Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUly 26, 2024 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 first few harvests of vegetables have been delivered from the community garden at St. John’s Church to the food pantry – mostly peppers and cucumbers, with an eggplant or two. Many plants are thriving and growing fast, but some are still struggling from the combination of weather challenges we have had the last few seasons. The mild winter meant that many flower buds survived to bloom this spring and summer, but it also meant that there are larger insect populations than we tend to have when the winter temperatures are more severe. Trees and other plants will struggle if they have two or more stress factors at work at once, such as the drought of 2022 combined with insect infestations, although some insects can destroy trees without help from bad weather. Parts of Lynn Fells Parkway have lost their line of ash trees (Fraxinus pensylvanica) due to carpenter ants, though luckily the dreaded emerald ash borer does not seem to have reached Saugus yet. The hot and steamy summer we have endured so far makes many of us want to seek out shade. Many people are rescheduling outdoor activities like gardening, walking or jogging to earlier hours of the morning, hoping to avoid the worst heat. Shady spots are preferred by many plants for similar reasons – they provide some protection from dehydration, and temperatures in shade often measure several degrees cooler than nearby locations that receive full sun. A shady slope in Dee LeMay’s garden near Cliftondale is home to a ‘Blue Angel’ Hosta (Hosta ‘Blue Angel’) that has reached eight feet wide and when in bloom is 40 inches tall. Hostas are also known as plantain lily and are occasionally called by their original scientific name, funkia, which they were given to honor early 19th century botanist Heinrich Funck. There are at least 20 species and, perhaps, up to 2,000 cultivated varieties and hybrids. Most are grown more for their bold textured and often colorful foliage rather than their flowers. While hosta foliage is often nibbled by deer and rabbits, for some reason the rabbits have not chosen to nibble on this plant in Dee’s garden. Also thriving in shade is the very adaptable hydrangea ‘Tuff Stuff’ (Hydrangea serrata ‘Tuff Stuff’), which has a lace ‘Blue Angel’ hosta is a shade-loving perennial with very large blue leaves and pale lavender bell-shaped flowers. (Photo courtesy of Dee LeMay) cap–style flower cluster containing both fertile and sterile flowers. Fertile flowers are much smaller, and in the center of the cluster, while the sterile flowers with showy petals are around the outer edges. Alysha Wood’s delightful ‘Tuff Stuff’ hydrangea, a lace cap–style hydrangea blooming in Dee LeMay’s garden, has flower clusters that to many resemble a lace doily. (Photo courtesy of Dee LeMay) garden in the heart of Saugus Center often brings smiles to peoples’ faces as they drive around the rotary or walk through Saugus Center, due to its colorful annuals and whimsical decorations, some of which light up in the evening. A melodic variation from the sound of traffic at this busy spot is provided by wind chimes whenever there is a breeze. Alysha, who runs Elite Cleaning Services, lives above the dentist’s office here and has enjoyed gardening in this location for over two decades. The garden changes with the seasons, as containers of annuals are replaced by mums in fall. A turquoise chair often provides a moment of rest and relaxation to tired walkers or people waiting for the #430 bus, which has a stop nearby. Animal decAlysha Wood has created a charming scene in a small space with a variety of perennial and annual plants. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) orations – including a graceful swan-shaped planter, solar powered bright-eyed frogs, a wise owl with sunflower eyes and butterflies on the wind chimes – are sure to delight children of all ages. Among the perennials in this garden is a bold-leaved hosta that looks like the variety ‘Guacamole’ named for the two tones of green in its leaves. Among the annuals are cape periwinkle (Catharanthus rosea, formerly Vinca rosea), also An owl decoration returns the gaze from passers-by near the rotary in Alysha Wood’s Saugus Center garden. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) The pink, white and red flowers of annual vinca brighten the entire summer and are family favorites in this Saugus Center garden. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) known as bright eyes or Madagascar periwinkle. Originally native to Madagascar, it has naturalized in the southern United States and other warm parts of the world where it is evergreen. This plant with pink, red, white or purplish flowers will not tolerate a New England winter so is grown in a container and replaced each spring. This was one of Alysha’s mother’s favorite flowers. The garden also has many petunias (Petunia spp.) and million bells (Calibrachoa spp.) in a wide variety of colors which can be expected to bloom continuously until fall. 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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