Kind regards,

Stephen F. Byrns

President