Page 4 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 2, 2026 Saugus Gardens in the Fall Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener S ome leaves have begun to show color, and the stormy weather of late September brought down some of the colorful leaves onto the front walk, along with others that are still green. The red maple (Acer rubrum) near the street corner has some leaves that are turning fire engine red, while a few from the same tree are yellow — not unusual among wild, seed-propagated red maples. Red maples are some of the most popular native trees at nurseries and are often used as street trees. All of the red maples you are likely to find in a nursery can be expected to turn red or red-orange in the fall, while in the wild you may find trees with both red and yellow in the same leaf once the chlorophyll has faded. The leaves of the silver maple (Acer saccharinum) next to this tree are still bright green, but in a few weeks, they will turn a pale yellow. We still have not had a frost, and many annuals are still thriving along with a lot of perennial plants. One of my garden phlox varieties has been going strong since late June, the small-flowered variety originally discovered in Tennessee and named ‘Jeana’ (Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’). While its individual pinkish blossoms are small, the panicles are Windblown leaves on the steps include two of red maple (red leaf and smaller yellow leaf on left) and silver maple. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) large, and it has bloomed longer than any of the other phlox varieties in my garden. While a bit bowed by the storm, the stems have bounced back up and it is still blooming. Quite a few branches and some trees came down in the stormy late September interlude last weekend. There is a new stump at Montgomery Street near Westland Avenue where a falling tree took out the street sign itself but not the post that held it. That area also had some lengthy power outages last weekend. Route 1 has had quite a bit of intentional tree removal at the Walnut Street cloverleaf, which changes the views quite a bit, and some significant pruning at the Main Street cloverleaf. Aluminum Aluminum Everett Supplies 10 Everett Ave., Everett 617-389-3839 Celebrating 66 Years in Business! •Vinyl Siding Decks • • •Carpentry Work •Decks • Replacement Windows Carpentry Work • • • Fully Insured Fully Insured • Replacement Windows www.everettaluminum.com Free Estimates Fully Licensed • Roong •Free Estimates •Fully Licensed •Roong Now’s the time to schedule those home improvement projects you’ve been dreaming about all winter! On Tuesday morning many people were outside raking up leaves and surveying the storm damage. While some plants were the worse for wear, there were others that look rejuvenated from the ground soaking rains. Saturday’s delivery of pumpkins to the Congregational Church were unloaded very fast by the volunteers, inspired to get the job done before the rain and wind gusts picked up. I had a busier day than expected at work Saturday, with a steady line of homeowners seeking landscape guidance protected from the storm at Northeast Nursery’s tree and shrub shed. I left one birdfeeder out in the storm, and between wind gusts it was crowded with birds, mostly sparrows and mournPhlox ‘Jeana’ blooming now with goldenrod, perennial sunflower, and daisy fleabane. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) ing doves, but I saw the male cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) a couple of times. One time a mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) and a house sparrow (Passer domesticus) were walking around the tray at the base of the cylinder feeder and startled each other when they came face to face, both abruptly flying off. I only heard the Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) once this weekend, but heard its melodious song several times from deep in the branches of a tree, sheltering from the wind and rain. By Tuesday morning, several of the other regular visitors, such as the female downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) and a black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), had come out from wherever they had been hiding to feast. I am gradually getting the pumpkins rearranged on the porch, and more fall decor is coming. Summer is Here!
5 Publizr Home