Saugus Gardens in the Winter

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

By Laura Eisener

Tomorrow – March 1 – is the first day of meteorological spring, and right on cue we seem to be enjoying warmer temperatures this week. I have seen people out walking more often now that the snowbanks have receded and the ice has melted. A little earlier I saw the first robin in my yard, and although there are often a few that winter over in town, this year I had not seen any since late fall.

Flowers are blooming indoors in response to the lengthening days. Sandy Mears is getting some blossoms on her Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) a couple of months later than the holiday it was named for. One of the most popular indoor plants for winter bloom,

Christmas cactus is a hybrid between Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) and Easter cactus (Schlumbergera russelliana). All of these holiday-named cacti are sometimes known as Zygocactus, which was the former genus name.

Freesias (Freesia refracta and hybrids) are popular cut flowers throughout the year, available in a rainbow of colors. They have a light fragrance and are often said to stand for friendship and thoughtfulness, so they are popular choices for gift bouquets. Natives of Africa, they grow from corms similar to crocus (Crocus spp.). They are not hardy in zones colder than zone 9. We are in zone 6. They can be attractive houseplants as long as they are given sufficient sunlight and water. Monique Todd’s pale lilac colored freesia is currently blooming in a bright hallway in Lynnhurst. The light fragrance reminds me of another flower in the same family (Iridaceae), especially the scent of bearded iris (Iris germanica and hybrids).

African violet (Streptocarpus ionanthus, formerly Saintpaulia ionanthus) is another popular houseplant from South Africa, Kenya and nearby countries. The scientific name was changed about five years ago, but it often takes a while for the nursery trade to catch up, since it requires new plant labels, and sometimes plant names are changed back as new arguments are made. While African violets do have purplish, pink or white flowers somewhat similar in appearance to what we call violets (Viola spp.), they are not related. African violets are members of the

Gesneriad family (Gesnariaceae) not the violet family (Violaceae), and their flower shape is distinctively different. African violet foliage is often very velvety, a charming attribute even when they are not blooming. All of these purple flowers blooming now seem perfect to fit in with the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold traditional for this Tuesday’s festivities.

Among the earliest flowering shrubs to bloom outdoors in our area are our native pussy willows (Salix discolor) and the introduced European species French pussy willow, also called goat willow (Salix caprea). Both sometimes bloom in February, but we may have to wait until March

this year. Indoors, however, is another story and my potted weeping goat willow (Salix caprea pendula) is at peak bloom. Once the ground warms up, this shrub is hardy enough to be planted outdoors. This is a weeping-branched variety grafted onto rootstock of regular goat willow. It is often sold under the name “Weeping Sally” or “Kilmarnock Willow”. Like most other willows, male and female flowers are on separate plants, and those sold in nurseries are almost invariably male since the male catkins are a bit showier. Once the buds begin to open, they have the gray and fuzzy appearance we usually picture when we think of pussy willows. If you have a live plant, the gray catkins will open farther and show bright yellow pollen on each stamen, and once the flowers fall off new green leaves begin emerging. Once the leaves

develop, the plant needs to be kept in the sun until fall when they drop off like those of other deciduous shrubs. They can be kept in a cool place for the winter then brought into warmth to stimulate flower bud opening a little earlier than our shrubs outside.

  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.