Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2021 SAUGUS GARDENS IN THE FALL Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable A By Laura Eisener midst the fluctuations of the weather, certain parts of our gardens tend to retain more warmth than others. South facing walls, especially if protected from northerly winds, are sun pockets where snow melts more quickly and flowers bloom earlier in spring and continue longer in fall. Next to a brick or stone foundation that retains heat, you may find flowers even now that are still blooming or which hold onto vestiges of fall foliage. Brick walls, stone and pavement collect heat from the sun during the day. Birds and other wildlife seek out these areas to keep warm and to look for seeds and fruits through the winter. Wreaths on the doors and decorated trees seen through the windows say “’Tis the season to be jolly!” A large group of Saugonians gathered on Dec. 1 to make wreaths at the workshop sponsored by the Saugus Garden Club, and many of these can now be seen on doors of homes around town. As mentioned last year, most wreaths are made of balsam fir (Abies balsamea) or Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) branches, but many other evergreen species also can work well if you have trees and shrubs in your yard that would benefit from some pruning! Using a mix of greens provides attractive textures, and in looking around your garden you is native to the colder parts of North America, and while its balsam fir rather than Fraser fir. The arrangement of needles on STILL BLOOMING: chrysanthemums against the sun-warmed brick foundation of St. John’s Church on Central Street. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) ON DISPLAY FOR THE HOLIDAYS: One of the four wreaths decorated for the library by the Saugus Garden Club can be seen over a window in the Community Room. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) MADE IN SAUGUS: A wreath made at the Saugus Garden Club’s workshop is hung up on the door and lit up at night. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) may see other materials to add as embellishments – for example, rose hips (Rosa spp.), lavender (Lavandula spp.) sprigs, fuzzy gray foliage of dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima, formerly called Senecio cineraria) or red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) branches. Bells, Santa faces, sparkling balls and other ornaments as well as bows can also add a distinctive personality to a wreath or swag. While plain wreaths are available at the garden centers, and wreaths are not difficult to make if you have a wreath frame or even a wire coat hanger, a swag is even simpler. Just fasten some branches together, add a bow or other decoration and hang it on the door. Kelly’s Roast Beef has two NATURAL EMBELLISHMENTS including pine cones, dusty miller’s grayish, fuzzy leaves, holly branches with berries and rose hips gathered from the garden can be seen on this fir wreath. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) enormous wreaths, almost certainly the largest in Saugus, with bright red velvet bows and white lights. These wreaths are over 6' across. Kelly’s in Saugus is part of the small chain which started in 1951 at Revere Beach, and the Saugus location has many nostalgic photographs of Revere Beach from that time period inside its restaurant. Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) “FOR THE BIRDS”: The tree at the Marleah Elizabeth Graves (MEG) building decorated by the Saugus Tree Committee; in addition to bird-shaped decorations it features actual birdseed cakes that can be hung outdoors to feed wild birds. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) range does extend into Massachusetts it is usually found primarily in higher elevations here. It is far more common as you travel northward, and most balsam fir trees grown as Christmas trees are in northern New England and Canada, while here and farther south the trees are often Fraser fir (Abies fraseri). The two are so similar that botanists continue to argue over whether they should be separate species or whether they are regional variants of the same species. They both have a similar scent, although it is generally agreed to be stronger in the the branches is fuller and thicker looking on Fraser fir, which often leads to this species being preferred when judged by appearance alone. In New England, these two trees are the most popular as Christmas trees, while others may be more popular in other parts of the country. Pines (Pinus spp.) keep their needles longer indoors in dry conditions, but they lack the intense fragrance, and their longer needles may make hanging ornaments more of a challenge. Douglas fir (Psedotsuga menGARDENS | SEE PAGE 13
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