Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2023 Saugus Gardens in the Spring Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener O n Sunday morning, many people will be leaving church with a frond of a tropical plant, as this will be Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week before Easter. On April 6, we can hope to see the fi rst full moon of spring, often called the pink moon after the spring blooming moss pink, also known as rock phlox (Phlox subulata). Even though the branches are still mostly bare, there are many flowers popping up from bulbs in the ground and some blossoms beginning to emerge from branches before the leaves come out. Snowdrops are still blooming, and the larger Dutch Giant crocus, about twice the size of the earliest crocus species, are in bloom. They seem to be faring a bit better in my neighborhood than last year, when the blossoms were almost all devoured by rabbits. The popular striped variety ‘Pickwick’ is a very old hybrid, one of the parents usually believed to be spring crocus (Crocus vernus). Snow crocus (Crocus thomasinianus) — sometimes nicknamed “tommies” — Sieber’s crocus (Crocus sieberi) and golden crocus (Crocus chrysanthus) are three other spring crocus varieties that are commercially available. Unfortunately, the fl owers are sometimes eaten by rabbits and the bulbs are eaten by voles and squirrels. Most springs, we don’t see many daffodils (Narcissus spp.) blooming outside until April. This year, there are many of them in bloom already in south-facing gardens. Those growing in shade or on north facing slopes may still take another week or more to open up. The daff odil season is actually fairly long, since there are daff odil varieties that typically bloom as late as May. Daff odils’ nodding heads ensure that the perianth of sepals provide a built-in umbrella to defl ect April showers from the petals forming the trumpet or cup and the pistils and stamens inside them. Daffodils have become the most popular spring bulb in many areas, as they are not favorite foods of rabbits, deer or other wildlife. There are many diff erent kinds and the fl owers on many are large and showy enough to be seen from a distance. They survive and often multiply for many decades. Like other hardy bulbs, most daff odil bulbs need several weeks of cold weather before bloom, not a problem in our climate. A few daffodil varieties like ‘Paperwhite’ (Narcissus tazetta ‘Paperwhite’) grow naturally in warmer climates and can fl ower indoors without a pre-cooling period, but they will not survive a New England winter outdoors. The evening chorus announcing the arrival of spring has started in and around ponds in the woods. Spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) are chirping in vernal pools, seemingly with extra gusto after last Monday night’s rains. Their highpitched calls can be heard up to a mile away if there is not too much traffi c noise, and it is made by male frogs to attract females for breeding. These tiny light brown frogs are only about an inch and a half long and tend to quiet down when people approach. They tend to live in woods near vernal ponds or year-round ponds, and most of the chirping occurs at night A purple fi nch lands on the weathervane to see which way the wind is blowing. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) Dutch hybrid crocus ‘Pickwick’ has lilac and white striped petals and sepals. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) in March and April, although they may start later and continue into June in northern New England and Canada. They can be found as far south as Florida and as far west as the Mississippi River. A colorful bird that has begun hanging around my garden this year is the house fi nch (Haemorhous mexicanus). While the female is primarily brown, the male has quite a bit of red, especially on his head and breast. They have become year-round residents. Although these birds were originally western species, they were introduced to Classic bright yellow daff odils bloom in a south-facing garden on Main Street. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) the eastern part of the country and are now quite numerous. 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 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. Just one of the delightful Easter decorations in Tonya Chadwick’s garden on Appleton Street; the bunny in its Easter egg-mobile and train of chicks welcome spring to the neighborhood. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) This miniature daff odil growing in a glass in the window gives a glimpse of what happens underground as well as above. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener)
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