Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, NOVEMbEr 21, 2025 Saugus Gardens in the Fall Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener N ow that the government shutdown has ended and the gates have reopened at Saugus Iron Works, dogwalkers and others who have missed their strolls through the grounds during the past month and a half can resume their activities. There is still some good fall color, including a smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria) in the garden that has vivid orange fall color. The larger smoke tree in the lawn area is a slightly different variety, and its yellowish fall color has now faded, but this one’s orange leaves stand out against the dark color of the 17th-century house. With so many leaves off the trees this week, we find that many lawns, driveways, sidewalks and streets have become a collage of foliage. In some areas, red carpets have developed under Japanese maples (Acer palmatum). In other areas, leaves of several different tree species blend together where the wind has blown them. My side lawn is covered in a diversity of leaf shapes and colors: red maple (Acer rubrum) leaves in variations of red and yellow, the more deeply incised silver maple (Acer sacharinum) in solUsually people do not expect a bearded iris to bloom in November, but ‘Immortality’ often does rebloom in fall. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) id yellow, heart shaped catalpa leaves that are still mostly green, a wider heart shaped yellow leaf from a poplar sapling (Populus sp.), bright yellow castor aralia (Kalopanax septemlobus) with seven pointed lobes and black oak (Quercus velutina) leaves, which are already brown and crispy. While most of these trees are seen in many locations throughout the area, the castor aralia is seldom found in A collage of leaves on a lawn in Lynnhurst includes foliage of castor aralia, catalpa, red maple, silver maple, black oak and poplar brought down by Sunday’s wind and rain. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) nurseries and is quite unusual. It is a tree from Asia, the only species in the Aralia family (Araliaceae) that becomes a large tree, sometimes 60 feet tall. It has airy clusters of small white flowers in late summer, and through the winter the spiny bark on the trunk makes it intriguing. There are some shrubby family members that are grown in gardens, most of which have spiny stems. The devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa) is a short shrub native to eastern North America, its common name no doubt stemming from the spines on its leaf margins, midribs and the stems of the plant. Very similar to devil’s walking stick is an aralia from Asia. Both species are also sometimes called Angelica tree. Unlike the castor aralia, those in the aralia genus have compound foliage. Small nearly black drupes on all three species are sometimes eaten by birds. Halloween decorations have Orange fall foliage on a smoke tree beside the Appleton-Taylor-Mansfield House at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site stands out against the dark background. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) An inflated turkey presides over other Thanksgiving classics, such as corn and pumpkins. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) given way to harvest and Thanksgiving themes. Many versions of turkey decorations can be seen on lawns around town. Real ones, too, can be seen strolling through several neighborhoods! Monday was an especially blustery day, which became a challenge for inflated decorations and for any leaves that are still trying A friendly inflated turkey and a cornucopia of harvest vegetables keep their eyes on people walking in the Saugus Center neighborhood. (Photo courtesy of Laura Eisener) to cling to their branches. Just as winter is around the corner, some of our garden plants are still determined to bloom. Roses are budding in many parts of town, and fall bloomers like chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum morifolium) and some asters (Aster, Symphiotrichum and Euribya spp.) are still showing bright flower colors. While many people think of bearded irises (Iris germanica hybrids) as early summer bloomers, there are some varieties that rebloom, like the ‘Bernice’ that I mentioned in this column a few weeks ago. My ‘Immortality’ iris (Iris germanica ‘Immortality”) is just getting ready to rebloom now, and I hope it will be open by Thanksgiving. This one is very pale blue in bud but snow white when in full bloom. I am waiting to see whether it can weather these cold nights and strong winds and will keep everyone updated! 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.
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