Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MArCH 8, 2024 Saugus Gardens in the Winter Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener M arch is Massachusetts Maple Month, and tomorrow, March 9, is Breakheart’s Maple Sugaring Day! Preparations for the event are underway. The Massachusetts Maple Syrup Producers Association is reporting an early start to the season due to warmer than average temperatures across the state. Maple syrup is the state’s first agricultural crop of the season to be harvested, and the length of the season depends on differences between day and nighttime temperatures, so every year is different. Sugar maples (Acer saccharum) are more common in northern New England and Canada, but can be found in eastern Massachusetts as well. Once night temperatures are above freezing, this harvest is over, so let’s savor the sweetness of the season and not be in too big a hurry for warm temperatures! Sunday we lose an hour of sleep but will notice the brighter evenings, and there are two holidays related to gardening coming up this week. March 11 is National Johnny Appleseed Day, which honors Massachusetts native John Chapman, and March 12 is Plant a Flower Day, which can be observed here by planting seeds indoors, or at least planning to plant when it gets a bit warmer. The ground is not as thoroughly frozen as it usually is in early March. One of our most intriguing fall blooming woodland shrubs is common witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), but a close relative from Asia is flowering in a few places around town this week. Hybrid witch hazel (Hamamelis intermedia) ‘Arnold’s PromCrocuses are blooming – a sure sign of spring! (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) ise’ has very similar bright yellow flowers but blooms in late winter. One place you can see it is at Prankers Pond near the parking area. People have been seeing crocuses blooming in the last few weeks, and I finally have one in flower in my garden. There are several crocus species that bloom early in spring. Mine is sometimes called woodland crocus or simply early crocus, although in Great Britain they are called “tommies” because of their scientific name. They are named after an Austrian botanist, Muzio Tommasini. The small very early crocus varieties are not always easy to tell apart. Several are also known as early crocus, and in German they are often called elfenkrokus due to their small size. Looking closely at the center of the flower, you can see the resemblance to the flavoring saffron, which comes from an autumn blooming crocus (Crocus sativus). In Spanish, these spring flowers are often called azafran de primavera, which translates roughly to “saffron of spring”. Other very early spring blooming varieties inThis hybrid witch hazel (Hamamelis intermedia) is now blooming near the entrance to Prankers Pond. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) clude spring crocus (Crocus vernus), which is also often purplish but has slightly broader petals, striped crocus (Crocus biflorus), which is purple and white, and golden crocus (Crocus chrysanthus), which has yellow flowers. Tommies tend to have purplish flowers with narrow sepals (three sepals and three petals, which are all the same color). They are often sold by nurseries and garden centers in mixed bulb bunches. Many small mammals and This hawk, which was perched near the Visitor Center at Breakheart Reservation, might be a red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus). (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) even some birds and slugs will eat crocus flowers and sometimes bulbs, so I often look for them with some anxiety in spring, wondering whether the flowers will return or not. Like tulips, both bulbs and flowers are edible and tasty, while snowdrops, daffodils, dwarf iris and winter aconite are less likely to be eaten by our local wildlife. Among the less familiar early bulbs are the dwarf irises, which include netted iris (Iris reticulata), Danford or yellow iris (Iris danfordiae) and the hybrid ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ (a cross between Iris histrioides and Iris winogradowii). Very low to the ground like the crocus, they are far less commonly planted in gardens. They are worth growing though, since they are rarely harmed by hungry animals. Netted iris are usually a bright blue with white and yellow nectar guide markings, and Danford iris are bright yellow with white markings, but in ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ iris, the nectar guides have reached an amazing level of intricacy, with deep blue stripes and spots as well as vivid yellow splashes. Another very early bloomer is the winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis), a buttercup relative with bright yellow blossoms. It does especially well in shade. The green leaves appear with the flowers, while with most of the other early spring bulbs the foliage reaches full size much later. 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 Saugus Garden Club and offered 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. Winter aconite is at peak bloom in Kelly Slater’s garden. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) he blue and yellow iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ doesn’t seem to mind this week’s raindrops in my garden. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener)
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