What a Difference One Warm Day Can Make

When I left this morning the shasta daisy buds were shut tight, the butterfly weed had small green buds and the yarrow was just a sea of ferny fronds.  When I returned at 5 PM we had fully formed daisies, a blaze of tiny yellow and orange butterfly blossoms and bright pincushions of yarrow.   There were several painted lady butterflies and lots of bees enjoying the floral debut.  It was a wonderful greeting after a long hot day with rowdy students desperate for summer vacation to begin.

I am especially fond of the area that fills the area between the front walks of our house and the home to which we are attached.  (In Wilmington two houses that share a common wall, such as ours, are referred to as "semi-detached."  I always disliked the term - it gives rise to images of one house dangling precariously from the side of another.)  At the moment, our neighboring house is vacant.  The story of a foreclosed mortgage is a familiar one.  The house has been on the market for 9 months and the yard and plantings have received minimal attention.  However, we maintain this four-foot wide strip between the walks, so it has not suffered.  On the neighbor's side it contains several large shrubs including a Barberry that provides terrific shelter for small birds.  On our side there is a large Juniper and plantings of numerous perennials including coral bells, bishop's weed, yarrow, lavender, milkweed, coreopsis verticillata zagreb, chrysanthemum, phlox and shasta daisy.  We always augment with annuals, especially penta, African daisy and blanket flower and suspend some hanging baskets from shepherd crook hooks sunk into the ground.  These provide some partial shade and protection to some of the more fragile plants below.  In the early spring, before this riot of color and activity begins,  there is a carpet of multiple varieties of crocuses and daffodils.  In late winter there are are snow drops.  I think there are only about 7 weeks all year in which that small strip is not in some sort of bloom.