Saugus gardens in the spring

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

  Today is Arbor Day, and many individuals and groups across the country are observing it by planting trees and engaging in activities that promote appreciation and preservation of trees. Sterling Morton, a Nebraska journalist, proposed the first Arbor Day in Nebraska in 1872, and it was celebrated on April 10 that year. Morton’s enthusiasm for trees never waned. The idea grew and spread. It continues to be an important spring event today. In 1972, on the 100th anniversary of the original Arbor Day, the Arbor Day Foundation was established to encourage the planting of trees around the world. One of its best-known programs, Tree City USA, was begun in 1976. Saugus has been a Tree City USA for 23 years. In the last 50 years, the Arbor Day Foundation has planted and distributed nearly 500 million trees in more than 50 countries around the world. Currently, National Arbor Day is observed on the last Friday in April. Actual tree planting events may be held around that time or at the best planting time depending on climate in various parts of the United States. For us, late April is an ideal time for planting trees as the soil has warmed and temperatures are appropriate. The year 2022 marks the 150th year that Arbor Day has been celebrated, and 50 years since the founding of the Arbor Day Foundation.

  One of the most dramatic trees in town is the large American elm (Ulmus americana) at the intersection of Main Street and Route 1. Its location at the edge of the Saugus VFW S/Sgt. Arthur F. DeFranzo Post 2346 Bridge and not far from Saugus High School means that many people pass this tree every day. It is a remnant of the great elms that once lined many American streets in the 19th century, including many streets in Saugus. Most died of Dutch elm disease in the 20th century, but a few remain, and breeders have developed some new varieties resistant to Dutch elm disease. One such resistant tree, a ‘Valley Forge’ elm, was planted in 2015 at the Saugus Ironworks – donated by the Saugus Tree Committee for the 200th anniversary of Saugus’s incorporation as a town separate from Lynn. The old elm on Main Street is beginning to leaf out – you can still see the fan-shaped framework of the branches, but the green leaves are getting a little bigger and more noticeable every day.

  Cherries and plums continue to flower in many places around town, and several types of magnolia are also in bloom. This has so far been a great year for magnolia – some springs the flowers begin to open only to be struck by freezing weather that destroys the blossoms before they can reach their peak of beauty. This year, the cool but not freezing temperatures have favored the flowers and permitted them to bloom for a few weeks without damage from storms or cold. One particularly striking pair of pale yellow magnolias bloom on Main Street at the Roby school, just a few steps from Saugus Center.

  Red maples (Acer rubrum) are somewhat past flowering, as most were at peak bloom in March and early April. Now the winged seeds are developing that will be distributed on the wind to grow new trees. Some trees have samaras that are green while others of the same species are bright red. These differences can be observed in wild trees as well as cultivated specimens.

  In addition to the show of flowering trees, several shrubs, including the bright yellow forsythia (Forsythia intermedia) and P.J.M. Rhododendron (Rhododendron ‘P.J.M.’), are at peak bloom now. These shrubs can be found in every neighborhood. Daffodils continue to bloom and are being joined by tulips in many colors and by blue grape hyacinths (Muscari spp.). An especially stunning tulip display can be seen at Kelly’s Roast Beef – visible from the Route 1 side and much enjoyed by anyone going through the drive-thru window. Like the famous Keukenhof gardens near Amsterdam in the Netherlands – world-famous for its tulip displays – Kelly’s garden has colorful beds filled with patches of tulips in different colors arranged like a crazy quilt.

  Many birds are nesting locally and their songs enliven our woods and gardens. I have seen some gathering twigs and bringing them back to build their nests in the trees, and one was trying to decide how to fit a wide twig through the round doorway in my neighbor’s birdhouse recently. In North Saugus, the Eastern towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), with its colorful plumage, has been spotted. Charles Zapolski has seen them in his neighborhood. They seem to prefer shrubby habitat, such as dense thickets.

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.