THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUnE 16, 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 enormous bright orange Exbury hybrid azalea at the Duncan family home in Lynnhurst has been attracting attention for many decades. It was already quite big when they bought the house 40 years ago, and it glows brilliantly when in bloom in June. Unlike the more familiar Azalea varieties derived from hiryu azalea (Rhododendron obtusum or Rhododendron ponticum), Exbury hybrids are deciduous rather than evergreen, and they bloom in June instead of May. Flower colors are often orange, yellow or red, although there are also some pink or white varieties. While plant labels often say they can reach 6 feet or so, the Duncans’ azalea proves they can grow much taller than that given enough time. I would estimate their plant to be 15 feet tall and about 20 feet wide. It is very unusual to see one this large, and it is currently covered in blossoms. The vivid orange flowers are arranged in roundish clusters like their evergreen relatives, rosebay rhododendrons (Rhododendron maximum) and some others. Azaleas are considered rhododendrons by botanists, but nursery catalogs often give azaleas their own category since many gardeners are accustomed to making a distinction between azaleas and rhododendrons. Kousa dogwoods can be seen in many gardens in Saugus, as they have become popular in recent decades due to their resistance to the fungus that attacks the May-blooming native flowering dogwoods (Benthamia florida, also known as Cornus florida). Kousa dogwoods A close look reveals the leaves, bracts and developing fruit of the dogwood at Cliftondale Congregational Church. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) bloom in June, when most other popular flowering trees have finished. Kousa dogwoods are also sometimes called Chinese dogwoods, Korean dogwoods and Japanese dogwoods, as they originated in Asia. Another nice feature is the exfoliating bark that develops on older trees. The fruit can be ornamental, but it is a little larger than fruits commonly eaten by birds in this area, so sometimes the fruits end up dropping on the ground and requiring sweeping if they fall on a patio or porch. The fruit can be informally described as resembling a “warty cherry” although scientists describe it as a globose syncarp or an aggregate fruit. Basically this means the fruiting structure is made up of several ovaries rather than a single one. Other familiar aggregated fruits include raspberries and blackberries. Strawberries are also in this category, since what most people think are seeds are botanically the fruits, held together by the sweet pulpy receptacle. One of the kousa dogwoods that stands out from others in town throughout the growRainbow colors of spring and summer flowers bloom in a planter on Oakcrest Street. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) ing season is the tree on the front lawn of Cliftondale Congregational Church. Like flowering dogwoods, its small inconspicuous true flowers form clusters surrounded by four bracts, or modified leaves. Kousa dogwood bracts are pointed, and there are four of them around each flower cluster. Most of the leaves on the tree at the church are not solid green but have white edges, and the leaves are somewhat ruffled in shape. This is characteristic of the ‘Wolf Eyes’ variety of kousa dogwood, although there are some other cultivars which have variegated leaves. ‘Wolf Eyes’ is usually somewhat shorter than other kousa dogwoods, and the proportions of this tree at the church seems to follow this expectation. Container gardens are apExbury hybrid azalea ‘Gibralter’ shows off its fiery orange blossoms in Lynnhurst. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) pearing now in many gardens, from hanging baskets to window boxes to individual pots or combined plantings with several different species. The container garden pictured above has a combination of frost hardy spring blooming pansies and violas (Viola spp.) as well as more heat loving annuals, such as orange and red marigolds (Tagetes patula) and a lilac and white African daisy (Osteospermum spp.) with distinctive spoonshaped petals. All of the flowers in this container have contrasting colors, which are emphasized by the polka-dotted rainbow whirligig. Flowers are not all that seem especially exuberant this month, as there are numerous birds whose offspring are now beginning to gain their independence and learning new Snowy egrets congregate in the Saugus River at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) A kousa dogwood at Cliftondale Congregational Church has unusual variegated foliage. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) skills. The gathering of snowy egrets (Egretta thula) in the Saugus River shown above included at least one adult and several adolescents gleefully learning to fish in the shallow water. With less than a week to go before the longest day of the year, plant and animal life are at the peak of activity. 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.
16 Publizr Home