THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 30, 2024 Page 17 Saugus Gardens in the Summer Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener S andy Mears planted her Summerific ‘Valentine’s Crush’ hibiscus – also known as rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) – just last fall, and it is already rewarding her with dinner-plate-size blossoms this summer. Rose mallow, or hardy hibiscus, is one of the largest flowers of any native plant. Its flowers can be red, white, various tints of pink or white/pink with a red center. Semi-double varieties are also available now. A relative of the cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) pictured in this column August 16 is the great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), which is growing next to the Appleton-Taylor-Mansfield House at Saugus Iron Works. Both species are native to New England as well as farther north and south, but the cardinal flower is more common than its blue relative. Great blue lobelia is most often a true bright blue, although it can also be purple or white, and hybrids between this and the Cardinal flowers are occasionally available in specialty nurseries. Both like moist soils and shady locations, although they can thrive in sunny spots if the soil is consistently damp. I am sure the great blue lobelia at the Iron Works was deliberately planted in the Iron Works garden, although the goldenrod bloomA snowy egret observed a duck take flight on the Saugus River near the Northern Strand Community Trail on Tuesday morning. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) ing next to it is almost certainly a volunteer. Tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima, formerly S. canadensis), also known as late goldenrod, is one of the most familiar of about 150 species known as goldenrod which grow across much of the United States, Canada and northern Mexico. Almost all goldenrods are yellow flowering perennials that bloom in late summer, although one relative, known as silverrod (Solidago bicolor) or white goldenrod, has white flowers. They are common meadow plants. People used to believe they caused hay fever, although the culprit is far more often the less conspicuous common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), also known as Roman wormwood, which blooms around the same time in similar locations. Both goldenrod and sunflowers are actually members of the Aster family (Asteraceae), and both have similarly constructed flower heads although the size of the flower heads are quite different. The fog of Tuesday morning The Summerific ‘Valentine’s Crush’ hibiscus in Sandy Mears’ garden is in stunning bloom this week. (Photo courtesy of Sandy Mears) This skipper butterfly is seeking pollen from one of the zinnias growing in the roadside pollinator garden. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) Poison ivy berries are ready to attract birds, and some foliage is beginning to show its fall color. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) A bee forages in the blossoms of a blue lobelia at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) brought me down to the rail trail, where the osprey (Pandion haliaetus) pair were in their nest. A snowy egret (Egretta thula) waded in the water of the river, and several ducks flew by. Snowy egrets are the smaller of two all-white heron relatives that are often seen in the Saugus River, the other being the great egret (Ardea alba) – also sometimes called the white heron. Both of these birds were once endangered due to the popularity of collecting their feathers for ladies’ hats during the late 19th century. Two Massachusetts women, Hariette Hemenway and Minna B. Hall, held tea parties to convince other socialites to forego the use of feathered hats, laying the groundwork for what became the Audubon Society, and leading to the outlawing of the plume trade. Now populations of these species and others have rebounded considerably. One of my neighbors and a couple of my clients have suffered from reactions to poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) this summer, encountered when working in their gardens. Poison ivy berries are food for a variety of bird species, but the seeds pass right through them and readily grow wherever the bird made its next pit stop, leading to new poison ivy coming up unexpectedly in gardens, along paths and roadsides and in the woods. It is important to note that poison ivy leaves may change color and size through the seasons and may be shiny in spring but less so later in summer. Be wary of any vines with three leaflets unless they have thorns, which poison ivy would not have. The sap contains an allergen that affects many people. Right now, most poison ivy is still green, but some may be starting to turn red. The fall color is often quite beautiful from a distance, but even in winter any encounters with the sap can be painful. 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.
18 Publizr Home