Saugus Gardens in the Fall

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

By Laura Eisener

Today is the full moon of November. We have been enjoying plenty of views of the moon this fall since we’ve had very few clouds, although smoke from the many brush fires has often made the sky a bit blurry. It has not always been very comfortable outside with all the smoke in the air day and night. There has been a lot to do in the garden, with so many leaves falling, wind toppling pots, and tender plants to bring in.

I’m glad I remembered to bring in the last few of my house plants before the cold of Saturday night. Sunday morning the water in the birdbath was solid, but luckily it melted during the day and the birdbath had not been cracked. The warm weather and abrupt temperature changes make it easy to forget some of these late season chores. We will have many more days when walking is pleasant, especially once you have started walking and warmed up a bit. November 17 is “Take A Hike Day,” so it could be a great occasion to walk in Breakheart Reservation, Lynn Woods or just around the neighborhood.

When Julia Aston brought in her Thanksgiving cactus from its summer vacation in the shade of her deck, it began blooming right around Halloween – a few holidays early! Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) and the related Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii and hybrids) are both very popular winter bloomers, reliably flowering during the time of year that there are few flowers outdoors in our climate. They both may bloom in a variety of colors: white, deep pink, red or pale orange. The easiest way to tell them apart, since their bloom times overlap and may be affected by environmental conditions, is by the leaf shape. The lobes are pointed on Thanksgiving cactus, resembling Christmas holly or crab claws, while on Christmas cactus the lobes are rounded or scalloped. If the flowers are fully open, you might observe that the anthers are off-white to yellowish on Thanksgiving cactus but brown or pinkish purple on Christmas cactus.

An edible as well as ornamental fall favorite is kale (Brassica oleracea). Ornamental varieties are grown for their colorful foliage, which may combine colors such as green, white, lavender, purple, pink and occasionally red. The leaves may be ruffled or deeply incised. Ornamental kales are not inedible, but in many cases have less palatable flavor or texture than those bred for food. What makes kale plants a highlight of late fall is that they can tolerate much colder temperatures than most annuals.  Like persimmons, kale becomes sweeter after frost, so late fall is usually when it is harvested for food. It can be eaten raw or cooked. While cooking removes some but not all of the abundant vitamins, it makes kale more easily digestible, similar to its close relative cabbage (Brassica oleracea capitata). A traditional dish in Ireland is “colcannon,” which has many regional variations but usually mixes chopped kale or cabbage with potatoes and sausage or other meat for a cold weather meal. In some European countries, harvesting and eating kale in the fall is a seasonal tradition much like apple picking or pumpkin carving may be elsewhere. Others have viewed it as a vegetable eaten out of necessity when everything else is out of season.

As a decorative plant, it seems to be increasing in popularity as new colors and shapes become available. Long stemmed kale can be used as a “vegetable bouquet.” In the example above, the pale leaf scars on the long stout stems add extra interest in a transparent vase. These three kale stems were stripped of their lower leaves before I bought them from the florist, leaving the purple and green ruffled heads at the top. They can be combined with other leaves or flowers in an arrangement or used alone. Often, fall window boxes and outdoor freeze-proof pots contain shorter stemmed kale plants, and in garden beds people sometimes design patterns containing different kale color variations.

An annual plant grown for its silvery gray foliage that often lasts into early winter is old-fashioned dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima, formerly called Cinerarea sp.), which is also known as silverdust. Many people never see its yellow flowers since it often does not bloom until late in fall, when annual beds may have been cleared away or replaced by chrysanthemums. It is far more often valued for its foliage in gardens and arrangements, but the golden blossoms can be a welcome surprise in November.

  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.