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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022 Page 13 SAUGUS GARDENS IN THE WINTER Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener J ust like that the ground was white again! And a few hours later it had all melted! The cycles of warm days alternating with cold wind and snow are certainly keeping us on our toes. One day the mailman walks up the street in shorts, and the next he is fi ghting blizzard conditions. When you look down at the ground, green leaves of daffodils and other bulbs are peeping out, and when you look up into branches the fl ower buds of red maple (Acer rubrum) are brighter red and larger than they were a few weeks ago. Winter is not yet over but it is beginning to lose its stronghold, and hints at the coming spring are all around. While we tend to admire evergreens for their winter appearance, some deciduous trees and shrubs also have features which attract attention in winter. One of the wild shrubs that attracts attention is the speckled alder (Alnus rugosa). Anyone walking near a pond or stream will notice the small strobili and catkins on the twigs. Alders are not closely related to conifers, but coincidentally have evolved to have a fruit with similar appearance. The strobili look like small pine cones and are the fruit which developed from female fl owers. The male fl owers or catkins are brownish, drooping and narrow, and like the strobili are noticeable throughout the winter. This species and the very similar hazel alder (Alnus serrulata) grow in wet areas and do not thrive in ordinary garden soil. Alders are members of the birch family, and when their foliage emerges in the spring it will have a BUDGET | FROM PAGE 1 before leaving last June 30 – had drawn criticism for not lobbying hard enough for School Department budget increases. DeRuosi last year requested a School Department budget of $30,073,439 – a 1.68 percent increase. Town Manager Crabtree’s proposed operating budget for Saugus Public Schools, which Town Meeting approved, was about $29.9-million – $300,000 over the Fiscal Year 2021 budget. A centerpiece of McMahon’s first budget she has crafted since becoming the district’s first woman superintendent is the introduction of a Dean program – one staWINTER ART: Ice melting and reforming on the surface of Birch Pond creates diff erent patterns every day. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) somewhat similar shape to those of birches. Another deciduous shrub that is grown primarily for its winter appearance is red twig dogwood (Cornus alba). The stems are an ordinary brownish tone in the summer, but as the chlorophyll in the leaves and stems begins to fade, it uncovers red pigments in the bark. The brightest red bark is found on branches younger than three years old. Selectively pruning out older stems in winter will encourage development of new growth with the most intense bark colors. Also known as Tatarian dogwood, this species is from Asia. The popular variety ‘Ivory Halo’ has white edges on its foliage, so this variety has additional beauty during the growing season. A native species which has similar reddish winter stems is red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea). This is abundant along the Saugus River in Breakheart Reservation, and colonies of it can be seen in North Saugus in swampy stretches along Water Street between Walnut Street and the tioned at each of the three school buildings – as a way to support and promote positive behavior. She said the program would cost $225,000. The Dean program is one of three key requests and a cost containment factor that McMahon highlighted in her budget message. She also cited: * A signifi cant increase in out of district placements for special education. “The return to in person learning after a period of remote learning has resulted in behavioral dysregulation in our most vulnerable special education population,” the superintendent said. “Out-of-district placements for special needs students rose Wakefi eld border. Both species prefer wetter than average soil. Back on January 28 I reported that two waxed amaryllis bulbs from last year had developed green buds at the top of the bulbs, after not being planted or watered for the entire year. The waxed bulbs are extremely low maintenance and fi t easily in a small space, like a windowsill, so even though the likelihood of a second year of bloom is not extremely likely, they should not automatically be thrown out after the fi rst year. One of them is now in bloom, while the other’s emerging bud and foliage dried up before fl owering. The one that is blooming has one good stalk with four red, greenish and white streaked blossoms. I would still recommend planting amaryllis bulbs in the traditional way in a pot with soil for greater likelihood that the bulb will continue to produce fl owers for years to come. A succession of amaryllis bulbs is one good way to get through the winter until our outdoor bulbs start to come up! to just over $4 million this year. While this is also true across the Commonwealth, the impact for Saugus is an increase of $805,874 … associated with providing out of district placements.” * Costs associated with contractual agreements related to salaries are rising by $548,065. In addition, the Saugus School Committee enters into negotiations with all three unions – Saugus Educators’ Association, Saugus Educational Assistants Association and Saugus School Clerical Association along with three vendor Requests for Proposals. “In order to enter into these negotiations in good faith, we are planning for an additional A CLUTTERED WINDOWSILL: The green waxed amaryllis bulb has produced a nicely fl owering stalk for the second year in a row, while the pink waxed bulb produced foliage that turned brown and withered quickly. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) DOGWOOD: In a Lynnhurst garden a red twig dogwood (Cornus alba) shows the opposite branching and budding pattern typical of the dogwood genus. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) FEED FEATHERED FRIENDS: A male cardinal sits in my front yard during a snow squall, reminding everyone that February is National Bird Feeding Month. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) Editor’s Note: Laura Eisener is a landscape design consultant who helps homeowners with landscape design, plant selection and placement of trees and shrubs, as well as perennials. She is a member of the Sau$575,000 increase,” the superintendent said. * Cost containments. School district enrollment has declined by almost 200 students over the past four years, with more families choosing private, charter or home school options. Two years ago, Crabtree’s proposed budget included $30,075,250 for the School Department – a $500,000 increase over the 2020 fi scal year budget approved by Town Meeting. But the amount earmarked for Saugus Public Schools in the manager’s spending plan for the 2021 Fiscal Year was still $1.9 million less than what the School Committee voted unanimously to support. ALDERS: Along the edge of Birch Pond along Walnut Street, both female “cones” and male catkins can be seen. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) gus Garden Club and off ered to write a series of articles about “what’s blooming in town” shortly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was inspired after seeing so many people taking up walking During a workshop meeting earlier this month, Crabtree and selectmen discussed the merits of removing teacher health and pension benefi ts from the town budget and shifting it to the School Department budget. Selectman Jeffrey Cicolini asked Crabtree what the process was for accomplishing that transfer. “You can just put it over there [in the School Department] and say you’re responsible for it,” Crabtree said. “We keep giving them money and net school spending keeps going up and up,” he said. Crabtree said school-related spending by the town takes up 67 percent of the entire town budget.

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