Saugus Gardens in the Fall

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

By Laura Eisener

The summery weather of last week has changed over to more seasonable cool to cold temperatures, and the leaves are continuing to change. Among the best places to see fall color are at the edges of Saugus’ many ponds, since the reflections on the water surface may double the display. David LeBlanc, a fly-casting instructor with the Malden Anglers, mentioned the beautiful scenery at Patkin Pond adjacent to Main Street on the west side of Route 1, where people come to enjoy the views as well as to fish at the stocked pond. Wildlife, such as ospreys, eagles and hawks, are often seen on the property, and he recalled the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), which spent several days there last winter (the young buck was photographed in my Dec. 2, 2022, column).

The Malden Anglers Association was formed in 1946. Members enjoy outdoor recreation, can learn fishing and fly tying and relax in the cozy clubhouse. The group also supports Project Healing Waters, a program that assists rehabilitation of disabled veterans and active military by giving access to fishing and outdoor activities.

Herons usually migrate south for the winter, but there have been some years when I have seen them on ponds in the area year-round. The great blue heron (Ardea herodias) I saw this week was enjoying the still-warm weather at a pond in the Golden Hills neighborhood. It seems to change color depending on lighting and position, as a few minutes after I took this picture it had stretched out its neck, walked down closer to the water on the rocks, and appeared blue-gray. They primarily eat small fish and are usually found at the edge of ponds or flying from one pond to another. A pair of mute swans (Cygnus olor), which are an introduced species from Europe, still swim on nearby Griswold Pond, which is somewhat larger. Once the ponds have frozen over so fish are no longer accessible, these larger birds may relocate farther south or head over to salty water near the mouth of the Saugus River, where there may still be fish even if the weather is cold.

Pumpkins and gourds adorn our porches, and winter squashes are just about all that are left in our vegetable gardens. A family a few streets away has some beautiful butternut squashes on their vines, and the tomatoes are just about finished. Nevertheless, we can expect to see some flowers blooming for a while even if we have some frosty mornings ahead.

Dee LeMay has managed to enjoy a long bloom from her coneflower this fall, as it has been blooming since midsummer and is still full of flowers as November arrives. Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea and hybrids) are among the most brightly colored native perennials, with flowers that can be pink, purplish, red, orange, yellow or white. Their name comes from the fact that the disc flowers often form a cone shape in the midst of the surrounding ray florets, and when the flower heads go to seed this cone may remain to produce new plants or feed the local birds and other wildlife. Occasionally some of this wildlife may eat the whole plant, as I have had rabbits or woodchucks eat mine more than once! The bright yellow ray florets suggest that Dee’s plant descended from yellow coneflower (Echinacea paradoxica), which is found wild in Texas, Arkansas and surrounding areas.

Morning glories (Ipomoea purpurea) are usually thought of as flowers of summer, but this year some seemed to hold back their display until fall was well underway. Charlie Zapolski’s vine produced a lot of blossoms just as the fall foliage was at its peak before Halloween – and the brilliant blue blossoms might glow even brighter against the bright yellows and oranges of fall foliage on surrounding trees.

  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.