Saugus Gardens in the Spring

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

By Laura Eisener

I hope no one was fooled by the warm temperatures before April 1 into thinking we had sprung directly into summer, but the flowers popping up are proof that spring is not going away. Snowdrops and crocuses have lasted quite a long time, and daffodils have begun to open in warm spots against south-facing walls in sunny locations. If they are growing in more shade, they may still be just showing buds. Later blooming varieties may not flower until May.

For anyone feeling impatient for more showy flowers, there are potted bulbs that have been forced into bloom by being warmed up early, usually in a greenhouse or shipped up from warmer zones. Inspired by the early March flower bulb shows at Smith and Mt. Holyoke Colleges in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, I gathered tables and step stools to arrange an Easter display on my indoor stairway landing. A bouquet of tall black pussy willows (Salix melanostachys) is surrounded by pots of pink oriental hyacinths (Hyacinth orientale), yellow tête-à-tête daffodils (Narcissus ‘Tête-à-Tête’), pastel mums (Chrysanthemum hortorum), an egg-shaped pot of miniature orchids, a bouquet of Darwin hybrid tulips (Tulipa hybrida) and an array of bunny, chicken and egg Easter decorations set a festive scene.

Several of the amaryllis (Hemerocallis spp.) bulbs that I have been nurturing year to year indoors have buds getting ready to open. A bright red one just flowered, along with a new yellow fringed tulip (Tulipa hybrida). Fringed tulips come in red, white, yellow, orange, pink and purple and are distinguished by the pointed “fringed” edges of petals and sepals. While tender bulbs like the amaryllis need to be kept from freezing temperatures year round, the tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and other hardy bulbs require six weeks or so of cold before they will begin to grow and flower. In our climate this cold period can be provided by outdoor winter temperatures, but if they could not be planted before the ground froze, these temperatures could be provided by refrigeration to force them into bloom at a chosen time.

Sunday is a big day, with Easter falling on that date, April 5, this year. The date of Easter varies based on the relationship of the full moon to the vernal equinox. Easter Sunday this year falls on National Dandelion Day, which is always April 5. With the warmer days this week, I have been keeping my eyes open for dandelions but have not seen one as of the press deadline this week. National Wildlife Week also begins this Sunday. This is another event with a varying date. It is the first full week of April, which this year is April 5-9. There are many ways to celebrate this week: observing wildlife, helping create or conserve habitat and learning about all kinds of wildlife.

The National Wildlife Foundation recently reported some good news for eastern monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) for a change: Monarch butterflies have increased somewhat over last year. Those that migrate to western areas of North America are still in decline, and even the eastern populations have not reached populations of a decade or so ago, but this news is encouraging. The count is based on studies in areas of Mexico where they spent this past winter. We still have many weeks before we see any in Massachusetts.