Saugus Gardens in the Winter

Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable

By Laura Eisener

Single digit temperatures in the early mornings may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is possible to enjoy nature from cozier surroundings indoors. Among the interesting houseplants that can be enjoyed year-round are air plants, which do not grow in soil. These plants are epiphytes, which means that they grow on other plants. In the wild, there are hundreds of species, usually growing on woody plants in South America and in warm parts of North America.

The kinds that are usually grown as houseplants are in the genus Tillandsia. They are members of the Bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae). Most like part sun, which means they should not be in a completely dark area of the house for very long but also do not need to be right against a south facing window. While they are generally fairly small when kept indoors, some kinds can grow up to seven feet tall outdoors. They like temperatures to stay between 60 and 80 degrees, so avoid very drafty windows or locations right over the stove, but in general they are not very fussy.

Most air plants can be kept healthy by a one-to-two-hour-weekly soaking in room temperature water. However they are displayed, they need to be able to be moved around for this weekly bath. Every two weeks or so they might like a bit of dissolved orchid or epiphyte food in their bath water. After bath time, they can be set on a paper towel or regular towel to dry sufficiently that they don’t drip all over as they are put back in their display location. Most varieties like humidity, so a room that has moist air at times, like a kitchen or bathroom, may be best for species that grow in rainforests. Species that have light gray-green or silvery leaves may be native to dryer climate conditions and may do better in rooms like bedrooms or living rooms, but the leaf color may be the only clue to what conditions they like. Those with dark green or reddish leaves are more likely to be forest growers liking a somewhat moist atmosphere. If foliage turns dark, it may be getting too much moisture and is beginning to rot.

Many people never get flowers on their air plants, but if they have the exact right conditions they may bloom. Unfortunately, nurseries rarely identify them very precisely – the labels rarely say anything other than “air plant” and only a few have distinctive enough leaves to easily identify if they are not in bloom. One of the most popular air plants is Medusa’s head or Octopus plant (Tillandsia caput-medusae), which can thrive in drier atmospheres like most homes. Harris’s air plant (Tillandsia harrisii) is another popular species that can thrive in drier air. It comes from Guatemala. Red air plant (Tillandsia ionantha rubra) has leaves that start out green but gradually become reddish. Shirley Temple air plant (Tillandsia streptophylla) got its name because the pale nearly white narrow leaves actually become curly, like the child star’s ringlets.

If you do brave the weather and go for a brisk walk, or even if you ride around as a passenger in a car with heated seats at this time of year, there is much of interest outdoors. The bare branches of deciduous trees let us in on many secrets that the leaves hide all summer. You are likely to see birds’ nests from last year, some of which may be reused in future seasons. A large cluster of twigs with dried oak leaves, especially when you find them in branches of maples or other trees, indicates a squirrel nest. While eastern gray squirrels prefer hollow trunks for winter hideouts or for raising their babies, they also make nests in branches by interlocking forked twigs and then lining them with moss, soft dried grasses, scavenged feathers and other cozy insulating materials. These nests are cooler in summer than the hollow trees and fairly easy to build anywhere they like. You will usually see them high up in trees on solid, rather than marshy ground, since the squirrels usually need to run from tree to tree and then climb the trunks to reach the nests. Oak species like black oak (Quercus velutina) and red oak (Quercus rubra) are popular for nest material because of the dried leaves that can cling to the twigs for the whole winter or more. The squirrels can curl up in these nests and be mostly hidden from predators, and they also may use them during the day for resting when they are not out foraging for food. The leafy nests in tree branches are sometimes called dreys, while those in cavities of trunks and branches are called dens.

One of the lesser-known wildlife holidays fell this week on Tuesday, Jan 21 – National Squirrel Appreciation Day. It was started by North Carolina wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove in 2001 to encourage people to learn about the different species of squirrels around the country and to acknowledge and enjoy their gymnastics and problem-solving skills. The species most commonly seen in our neighborhoods are the eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and less often American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), one of three species of pine squirrels. We also rarely see northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus), which are mostly nocturnal unlike the other two species. Most people who have put up bird feeders in their gardens have marveled at the gray squirrels’ agility in getting at the birdseed! All three species sometimes build dreys, but the ones we usually see are those of the gray squirrels because other squirrels are less tolerant of living close to people.

  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.