Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 2, 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 here were not many butterflies in town earlier this summer, but as we head into August quite a few different kinds are making the rounds of our gardens. Monarchs are in the area, as well as the showy eastern tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) like the one seen on ‘Jeana’ summer phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’) in the photo above. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativa) and bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) have been doing very well at the community garden at St. John’s these past few weeks. There has been a big harvest of cucumbers, partly because there are more plants in the garden than in previous years. They make a great addition to salads, not to mention gazpacho (a cold soup originating in Spain often made from tomatoes, cucumber and other ingredients) and tzatziki (a sauce based on cucumbers, garlic and yogurt, which came from Greece or Turkey originally)! While all true cucumbers belong to the same species, many different varieties have been bred around the world. Japanese cucumbers are much longer than what we usually find in markets here and can grow up to two feet long. Most of us are familiar with slicing cucumbers, which are usually varieties with thin dark Arabella clematis is flowering in Sandy Mears’ garden in Cliftondale. (Photo courtesy of Sandy Mears) green skin that grow to about six to 10 inches in length. They can grow on vines or shorter, self-supporting stems depending on variety, and the fruits are frequently sliced and eaten raw. Most people are also familiar with gherkins and other pickling cucumbers, which may have thicker stems, sometimes spiky, and may be harvested when small or when they large and sliced, depending on the kind of pickles you plan to make with them. Several of the pepper plants are the variety ‘Great Stuff,’ which turn out to be extra-long, and it eventually (!) occurred to me that the name is a pun, since the length An eastern tiger swallowtail finds abundant nectar on summer phlox blossoms. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) An abundance of flowers bloom at the Primera Iglesia Bautista de Boston/Pilgrims Church of Boston on Main Street in Saugus. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) and size of these sweet peppers make them ideal for stuffing. Garden club member Sandy Mears has some nice flowers blooming this summer in her Cliftondale garden, including an ‘Arabella’ Clematis and some beautiful coneflowers. The genus clematis has both climbing and non-climbing species, but the best known varieties are vines that climb via tendrils on the leaf stalks. Many varieties bloom once in early summer and may rebloom later in the season. Sandy Mears’ ‘Arabella’ clematis, now in its third year, Sandy Mears’ coneflowers are blooming in several shades of pink. (Photo courtesy of Sandy Mears) is growing on a metal trellis. ‘Arabella’ starts out deep violet blue and changes to a lighter blue as the blossoms continue, which gives it interest throughout the bloom period. Clematis hybrids are available in a range of colors, including red, pink, purple and white. Like Lenten roses and many other species in the buttercup family, the A basketful of cucumbers and peppers was harvested from the community garden at St. John’s for the food pantry. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) most colorful flower parts are sepals. ‘Arabella’ has six sepals, while some varieties, like the dark purple ‘Jackmanii’ clematis, have only four. Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea and hybrids) are among the most popular native perennials. In recent years, new hybrids have been introduced that extend the range of available flower colors. The petals of these composite flowers can be pink, purple, white, yellow, orange and red with many shades in between. They typically bloom several times throughout the summer. The two coneflowers in Sandy Mears’ picture above are different shades of pink that go very well together. Coneflowers attract many pollinators and later in the season, as the seeds develop in the center of the flower head, they provide food for birds and other wildlife. Diagonally across from Saugus Historical Society building on Main Street, the Primera Iglesia Bautista de Boston/Pilgrims Church of Boston have a beautiful little garden under their sign with a combination of perennials like reblooming ‘Happy Returns’ daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Happy Returns’) and a colorful arrangement of annuals: petunias in multiple colors, colorful leaved coleus (Coleus scutellarioides, formerly known as Plectranthus scutellarioides), ornamental sage (Salvia spp.) and common lantana (Lantana camara). 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.
13 Publizr Home