THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021 Page 13 SAUGUS GARDENS IN THE PANDEMIC Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener S pring flowers are everywhere you look! The forsythia (Forsythia intermedia) displays its yellow flowers all over town, and many varieties of ornamental cherry (Prunus spp.), plum (Prunus spp.) and pear (Pyrus spp.) are now covered in pink or white blossoms. Last Friday’s rain, and a bit of snow in midafternoon, helped alleviate the drought and gave a little encouragement to our gardens. At Huberman’s on Vine Street, the pansies (Viola wittrockiana) are out on the tables, and many other plants are in the greenhouse waiting for slightly warmer weather before they make their debut outside. Dan Huberman says the pansies are safe to put outside because they tolerate frosty nights better than many other flowers. People from the Cliftondale neighborhood have lost no time going over to choose from among the many colors and styles. One of the earliest shrubs to flower is the Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica). One of its nicknames is lily-of-the-valley shrub because the white, bellshaped flowers are very similar to the popular shade perennial lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), which is not closely related despite the similarity of the flowers. The flower buds are actually formed in late spring of the previous year, so the flowers blooming now were developing back in May of 2020, and they were noticeable all through the fall and winter. There are several varieties of andromeda, and even a few with pale pink flowers. The andromeda at the Cliftondale Fire Station are among the tallest in town, and they must have been planted deA WIDE ARRAY OF COLORS: pansy selection at Huberman’s. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) PICKING OUT THE FLOWERS: Rajkumar Nava helps Oviya Rajkumar, 5, choose pansies at Huberman’s on Vine Street. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) cades ago. Unlike the forsythia, which blooms before its foliage emerges for the season, andromeda has leaves which remain deep green all winter. Once the flowers finish this spring, the shrubs will put on some new growth, produce additional leaves, which will be lighter green for a while in late spring, and produce buds that will become the flowers of 2022. Andromeda is in the heath family (Ericaceae), the same family as rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel (Kalmia spp.) and cranberries (Vaccinium spp.), most species of which also have evergreen leaves. Highbush and lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum and Vaccinium angustifolium, respectively) are also in this family, and have small, bell-shaped flowers similar to the andromeda although their foliage is not evergreen. All of the members of this family like acid soil, which is usually what we have in eastern Massachusetts. Cherries, plums, pears and apples are all members of the rose family (Rosaceae). The first three bloom before their leaves emerge, but apples usually flower at about the same time or even a little after the leaves emerge. There are many kinds of cherry tree – some are bred to have tasty fruit, while others are valued for their flowers and the shape of the tree, and their inconspicuous fruit is not valued as a food. Ornamental cherry trees may be round crowned, vase-shaped or weeping, depending on the variety. Cherry trees have been grown and hybridized for so long in Japan that it is sometimes impossible to tell what wild species were the ancestors of these trees. Weeping forms of ornamental cherry are often grafted onto trunks of more upright trees, making it possible to have weeping cherries of varied heights, depending on where the graft was made. Sometimes, when the tree is under stress from storm damage, over-pruning or even drought, buds from the trunk will grow up through the weeping branches and form a more upright shape on top. These portions of the tree will often have somewhat different flowers and leaves than the weeping branches. It is wise to remove these sprouted portions if you wish to continue to have a weeping tree, since the trunk growths sometimes become stronger and overpower the more desirable shape of the tree. The white flowering ‘Snow Fountains’ is one of the most popular white weeping cherry varieties. Depending on where the graft was taken, these may be dwarf tree forms of less than 10 feet. The beautiful white weeping cherry in the front yard of the Trumpler family of Lynnhurst is only about 6 feet tall, but its location above a retaining wall shows off the tree shape to great advantage, and it is in full bloom now. The Trumplers also have another weeping cherry in the side lawn and a beautiful pale yellow magnolia (Magnolia soulangeana hybrid) also blooming nearby. Some of these may have been planted by the Parker family who lived in the house almost 50 years ago and who had a private greenhouse here. The current residents have planted some lovely new flowers of their own, including some fluffy, split-cupped daffodils which have avoided being devoured by bunnies. 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. BEAUTIFUL TREE BLOOM: yellow magnolia blossoms at the Trumpler family home. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) IN FULL BLOOM: Weeping cherry in front of the Trumpler family home in Lynnhurst. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) SAVORING SPRING: Fireman Patrick Cross at Cliftondale Fire Station enjoys the andromeda’s spring bloom. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener)
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