THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MArCH 20, 2026 Page 11 REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS Copyrighted material previously published in Banker & Tradesman/The Commercial Record, a weekly trade newspaper. It is reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Warren Group. For a searchable database of real estate transactions and property information visit: www. thewarrengroup.com. BUYER1 Barrasso, Anthony Guy Damico, Angela Dejesus, Marcio King, Alexander Marshall, Jane Whitley Scheri, Aaron Stanco Jr, Amato Viana, Erlaine Melo BUYER2 Barrasso, Deeana Felicia Damico, Louis John Jesus, Marcio De King, Megan Notarangeli, Cole Chuha Stanco, Karen SELLER1 Brown, Hannah Sheehy, Nathaniel C Genica Grace Est Tom, Barry Penava, Amanda Gianatassio, Paul Wilson, Kimberly A 62 Chestnut Street LLC SELLER2 Brown, Tyler A Elliott, Crosby J Penava, Mato ADDRESS 12 Seagirt Ave 12 Atlantic Ave 9 Walden Pond Ave 38 Appleton St 27 Park St 93 Sweetwater St 1215 Sheffield Way #1215 62 Chestnut St #2 Saugus Gardens in the Spring Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener C rocuses (Crocus spp.) are among the earliest flowers to bloom in spring in our climate. Native to the Near East, they are usually classified as hardy bulbs by nurseries, but a botanist would say that crocuses grow from corms rather than true bulbs. Corms differ from bulbs in that they are swollen stem portions, while bulbs actually have dormant layers of leaves and often a flower bud preformed before they “sprout” in the spring. Since chlorophyll has not developed in either one, they do not look green until they begin to emerge from dormancy in spring. Corms contain starch, which serves as food for the sprouting plant until the leaves emerge into the sunlight and are able to photosynthesize. True bulbs, corms and tubers are all forms of geophytes, which evolved in climates that have severe conditions – usually very cold or very dry – during part of the year so that they thrive by actively growing only during milder weather. Most of our best-known hardy bulbs are indigenous to the Middle East. Tender bulbs and corms, such as gladiolus, which usually would not survive being outside in winter, are also considered geophytes. The tender geophytes must be lifted and stored in a freeze-free location for the winter. For practical purposes, hardy bulbs, corms and tubers are usually planted when dormant in fall, and once the conditions are right in the spring will grow and flower. Snowdrops usually are the first to bloom, somePussy willows (Salix spp.) Pussy willow catkins are among the first flowers to bloom in the spring. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) times even opening during warm spells in winter, which we really did not have much of this year. Crocuses are usually next, and the blossom time of crocus and snowdrop can overlap, as is happening this year. The snowdrops (Galanthus spp.) have very small true bulbs. In general, geophytes’ greatest enemy is too much water. They need good drainage, so avoid planting them in heavy clay soil, over solid bedrock, which does not permit good drainage, in swampy areas or in containers without holes or other openings that allow excess water to drain away. Many geophytes reproduce more effectively from offsets (bulbs), while the corms produce smaller versions of themselves, known as cormels, attached to the base of the “parent” corm. These new plants will be clones with the same DNA as the “parent,” unlike new plants produced by seeds, which will A big patch of purple crocus greeted shoppers at St. John’s Church for their Artisan Marketplace on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) usually have some DNA from two different parents. When I was growing up in Saugus, my family did not have snowdrops, so the first flower to bloom in our garden was crocus. We had a few little clumps that included purple, yellow and white varieties, mostly Dutch hybrids. While crocuses do tend to increase over time, there are several small animals who like to eat the flowers or corms. Voles will tunnel underground to eat the corms, and rabbits and mice are very fond of the flowers. Rabbits and other small animals have increased in numbers over recent decades, so crocuses are not always successful. However, despite seeing the signs of rabbits gnawing, and occasionally even seeing them in the garden during the winter and early spring, some of my crocuses survive. Last Saturday, there were some sturdy clumps of dark purple crocus at St. John’s Church on Central Street. The flowers were admired by many when they went to the Artisan Marketplace Saturday – from certain angles, the largest clump of blossoms looked heart shaped! are blooming now, and so are some Asian witch hazels (Hamamelis spp.). Pussy willows are wind-pollinated flowers, which do not need to be showy or fragrant because they do not need to attract pollinators. At this time of year, the cold weather and limited flowers make survival challenging for them, so it is just as well that the wind is all that is needed. The strong winds of Monday’s storm were very beneficial for wind-pollinated flowers like the catkins of willow, since staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flower parts grow on separate shrubs and trees, so the pollen needs to get to a different plant, not just to flowers on other branches of the same plant. Pussy willows are usually grown for their GARDEN | SEE PAGE 12 FURNISHED ROOM FOR RENT EVERETT CITY Saugus Saugus Saugus Saugus Saugus Saugus Saugus Saugus DATE 02.26.26 02.27.26 02.27.26 02.24.26 02.26.26 02.26.26 02.26.26 02.24.26 PRICE 625000 586000 445000 725000 705000 500000 590000 570000 1 bedroom, 1 bath furnished room for rent. $275. per week rent. Two week deposit plus 1 week rent required. Call: 617-435-9047 - NO TEXT
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