THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUnE 9, 2023 Page 15 Saugus Gardens in the Spring Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener T he robins nesting at Charlie Zapolski’s house have hungry mouths to feed! The parents, who he has named Ruby and Robert, both have been busy bringing worms to their hatchlings this week. Many bird species have young ones in the nest, or just leaving the nest, around this time. Immature birds are often more camouflaged in color than their parents, and their first feathers may be brownish and less colorful than those of mature birds. While the grounds of Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site have been open all year, this week the rangers have returned and tours have resumed. The grounds, including the 17th-century herb garden, the nature trail on the other side of the river near the blacksmith shop, and the interesting trees and other plants throughout the site provide interest year round. The new sign outlines the schedule for buildings and tours. The visitor’s center will be open Wednesdays through Sundays 10-4, The flowers of gas plant (Dictamnus alba purpurea) are blooming in the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site herb garden. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Charlie Zapolski) and most buildings (museum, furnace, forge, slitting mill and blacksmith shop) open Wednesdays through Sundays 9-4. House tours will be given Thursdays through Sundays at 11 a.m. Industrial site tours, which usually include water wheel demonstrations, will be Saturdays and Sundays only at 2 p.m. One of the interesting peBeaks wide open, baby birds are waiting to be fed. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Charlie Zapolski) rennials in the herb gardens beside the Appleton-Taylor-Mansfield House at Saugus Iron Works is one whose common name could be mistaken for an industrial site itself: gas plant. The gas plant (Dictamnus albus purpureus) at the ironworks has beautiful pinkish flowers with a lemony scent in June. The five-petalled flowers with long curved stamens are arranged on spikes above the deep green compound leaves. It is not often available in nurseries, but it is rabbit and deer resistant and is a very long-lived, low-maintenance plant that rarely needs staking. The trait which gave the plant its name is the volatile oils – if you light a match It takes both parents to bring food to fill the hungry baby bird beaks! (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Charlie Zapolski) near the flowers, there will be a brief burst of flame as the oils ignite. This is of brief duration, however, and unlikely to set the garden on fire. Gas plant is also known as fraxinella or dittany. Because of this ability to flare up, it is also sometimes called burning bush, although it is not a shrub or bush by any stretch of the imagination and not related to the invasive burning bush (Euonymus elatus) now banned for sale in Massachusetts. It is a member of the Rue or Citrus family (Rutaceae) along with the herb common rue (Ruta graveolens) and such citrus tree species as sweet orange (citrus sinensis), lemon (Citrus limon), key lime (Citrus aurantiifolia) and grapefruit (Citrus paradisi). While the gas plant is somewhat unusual in gardens today, in the past it was more often seen for its ornamental characteristics and sometimes for medicinal properties. Like many plants used medicinally, it can be somewhat toxic if eaten. Among the first fruits ripening in early summer are strawberries. The native strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) and hybrid strawberries traditionally ripen in June. In centuries past, strawberry festivals were common in New England towns, and Saugus will soon be enjoying our annual tradition on June 17. While white flowers are the usual color, the plant pictured above is the variety ‘Summer Breeze Red,’ which has blossoms as red as the fruit. Strawberries are not very difficult to grow, but it is often difficult to protect the ripening fruit from all the wildlife, including birds, which enjoy them as much as people do. Editor’s Note: Laura Eisener is A strawberry was partly eaten by some bunny – but probably not this bunny figurine. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Charlie Zapolski) While most strawberries have white flowers, there are a few varieties with pink or even red flowers. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Charlie Zapolski) 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.
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