THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 28, 2026 Page 9 Saugus Gardens in the Summer Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener C ommon lantana (Lantana camara) is a popular tropical annual in our climate, used in gardens and window boxes for its continuous summer flower color until cool weather sets in. Most gardeners would be surprised to know that it can become a 20-foot-tall tree or shrub with thick woody stems in tropical regions or even in a large greenhouse. A member of the Verbena family (Verbenaceae), it produces clusters of four-petaled flowers. Like some other flowers, the blossoms change color once they have been pollinated, giving a signal to insects which blossoms may still contain pollen and nectar. Usually the blossoms start out yellow and change to pink, purple, orange, red or white once pollinated, depending on the variety. While there are 150 species of lantana, the most common by far in nurseries around here is common lantana, along with a few hybrids between that one and other lantana species. If you have been in to Boston to see the art exhibit The Great Elephant Migration this summer, the 100 lifeELECTION | FROM PAGE 6 Q: How many doors do you estimate you and your supporters have knocked on throughout the district? Meaney: We’ve knocked on close to 10,000 doors. We’ve been doing this since SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 8 nual Massachusetts Elementary School Cross Country Championship. Arrival time is set for 8:30 a.m. The race will start at 9:30 a.m. There will be lunch at Prince Pizzeria following the meet. More information TBA. · Ending Thursday, November 12: Wrap-up session at Belmonte. Common lantana blooms in a small container in my driveway. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) sized Indian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus) were created from stems of lantana, which is a serious invasive plant in much of India, crowding out native grasses and other plants in the forests where the elephants live and causing hunger for elephants and other forest inhabitants. The exhibit on Commonwealth Avenue will be on display in Boston until September 13. The exhibit has many goals, including the beginning of April. Six days a week. VanMeter: 4,500. Q: If elected, would you back the state auditor in her efforts for the Legislature to be audited? Meaney: Yes, I absolutely support the audit. Cost: $150 for first year, $100 returning from Cross Country 2025. If any questions, further information or to register, please contact Coach T at 781-854-677 or christophertarantino24@gmail.com. Veterans Day Bricks Program is Back The Saugus Veterans Council is pleased to reinstate the increasing awareness of environmental issues, such as the degradation of natural habitat, decrease in elephant populations and importance of community open space (the exhibit has been situated in public parks across the U.S. over the past two years and is free and open to the public). Almost 200 indigenous community members from southern India created the sculptures, which will be sold individually, once the VanMeter: Yes. Q: If your opponent wins the primary, will you endorse and campaign for him or her in the general election against Wong? Meaney: The goal is no matter who wins, I want to have unity among the parBrick Program! After our vendor retired last year (thank you, Del from Pavlok, for working with us over the years), we have found another engraver who will be taking our orders for Veterans Day! Proceeds from the brick sales are devoted to the upkeep of Saugus Veterans Park. If you are interested in purchasing a brick, a 4x8” is $100 (three lines) and tour is completed, to benefit elephant conservation. The elephants were modeled after individuals of all ages from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in India. Hardy only to USDA zone 10, lantana would not become an invasive issue here, but it has become a severe problem in much of the world, as it is fire resistant and has been spread from its native range in central America to Europe, Asia, Africa, Paty. If she wins, I’ll be happy to endorse her and help her out any way I can. VanMeter: My campaign is run on the belief that our elected officials must be prepared to meet this critical moment with the veracity it demands as we navian 8x8” (five lines) is $200. Please contact Corinne Riley (781-231-7995) for an application or more information. All orders must be in no later than Sept. 10. The Veterans Council will have its annual booth at our Town’s Founder’s Day celebration. We will have a scratch ticket raffle, sale of challenge coins and MREs! Stop by our booth and supcific Islands and pretty much everywhere outside its native range where temperatures allow it to survive. It has become an issue for farmers, since lantana is poisonous to livestock as well as to many wild animals. Lantana is also allelopathic, which means that its roots secrete chemicals that inhibit growth of some other plants, reducing competition. Birds can eat the small black fruits and disperse the undigested seeds. Bees, hummingbirds and some other insects consume the nectar. It has been used medicinally for a number of illnesses and conditions, although like many medicinal plants it may be toxic to people if used in the wrong dosage. Today is the full moon. Those who looked for it just past midnight may have seen a lunar eclipse. The August full moon is usually known as the sturgeon moon, though it is also known as the corn moon, barley moon, herb moon and dog moon — the last name referring to the dog days of summer. Many of its names refer to the ripening of grains, but the sturgeon is a fish abundant in Lake Champlain and the Great Lakes. gate an ever changing federal landscape. While I recognize the need to forge party unity in pursuit of a strong Democratic base, and applaud my opponent’s strides towards leadership, I would not endorse and campaign for him. port the council and say hello to our retired Veterans who served to protect our great nation. On Friday, September 18, we will hold the POW/MIA Missing Man Table Ceremony at 6 p.m. at Veterans Park, corner of Central and Winter Sts. This recognition of Prisoners of War and Missing In Action is to honor and know “You are not forgotten.”
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