THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, NOVEmbEr 1, 2024 Page 19 Saugus Gardens in the Fall Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener F oliage is still spectacular around town this week as we head into November. A variety of native trees, mostly maples and oaks, along the edge of Birch Pond along Walnut Street have had beautiful leaf color this fall, as have trees in Breakheart Reservation and wooded areas around the ponds in Golden Hills. Activities at the Iron Works are wrapping up for the season, but the grounds remain open and there is still at least one sugar maple (Acer saccharum) on the upper lawn that has not lost all its leaves. This classic New England species is one of the most renowned for fall color in Northern New England, but there are many sugar maples around here as well. They are best situated away from the road or driveways because their roots do not like road salt, but they are beautiful shade trees for other areas. One of our less-appreciated native shrubs, staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), is radiant with reds, oranges and occasional yellow gradations in the foliage right now. Their compound leaves may have an odd number of leaflets, which can number anywhere from about nine to over 30 on a single leaf. The stems are covered with velvety hairs, which gave the shrub its common and scientific names since they resemble antlers on a deer, still covered with down. In addition to the spectacular fall color, the fuzzy fruits provide food to a number of birds and other wildlife through the winter. These shrubs grow almost tall enough to be considered trees, about 15 feet tall. A colony of sumacs near the edge of Lynn Woods in North Saugus was nicknamed “thorn forest” when I was growing up, because of the blackberries growing beneath the sumacs. It had a magical sort of feel because of the textures of the stems and big leaves, very different than the taller forest areas nearby. In other parts of the world these have become popular garden plants, but where they are native, they are still often taken for granted. Part of the problem is undoubtedly peoples’ association of the name sumac with poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), which can cause a rash similar to poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), although allergies to staghorn sumac are extremely rare. Sumacs can be found in many places in Saugus, and one spot where their reddish orange fall leaves glow against the background of green is at Round Hill, where several grow near the base of the hill. Round Hill is the geographical feature on the town seal which is seen on most of the street signs in town. The small park at the base of the hill on Round Hill Street is a pleasant place to relax, and it provides a nice foreground to the wood‘Pearl Glam’ beautyberry has purple fruits and reddish leaves – one of the most intriguing garden shrubs in fall. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) ed hillside. Not far from Round Hill is an unusual form of ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) beside Town Hall that is also at peak foliage color right now. The leaves are all golden, and when they drop they usually do so almost all at once, or within one or two days. Ginkgos have very distinctive fan-shaped leaves and are not closely related to any other tree species. This individual tree lacks a strong leader, so the crown shape is like a vase, somewhat similar to the typical shape of American elms (Ulmus americana) and Japanese zelkovas (Zelkova serrata), although most ginkgos do have leaders and are likely to grow into upright oval trees. An unusual garden shrub A sugar maple at the Saugus Iron Works still holds onto some of its colorful leaves. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) that turns heads, especially in fall, is the Pearl Glam beautyberry (Callicarpa ‘Pearl Jam’). It is a hybrid shrub with reddish purple foliage from spring through fall, but at this time of year its tiny round fruits ripen and turn light purple. There are two species of commonly available beautyberry with green leaves, both producing similar ornamental fruit: American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), which is native to the southeastern United States and purple beautyberry(Callicarpa dichotoma), which comes from Asia, but Birch Pond along Walnut Street reflects the fall color from Lynn Woods. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) The ginkgo tree beside Town Hall is at peak foliage color this week. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) the hybrid ‘Pearl Glam’ has the addition of the unusual leaf color – especially bright in fall. 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. Spectacular foliage color on sumacs stands out at the base of Round Hill. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener)
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