Saugus Gardens in the Spring

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

By Laura Eisener

A month like this only comes along once in a blue moon! Literally. Today, May Day, is the first full moon of this month, known as the Flower Moon. We have another full moon on the 31^st, however, and the second of two full moons in any month is known as the blue moon. May Day, known as Beltane in parts of the UK, has been celebrated for thousands of years as the start of summer and a celebration of fertility and fire. People would decorate their homes with flowers and green boughs. It is the point midway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Dancing around a maypole was a longtime tradition, although Puritans in New England disapproved highly of it, and people who participated in this ritual were often punished in the 17th century.

If you wondered where the “Saugus Gardens” column was last week on Arbor Day, it appeared on The Advocate facebook page. Another garden-related article you will find there is an account of this year’s “Books In Bloom,” which was held at the library April 10 and 11, written by Gabriella Galbadis. There is just too much going on in town now that spring has sprung!

Anyone driving down Walnut Street this week would be rewarded if they glanced away from the blue waters of Birch Pond to admire the beautiful array of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths along the front of a yellow house across the street. This beautiful garden is radiant with a rainbow of colors at the foundation and colorful pansies lining the narrow strip between the parking area and street. Nap Aut and his wife Amab Van just moved in about a year ago and wanted to make the gardens around their home facing the reservoir look beautiful for passersby. They certainly succeeded, since both my niece and I were both struck by the new gardens as we drove through traffic earlier this week on our way toward Route 1.

The grounds of Saugus Iron Works have been attracting visitors all winter, but especially now that the weather is more pleasant and the lawns greening up. Puppies frolic on the paths (dogs can earn a “bark ranger” badge), families bring their lunch to the picnic tables, and people can be seen reading or resting in the Adirondack chairs in various parts of the site. Cherry trees are blooming on the slope, and the saucer magnolia (Magnolia soulangeana) is in flower in the midst of the upper lawn. Park tours will soon begin, and the gardens and nature trail already have emerging leaves and blossoms.

One of the broadleaf evergreen shrubs that stands out in every neighborhood this week is the P.J.M. rhododendron, with bright pinkish purple flower clusters and small dark green leaves. This very popular plant was bred right here in Massachusetts by Weston Nurseries located in Hopkinton. The initials in the name of this shrub stand for the founder of the nursery, Peter J. Mezitt. This hybrid and several related ones were created to be very cold hardy and adaptable, and they are. The shrubs at Breakheart do show evidence of having been nibbled by deer, but there are several branches that escaped being eaten during this past snowy winter. At the entrance to Saugus Commons on Main Street, there is a showy display of these shrubs just starting to drop some petals at this point. Because the leaves are much smaller than the six inch leathery leaves of the more familiar rosebay rhododendrons (Rhododendron maximum) and Catawba hybrids (Rhododendron catawbiense), many people think these are azaleas, which are in fact closely related, but flower details indicate the P.J.M. hybrid rightfully belong among the rhododendrons. For many situations, this may be the ideal plant with its purplish green foliage all winter, glowing flowers in spring and a mature height of about 4-6 feet.