08/02/2020
“If you can’t enjoy w**ding, you won’t be a happy gardener.”
That’s the wisdom of Timothy Tilghman, the head gardener at Untermyer Park and Gardens in Yonkers, N.Y., above, a 43-acre former estate on the Hudson River. It was an eerily quiet spring and early summer without visitors, a result of the pandemic, but there is still work to be done.
The New York Times garden expert, Margaret Roach, spoke with Mr. Tilghman about his high-summer to-do list. It includes watering and w**ding consistently (and observing and noting what needs fixing), removing deadheads and grooming, keeping edges tidy, mulching, and preparing future beds.
Watering is critical right now, in the heat of August. Unless we get a half inch or more of rain, we still need to run that irrigation system. Deadhead the flowers, so they'll continue to bloom. And if you have blooming bromiliads in the house, be sure to rescue the pups when the blooms fade. (The mother plant will not bloom again – just cut it back and discard.)
