Page 6 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUnE 19, 2026 Saugus Gardens in the Summer Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener H appy Juneteenth! Sometimes called Freedom Day, Jubilee Day or Emancipation Day, it is the day to celebrate the ending of slavery after the Civil War, when the news was brought to Texas. This year’s 250th anniversary of the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence has heightened interest in all patriotic milestones and holidays. Tomorrow, June 20, is American Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 J& • Reliable Mowing Service • Spring & Fall Cleanups • Mulch & Edging • Sod or Seed Lawns • Shrub Planting & Trimming • Water & Sewer Repairs Joe Pierotti, Jr. Eagle Day, reminding us that our national bird was near the brink of extinction from pesticides a few decades ago, but has bounced back in recent years and has been often seen in our town since 2020. Tomorrow is also the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Traditionally June is the month for savoring the first fruits of the season, such as strawberries. Many Saugonians and their friends will be gathering in the American Legion Hall for the Saugus Historical Strawberry Festival to enjoy strawberry shortcake and shopping for plants at the Saugus Garden Club Annual Plant Sale on the Roby School lawn tomorrow. This Sunday also marks the beginning of Pollinator Week, which runs from June 20-28. Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) is an intriguing annual that has long been known as a tasty spring vegetable native to western North America, but it is not familiar to most gardeners or diners on the East Coast. I encountered it growing in Kelly Slater’s garden, where she had planted seeds earlier this year. The genus is somewhat familiar, since I had grown another relative, the tuberous Virginia spring beauty or fairy spud (Claytonia virginica) as an early blooming perennial wildflower in my previous garden a few decades ago. The Virginia spring beauty is a shade loving spring ephemeral, meaning that it goes dormant in summer, like the showy bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) and many other woodS LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. Masonry - Asphalt • Brick or Block Steps • Brick or Block Walls • Concrete or Brick Paver Patios & Walkways • Brick Re-Pointing • Asphalt Paving www.JandSlandscape-masonry.com • Senior Discount • Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured 617-389-1490 Designing and Constructing Ideas that are “Grounds for Success” Landscaping land wildfloers to sae en ergy when tree foliage is fully leafed out and no sunlight reaches the forest floor. The Virginia spring beauty’s underground tubers are eaten raw or cooked, although I always grew it as an ornamental wildflower. Miner’s lettuce, also known as winter purslane and Indian lettuce, is native to the western part of North America. It continues growing into the summer months but does not survive into the following year. It does not have a tuber, but the leaves are flavorful and rich in vitamin C. Algonquin and Iroquois people ate it both raw and cooked, and European settlers often used it to prevent scurvy. It is reputedly most tasty when it is young, as later in the summer the leaves may develop a little bitterness. Right now, it has tiny white five petalled flowers that seem to appear in the middle of an oval platter near the upper end of the stem. The platter is actually formed of two perfoliate leaves — this means that the top pair of opposite leaves are shaped so that they seem to surround the stem. The basal leaves form a rosette. There are actually quite a few plant species that have perfoliate leaves at least near the stem tip, including several vine forming members of the honeysuckle family (Lonicera spp.). Farther down the stem the leaves are in pairs, opposite each other, but not appearing fused as they do closer to the flower. Another edible plant blooming now, one much more familiar, is the straw Miner’s lettuce in Kelly Slater’s garden is an unusual native vegetable unfamiliar to most people. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) berry. Strawberries grow wild in North America, including New England, and the town of Portsmouth, N.H., was once known as “Strawbery Banke” for the abundance of plants. Our native ones, sometimes called wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana), have been hybridized with European ones to become a new species (Fragaria ananassa). Our own native ones are smaller, but many consider them sweeter. Kelly’s garden has strawberries both in bloom and fruiting. Some of the fruit is still green, while others have developed their full red ripe color. Different strawberry species were known in Europe before North American strawberries were brought to other continents, and hybrid strawberries are now known around the world. Also blooming in Kelly’s garden now are some beautiful woodland wildflowers, such as Canada anemone or windGARDENS | SEE PAGE 12 This green strawberry in Kelly Slater’s garden will soon be red and ripe! (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener)
7 Publizr Home