THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MAy 24, 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 M onday is Memorial Day, and we have plenty of blooming trees, shrubs, and perennials around town to honor the veterans this week. Warm weather for much of this week brought plenty of encouragement to get outdoors and enjoy the peak of spring, including the flower moon (the full moon of May) which occurred this week on Thursday morning. Our landscapes are pink from the dropping petals of the Kwanzan cherries, and azaleas and many other shrubs are at their peak of bloom. Seeds of maples have developed to the point that they can provide some protein to hungry chipmunks, squirrels, and other animals. Despite cool weather earlier this month, we are likely past the danger of frost now, so it is safe to plant annuals, and in many places around town bright colorful flowers can be seen. At Heritage Heights, classic red and white annual geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum) have been planted around the flagpole. The flagpole is in memory of James N. Liberato who passed away in 2017. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, and in his later years tended this garden at Heritage Heights where the flagpole now stands beside the gazebo. At April’s historical society meeting, I learned from members of Arthur DeFranzo’s extended family that our medal of honor winner, the first to enlist from Saugus in World War II, had some strong connections to plants and flowers before he left for the front. As a young man he had worked at Sims Farm for 10 cents an hour, and later joined the Civilian Conservation Corps working on forestry projects in Vermont. Red and white stripes of geraniums have been planted around the flagpole at Heritage Heights (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) His monument on Main Street across from the DeFranzo VFW post has some bright red azaleas blooming now. Like many spring flowers that suffered from the sudden temperature drop in February of 2023, these azaleas are enjoying a much better spring this year. I have recently been asked if there are any azaleas that are evergreen, and the answer is, there are quite a few evergreen varieties including the one at the DeFranzo monument. Many Asian cultivars of Azaleas, or hybrids with the Japanese hiryu azalea (Rhododendron obtusum) in their background, keep their leaves year-round. Those with deep red flowers have leaves that remain alive on the plant through winter but don’t technically look green in cold weather - they often become a deep reddish tone as cold weather sets in and return to green just before the flowers bloom in May. Some azaleas will rebloom in fall once established. ‘Encore’ azaleas bloom first in May like most traditional azaleas, but Chipmunk munching on seeds from a silver maple on my front lawn. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) have a repeat performance in the fall. There are many flower colors to choose from including red, light or dark pink, purple, and white. My experience is that this shrub sometimes needs to become established before it can rebloom in fall, so the first fall after planting it may not bloom, but flowers are usually reliable in both spring and fall thereafter. There are also azaleas that are not evergreen - most of these bloom in summer (June or later), and some of these originated in North America although there are deciduous Asian species too. Flowers colors include yellow, orange, pink, and white. Several North American summer azaleas are extremely fragrant. At the Stanley J. Egan BeauMany azaleas have so many flowers they nearly cover the leaves this spring. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) tification Memorial, Japanese Maples are prominent among the many interesting and unusual plants. In the center island, a very large green Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) towers over a smaller variety with reddish leaves, both crowns trimmed in a “mushroom” form. Japanese maples can be very varied, with leaves varying in shape from a somewhat starry form with pointed lobes, to the deeply dissected lacy foliage of “threadleaf” varieties. Leaf color may be green, as this maple’s wild forms usually are, but most people are likely to be familiar with the deep reddish color that is most popular in gardens. There are other leaf colors also such as the pink, white, and green foliage of Butterfly Japanese Maple. Trees may have a weeping or upright form, and there is a shrubby form named for New England’s famous chicken the At the Arthur F. DeFranzo monument on Main Street, red azaleas are blooming. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) At the Stanley J. Egan Beautification Monument, Japanese maples take center stage among the many interesting trees, shrubs, and flowering perennials. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) “Rhode Island Red” - this one has red foliage of course. Stanley J. Egan joined the army in 1969 and died in Vietnam in November of that year at the age of 20. The beautiful garden planted in his memory stands at the corner of Main Street and Howard Street in Oaklandvale. This garden is captivating at any time of year, with many evergreens and deciduous trees that have intriguing colors and textures. Editor’s Note: Laura Eisener is a landscape design consultant who helps homeowners with landscape design and plant selection, 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” shortly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was inspired after seeing so many people taking up walking.
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