THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – WEDnESDAy, JUly 3, 2024 Page 11 Saugus Gardens in the Summer Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener T he Fourth of July is looking very festive on Lynn Fells Parkway with red, white and blue scenes lit up into the evening. Mike Conlon has been displaying the Statue of Liberty on his lawn for 25 years, and her torch and crown are lit up at night. Several shrubs and trees are also lit with red, white and blue lights, and during the day Uncle Sam, a bald eagle statue and many flags are also visible. Please don’t walk across the lawn but view the displays from the sidewalk. The display is fully lighted at 8 p.m. The tropical weather we have had this week seems appropriate for the tropical plants many of us have in our gardens over the summer. Many of the most popular annuals originated in much warmer climates, so they bloom continuously through the summer but will be killed by a frost. Plants that love the hot weather include vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and green beans and ornamental flowers like zinnias, petunias, geraniums, impatiens and many more. Except for impatiens, which prefers shade, most of these plants perform best in full sun. They can be planted in the ground or in pots, window boxes and hanging baskets. Just off Main Street, a charming house with a flower-decked porch has pots of pink geraniums on every step, petunias in a pot suspended on the railing, hanging baskets above and newly planted pink and yellow zinnias lining the walk. With the American flag hanging out from the porch post, it seems the perfect New England summer scene. Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) stand nearly seven feet tall in front of First Baptist Church on Main Street, surrounded Charlie Zapolski’s first bouquet of the season from his garden includes roses, blue hydrangea and white daisy fleabane. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Zapolski) A deer ventures into a garden in North Saugus. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Zapolski) by orange and pink lilies (Lilium spp.) and small pansies often called Johnny-jump-ups (Viola tricolor). The pansies have been blooming for over a month already and are continuing to flower despite the heat. The lilies are true perennials that bloom around this time every year. Hollyhocks are a bit less predictable, behaving as an annual or shortlived perennial. Like the Johnny-jump-ups, they often selfsow, so their offspring may pop up in unexpected places. The seeds may grow to flowering size the first year or may not bloom until their second season. Usually, the original plant doesn’t last more than one or two years. Charlie Zapolski’s first bouquet of the season is beautifully displayed in a flower-themed room. The bright pitcher contains red roses (Rosa spp.), blue hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) and white daisy fleabane (Erigeron annuus) that he picked from his garden this week. The pitcher, table linens and flower-themed tea cups all speak of several generations of a family loving flowA walkway lined with zinnias and hanging baskets of ‘Martha Washington’ geraniums invites guests to a flag-draped porch near Saugus Center. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) ers. Some of the pieces originally belonged to the grandmother of Charlie’s late wife Kathy. Young animals and baby Houses on Lynn Fells Parkway are festively decorated for the Fourth of July. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) birds are plentiful in Saugus. Birds are nesting in trees and shrubs, which may make it necessary to put off some pruning until the nestlings have flown. On one garden visit this week, the homeowner and I peered into the branches of a lilac and were greeted by the outstretched neck and open beak of a newly hatched chick. We quickly moved away to let the parents feed it in peace. Charlie Zapolski recently has seen deer wandering into his yard. The hot weather has also made it necessary for birds and animals to search out Dusk on Lynn Fells Parkway brings out the illuminated crown and torch of the Statue of Liberty and lighted flags in windows. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) Impressive spikes of hollyhocks are blooming at First Baptist Church on Main Street. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) drinking water if they are not near ponds, fountains or birdbaths that can provide it. 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.
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