THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MAy 10, 2024 Page 17 Saugus Gardens in the Spring Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener H ave you noticed two flower colors on one magnolia tree on the Roby School lawn? Both trees have pale yellow flowers, but a single branch originating near the base of the stem on one tree (on the right as you look at the school from Main Street) has pinkish blossoms. This can happen when the top part of a plant is grafted onto the rootstock of another closely related plant. Grafting is often done to make propagation easier or because the desired plant’s roots won’t thrive in certain locations (as is often the case with roses), or to produce a plant shape that can’t be developed naturally (as in the case of some weeping cherries). A branch originating below the graft line will produce stems and flowers with the genetic makeup of the rootstock, so you might get some upright stems on the weeping cherry coming from the trunk just below the graft. Another reason you can find two different flower colors on the same plant would be spontaneous mutations on one branch or even just one individual flower. These are often referred to as “sports.” Certain kinds of plants often produce sports. Variegated wintercreepers (Euonymus fortunei ‘Moonshadow’ and others) often have branches that revert to the solid green of the species, and some of these interestingly colored plants themselves originated as unusual sports that were then propagated as cuttings at a nursery. The bright purple flower of money plant (Lunaria annua) turns to “silver dollars,” which are often enjoyed in dried arWatch out for this plant – it’s poison ivy! (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) rangements. Also known as honesty or silver dollar plant, it may come as a surprise that it is in the cabbage family (Brassicaceae). Occasionally, it may have white flowers. While the blossoms are colorful and pretty, the most memorable feature of the money plant is its disc-like seed pod, known as a silicle. While often called siliques, technically siliques must be twice as long as wide, while silicles have a less elongated shape. Since the silicle is transparent and shiny, the tiny seeds inside are easily visible, which may be the reason for the name honesty. In the Victorian language of flowers, it often stands for this virtue when used in bouquets. It can also symbolize a wish for prosperity. When used in dried arrangements, the pod can last for many years. While it does not need to be pressed to be preserved as some flowers do, because of its flat shape it can be kept in a book or framed for aesthetic or sentimental reasons. This plant has natuOne of the yellow magnolias on the Roby School lawn has a branch with pink blossoms. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) ralized almost everywhere in temperate climates but is not on the prohibited list in Massachusetts. Some of the more elaborate nicknames in English are moonpennies and money-in-both-pockets. They spread easily from seed, but do not transplant well. Since they are annuals, this may make it difficult to keep them where you want them in the garden. New birds are still arriving as the weather gets warmer. I haven’t seen a hummingbird yet, but a few people around town have seen them at their hummingbird feeders. A Baltimore oriole has recently arrived in my garden, although most of the other species have been here for several weeks. Annuals are showing up in the nurseries, but we still have a few weeks before all danger of frost has passed so tender plants should still be in containers that can be covered or brought indoors if frost threatens. Also, remember to protect yourself against insects, such as ticks and mosquitoes, while out working in the garden, and be on the lookout for poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). Birds sometimes drop seeds from fruits they have eaten, and May is the most common time for poison ivy exposure because many people are out working or walking in the nice weather for the first time this spring. Yellow ranunculus in pots by the flagpole at the post office look good in bud, full bloom or even a bit gone by. (Photo courtesy of 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 perenniA Baltimore oriole (Icterid galibula) finds a lot to sing about this week, arriving to find a few warm days. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) als. 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. Silver dollar plant has a colorful flower, but is better known for its interesting dried seed heads later in the season. (Photo courtesy of Margie Berkowitch)
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