THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2020 Page 9 GARDENS | FROM PAGE 5 member of the composite family, like the sunfl owers we talked about in the summer, we are actually looking at a composite head of fl owers, in this case with yellow disc fl owers and white ray fl owers around the edges. egated to less conspicuous tables and the mums displayed conspicuously in the front, along with other fall staples, like cornstalks, pumpkins and ornamental kale. As of now, mid-October, some nurseries have already sold out of mums completely. Smith College in NorthampEdith Haupt Conservatory is holding its annual Japanese chrysanthemum show or “Kiku” display until November 1 this year, but access is limited to reserved ticket holders. Photos of previous years shows can be seen online. Specialized varieties include the dramatic spider or Fuji mums, whose ray fl owers have extremely narrow petals that often curl at the ends, and some are drooping below the body of the fl ower so it does resemble spider legs. They have very large fl owers and are popular in China for bridal bouquets, but plants of this type are not easily found in nurseries. In Japan and China, certain mums are grown for their edible petals, and there are ageold medicinal uses. In gardens, there are categories such as spoon mums which have petals shaped like table utensils. Small-fl owered mums are often raised for cascade displays and are also popular in China and Japan for bonsai. “Saga”-type mums, also known as brush or thistle varieties, have very narrow, frazzled petals that stand somewhat upright and resemble thistles. 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 off ered to write a series of articles about “what’s blooming in town, since so many people have taken to walking the streets in their neighborhoods as a way to get some exercise and get out of the house!” YELLOW HARDY MUMS ON A SAUGUS PORCH: the undisputed queen of the fl owers for fall in many countries, including the United States. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) Most of the mums we grow for fall are “double” varieties with so many extra layers of ray fl owers that the disc fl owers are not visible. The ray fl owers’ petals may be red, light purple, pinkish, orange, gold or white. Nurseries usually become “mummifi ed” by late August, with other perennials rel$2.5 MILLION | FROM PAGE 1 night’s meeting that he isn’t optimistic about the town having a good week on reducing its rate of Coronavirus. “Any talk on when we’ll be going back to school on a regular basis?” Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano asked. “I hate to rain on the parade,” Crabtree said, noting that there had been 19 confirmed COVID-19 cases over a fi ve-day period. “The virus is still surging in Massachusetts…It’s definitely on the rise. As you know, the experts say things are going to get worse in the fall,” he said. One day later (Wednesday, Oct. 14), the town returned into the red category for “high risk” on the state COVID-19 map for the fi rst time in three weeks. (See related story.) The weekly report from the state Department of Public Health (DPH) showed 28 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the past week, raising the town’s overall total of confi rmed cases to 762 since the outbreak of the killer virus back in March. Meanwhile, the town’s daily incidence rate rose to 10.6 new cases per 100,000 – the 37th highest rate in the state, according to statistics released on Wednesday (Oct. 14) by the DPH. Crabtree stressed that it’s withton, Mass., has had a mum show in their greenhouse complex every November since the early 1900’s. This year they are planning a virtual mum show running from Saturday, November 7, 2020, to Sunday, November 22, 2020, from their Lyman Conservatory. New York Botanic Garden’s in the town’s control to reduce the spread of the virus and make some substantial progress that would allow school and municipal buildings to reopen. But the town has already embarked on a number of measures aimed at making the buildings safer, according to Crabtree. The town has already installed some High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) purifi er fi lters and hired some hygienic experts who have made recommendations. “There’s a recent study that shows these air purifi ers with HEPA fi lters kill the virus within 30 minutes,” Crabtree said. The fi lters will help change the air in a room fi ve times an hour, he said. Another measure involves modifying offi ces in Town Hall and other public buildings so that the public can be served at counter windows without having to go into the offi ces, according to the town manager. “We’re estimating $ 2 million to $2.5 million – the funding through the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security] Act,” Crabtree said. The Saugus Public Library, the Public Safety Building, the Essex Street Fire Station, the Department of Public Works Building and several school buildings are due for modifi cations in their HVAC systems, he said. 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