Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, May 15, 2020 Saugus gardens in the pandemic Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener T hese three trees can be seen in abundance in every neighborhood in Saugus. Two are Rose family members like the early flowering cherries, pears and plums, but the third, flowering dogwood, is unrelated to the trees we were seeing earlier in the spring. All three species are in demand because of their showy flowers but also their modest size – they can even be used as street trees because major branches do not usually interfere with power lines. Pop quiz: What color are the flowers of the dogwood? If you said pink or white, you are not quite right!! The true flowers are tiny, yellow, and occur in clusters surrounded by four modified leaves, called bracts, which may be pink or white and which unfold just before the flowers open, and which fall once the flowers fade. At that point the green leaves which will last all summer are beginning to open up. When fall arrives, there will be clusters of tiny oval berries if the flowers were pollinated, and birds will flock to eat them, and the green leaves will turn bright red before falling. Flowering dogwood is native to the east coast of the United States. It is more common in the wild farther south, but before the fungus became such a problem, I used to see them growing wild in Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, their flowers visible from the parkway in spring. Fifty years ago this was the most popular Mother’s Day tree, but a fungus disease made homeowners search for other alternatives near the end of the 20th century. There is a lovely pink flowering dogwood on the Roby School lawn, planted in memory of Ruth G. Mohr, in full bloom right now. Two others are near the back door of Town Hall. An older white one can be found in the shade in a corner of the Saugus Ironworks parking lot. Of IN FULL BLOOM: This lovely pink flowering dogwood is on display right now on the Roby School lawn. It was planted in memory of Ruth G. Mohr. (Courtesy Photos to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) all the flowering trees we have mentioned so far, the dogwood tolerates shade best. Like the earlier flowering cherries and other members of the rose family, crabapples have five petals on their flowers. The main difference between crabapples and the apples we find in the supermarket is that those bred for eating are much larger and usually sweeter. Not all crabapples are sour, but those that have become popular as ornamental trees have much smaller fruit, usually ½ inch or less, to make fall cleanup easier. Crabapple trees come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes; fruits may be yellow or red when ripe; and the flowers range from white to pale pink to deep magenta-pink. While leaves on most varieties are green, some of those with darker color flowers will have burgundy foliage. White crabapples bloom on the hillside of the Ironworks where the rangers like to stop to point out the features of landscape and archeology during tours. There are two beautifully shaped pale pink ones on the grounds of Town Hall, one near the corner of Taylor Street and one near the corner of Hamilton Street. Kwanzan cherries are the last of the ornamental Asian cherries to bloom. The flowers are double, which means they have multiples of five petals on each flower. The flowers are abundant, bubblegum pink and are in full bloom just as the copper colored leaves begin to unfold. The leaf color is very distinctive but it gradually becomes greener as it matures. The leaf color in the fall is spectacular, too, turning a bright orangey-red in October. There’s a big Kwanzan cherry behind the old Hamilton Street fire station, on the Taylor Street side of the building. The library has a line of three – two large and one that was planted a year or two ago, near its Taylor Street entrance. At Riverside Cemetery, one leans over the small office next to the Winter Street wall, and a few more are growing along Shute Brook. For many people it just isn’t spring until the lilacs bloom. Finally they are here. Lilacs are native to the Near East, but they have been very popular in New England for centuries, and they thrive in cold weather regions of the United States. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was considered good luck to plant them at the corners of your house and on both sides of the front door. Common lilacs can reach 15 feet tall, and as they produce suckers at the base, they can spread quite a bit over time. They may survive shade but they won’t bloom well unA SCENT OF THE SEASON: For many people it just isn’t spring until the lilacs bloom and emit their fragrance. And who can resist exposing at least one nostril from their face mask to enjoy this fleeting pleasure. SHADING THE GRAVES: At Riverside Cemetery, this Kwanzan cherry tree leans over the small office next to the Winter Street wall. less they are in full sun, so as trees grow up around them, they may become mostly leaves with few if any flowers. For a shrub that blooms just a few weeks in May and has no bright fall color, you might wonder why they are so popular – until you breathe in the scent. More than anything else, it is the fragrance that draws people to them and brings back memories of other springs. If no one is nearby, you might not be able to resist exposing at least one nostril from your mask to enjoy this ASKS | from page 3 A: I think the classes outside of the core classes are definitely where you are going to get the most value, because you are going to learn more about yourself and your own creativity. Q: How much time do you spend on your studies outside the classroom? A: Basically, I ended up spending about six hours on homework and studying each fleeting pleasure. Editor’s Note: Laura Eisener is a landscape design consultant who helps homeowners with landscape design and plant selection and placement of trees and shrubs, as well as perennials. She is also a member of the Saugus Garden Club and offered to write a series of articles about “what’s blooming in town, since so many people have taken to walking the streets in their neighborhoods as a way to get some exercise and get out of the house!” day. Q: What is the worst grade you have received in high school? A: The worst final grade I ever got was a 90 in chem honors my sophomore year. I never got a final grade lower than a 90 in any class during high school. Q: So, you are pretty much a straight A student. ASKS | SEE PAGE 11
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