Saugus Gardens in the Spring

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

By Laura Eisener

Among the birds that never left the area during the winter are herring gulls (Larus argentatus). They are the most abundant species of seagull in our coastal areas. They usually lay their eggs on offshore islands like Egg Rock (a prominent stone island in Lynn harbor that got its name not for its shape but because gull eggs could be found there).

Often when I stand by my kitchen sink in the morning, I look out the window and see gulls flying west, presumably from the shore, inland to areas where they can scavenge for food. Their diet is extremely varied, and they have adapted to living near humans very readily. They may pick up crabs and clams from a beach, fly up and drop them from a height onto pavement or stones so that the shell breaks, making it easier for them to reach the meat. They are fans of fast food – often seen clustered around a bag of fried clams, French fries or other food that someone has dropped – and will even steal someone’s picnic off their blanket or occasionally right from their hands! I’m not sure whether this group in the rainy parking lot on Monday were expecting a handout or if the open space just reminded them of a beach.

Darley Dale heath (Erica darleyensis) is a hybrid between two winter heath species (Erica erigena and Erica carnea), also known as Scotch heath, spring heath, alpine heath and winter-flowering heather. The thought of heaths and heathers will conjure up visions of the landscapes of Emily Bronte’s mid-19th century novel “Wuthering Heights” and the windswept moors of mysteries and Gothic romances. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is a haunting mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his well-known detective Sherlock Holmes, set in the moors of Devon. Another classic British novel, “Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor” by R. D. Blackmore is another book in which the moors are a vital part of the story. Places where acres of heath and heather grow in the British Isles are often sparsely populated landscapes because the rocky granite outcrops with nearby sphagnum bogs were not very conducive to farming and are still seen as somewhat deserted and spooky in modern times. And those mossy bogs, of course, could swallow up a person who had wandered in while lost.

Heather (Calluna spp.) is a closely related genus that grows in similar habitats, and it is very similar in appearance, although heather blooms in early summer, usually June around here. Both have tiny, pointed evergreen foliage and bell-shaped flowers that may be pink or white. Winter heath can be somewhat variable in bloom time, depending on winter temperatures and snow cover. I have seen them bloom outdoors any time from February to April in past years in eastern Massachusetts. They are hardy enough for our winters if their other needs are met – they like sun, especially in the morning, demand good drainage, but need consistent watering. Along the coast, they can grow as far north as Acadia National Park. Heaths and heathers belong to the heath family (Ericaceae) along with rhododendrons, azaleas and many other shrubs familiar in our gardens.

Lenten roses (Helleborus orientalis) are finally open in my garden. These are sometimes sold as houseplants in winter but can be planted in shade and like the winter heath will bloom sometime from winter to early spring. These plants came from the Middle East originally and are in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), not related to roses at all.

Tomorrow is National Dandelion Day – celebrated every year on April 5. To some a dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is just a weed in the lawn, but to others it symbolizes resilience, since it can grow in tough places; to others it signifies innocence, since it is beloved by so many children; and to others, the joy of spring because of its cheery yellow color and its bloom so soon after the last snows melt.

April 3 was National Walking Day, and there have been several days that have been great for getting outside and seeing the new spring blossoms. On Monday my husband and I took a drive to Concord and Lexington to visit a few of the sites that will be very crowded this month with tourists visiting historic sites, as these towns are pulling out all the stops for the 250th anniversary of these early battles of the Revolution. We took a long walk around the North Bridge area in Concord and a shorter one in Lexington. In both places daffodils were bright and cheerful.

Spring bulbs are popping up everywhere in Saugus! In some spots the daffodils are blooming, while in others there are still snowdrops and crocuses. Monday night I stopped and listened to the spring peepers before heading in for the night. There are a few pollinators out and about, including a bee, not sure what kind, that I saw visiting the crocuses on one of the pleasant springlike days.

  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.