Celebrating Mehregan at Untermyer Gardens
The next time you're in the New York City area, I encourage you to visit Untermyer Gardens.
Last weekend, I attended a Mehregan gala, an ancient Persian harvest fair, hosted by the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy. The event was a fundraiser honoring celebrated photographer Firooz Zahedi. The evening included delicious Persian foods, music, dancing, and a performance by Iranian singing star, Sattar. Untermyer Gardens is an historic 43-acre park located in Yonkers, New York, not far from my home. The gardens were named after lawyer and civic leader, Samuel Untermyer, who purchased the original land from former New York State Governor, Samuel Tilden, in 1899. During the first 40-years of the 20th century, Untermyer, who was passionately interested in horticulture, developed the property with help from architect, Welles Bosworth, and made it one of the finest private gardens of its time. Today, the gardens continue to be lovingly revived and restored by the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This is the entrance to the Walled Garden of the Untermyer Gardens. It was inspired by the great Indo-Persian gardens of antiquity – originally intended to resemble a “paradise on earth.” Above the doorway is a carved stone plaque of a recumbent Artemis sculpted by Ulric Henry Ellerhusen.
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- Just inside the entrance is the first of four crisscrossing canals of the Walled Garden. Here, one can see the overhanging boughs of two majestic weeping beeches, Fagus syllvatica ‘Pendula’. The wide marble fountain basin spills into this central canal.
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- Here is a view of the same canal looking back to the entrance and the grand beeches.
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- This is called the Temple of the Sky, a roofless crown with its columns of Alabama marble, where legendary Persian singer Sattar performed later in the evening. The mosaic floor encircles a portrait of Medusa, the winged demon in Greek mythology.
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- Here I am in the Temple of the Sky with Drew Schuyler, assistant head gardener at Untermyer.
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- This is a view from the Walled Garden’s Lower Terrace looking out onto the Hudson River and the Palisades.
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- Below the Temple of the Sky is the ruined Persian Pool, once the swimming pool of the Untermyer family. Construction is underway to transform it into a reflecting pool.
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- Along the East Border of the Walled Garden is this Auraucaria auraucana, also known as the monkey puzzle tree or Chilean pine. I also have one in the greenhouse at my Bedford farm. There is also Dasylirion longissima, a Mexican grass tree on the left and azaleas on the right.
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- This section of the East Border features oakleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, and Persian silk tree, Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’ – showing the contrasting colors to the mostly green foliage of the early fall plantings.
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- Here, one can see the dried flower heads of Hydrangea quercifolia in front of an espaliered southern magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora ‘Edith Bogue’ which is flanked by two crape myrtles, Lagerstroemia indica.
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- This is a stoa, a covered portico or walkway according to Greek architecture. It is embellished with a group of potted tropical specimens including a container planted with various ferns: emionitis arifolia, Selaginella, Impatiens repens, Pteris cretica ‘Albolineata,’ Pteris ensiformis ‘Evergemiensis,’ and Pellaea rotundifolia.
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- Here is another canal leading to the garden’s Amphitheater with gorgeous green foliage along both sides.
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- Here I am in the open-air, Grecian-style Amphitheater where guests are often entertained by musicians, dancers, and other events. Seasonal container plantings line the back wall and include elephant ears, Alocasia, bird-of-paradise, and mixed containers with tall fuzzy fronds of dog fennell and Eupatorium capillifolium ‘Elegant Feathers.’
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- These Alocasia plants which were planted in the canal beds last year grew quite well and were repurposed into some massive planters in the Amphitheater this year.
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- In front of the Amphitheater are two sphinxes by noted Art Deco sculptor, Paul Manship, who was also famous for Prometheus at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The sphinxes are sitting on top of cippolino marble columns. The mosaic floor of the Amphitheater stage refers to designs at Tiryns and ancient Roman villas.
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- A reflecting pool below the sphinxes is filled with assorted aquatics and framed by a border of annuals that attract butterflies in warmer weather.
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- In this bed – Nandina domestica ‘Seika’ OBSESSION on the lower terrace contrasts nicely with the various hydrangeas.
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- This is the Hydrangea Border on the Lower Terrace with arching stems of Patrinia scabiosifolia reaching toward the path.
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- Here, the Hydrangea quercifolia is starting to show its signature fall color.
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- This is a stunning view down the Vista Stairs. It is enhanced by the 99 Cryptomeria japonica ‘Radicans’ and ribbons of Japanese forest grass, Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’.
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- After our tour of the Garden, we sat down to a delectable Persian entrée of grilled jujeh kabob and kabob barg; a bundle of sabzi, or greens; timbale of sabzi polo, which is herbed rice; grilled red, orange & yellow peppers, and plum tomatoes.
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- A lavish dessert buffet includes a selection of summer fruits, my own lemon meringue tartlets, assorted mousse shots, homemade chocolate barks, chocolate dipped fruits, chocolate clusters and truffles, Persian sweets baklavah, bamieh, sholezard, and graybeh, stuffed dates, marzipan fruits, knafe, koluchen yazdi, chay and rock candy, and a Persian tea station.
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- And here’s a night view of the Temple of the Sky looking out onto the Hudson River and the Palisades. It was a beautiful early autumn evening. For more information on the Untermyer Gardens, please go to the website, or just click on this highlighted link. If you are able to visit Untermyer, I know you will enjoy it as much as I do.
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