Historic Corolla Village
Outer Banks
Corolla NC
2011

A small grassland plant that has flowers with a yellow disk and white rays. It has given rise to many ornamental garden varieties

Bellis perennis, the daisy, is a European species of the family Asteraceae, often considered the archetypal species of the name daisy. To distinguish this species from other plants known as daisies, it is sometimes qualified as common daisy, lawn daisy or English daisy.

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/daisies

What is a daisy? The word daisy often brings to mind an image of a flower composed of flat, white petals surrounding a yellow button center, growing on knee-high stalks in a summer meadow, rural roadside, or cottage perennial border. Some may remember with affection the flower they picked in younger years to make romantic predictions, chanting the traditional litany of "He loves me...he loves me not," while pulling each flower petal off one by one. It might come as a surprise to learn that 22 plant genera contain at least one flower commonly called "daisy," resulting in 38 different flower species of the same common name.

Distinguishing characteristics of the flowers called daisy include a central, buttonlike disk of microscopic flowers encompassed by a ring of raylike petals. The similarities end here. The central disk can be flat, concave, or convex in form. Colors can vary from the classic yellow to black, dark brown, or even exotic purple. Ray petals (often frilled or double) range from pure white to cream, yellow, orange, red, crimson, rose, or purple.

There are two particular daisies that one finds successfully grown in local gardens, including the Chicago Botanic Garden. They are the Shasta daisy (Chrysanthemum x superbum, syn. Leucanthemum xsuperbum) and the English daisy (Bellis perennis). The Shasta daisy is a hybrid developed by Luther Burbank near the white peaks of Mt. Shasta in California. A favorite border perennial in Chicago gardens, this classic-colored flower grows on stems 2 to 3 feet tall. Shasta daisies form robust, rounded clumps that prefer moist, rich, well-drained soil, full sun, and uncrowded growing conditions. They can be susceptible to stem rot, powdery mildew, and verticillium wilt.

Gardeners desiring larger, higher-quality cutting flowers often fertilize Shasta daisies in summer as well as prune off any developing side buds. At the Chicago Botanic Garden, Shasta daisies are treated like any other perennial in the border — they are given about 1 inch of water per week during the heat of summer and deadheaded regularly to encourage reflowering.

Daisy clumps should be divided every two to three years to prevent overcrowding and loss of rigor. Winter protection consists of cutting the stems back to their basal growth and covering with mulch. The cultivars 'Amelia' and 'Becky' have performed the best at the Chicago Botanic Garden and are found in large numbers in diverse Garden settings.

The English daisy (Bellis perennis) is a biennial in the Chicago area and is often seen as a companion plant to spring-flowering bulbs. It prefers a cooler, moist spring and will often fade during the heat of Chicago summers. If deadheaded regularly, English daisies will often bloom sporadically through the fall. Short little plants, perfect for edging, they sport a common yellow center with varying shades of rose, red, salmon, or white ray flowers.
While English daisies and Shasta daisies are good examples of popular daisies for cultivation in Chicago-area gardens, the ox-eye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) is harder to classify. Weed or wildflower? Cultivated plant or nuisance flower? Native to Europe and Asia, this cousin of the Shasta daisy has naturalized itself throughout Zones 3 to 10 by rapidly spreading through seed and rhizomes. The ox-eye daisy actually prefers the low fertility of old fields and pastures.

No matter where you look this summer — perennial or annual beds, cottage or cutting gardens, open fields, or patio pots — there will surely be a daisy in the display.

https://www.visitcurrituck.com/places/historic-corolla-village/

Visit Historic Corolla Village, a popular attraction for visitors to Currituck’s Outer Banks. Stroll down sandy streets lined with wooden signs for restored shops hosted by friendly merchants and visit a simpler time. Tour the historic Whalehead mansion while you’re in town, and snap a photo of the view from the top of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.
The village is home to many unique businesses, including the Wild Horse Museum. Although most of the isolated villages that existed on this stretch of coast in the past have disappeared, the Historic Corolla Village remains intact, providing insight into times long past.
The focus of the Village has been on the restoration and re-purposing of the existing historic homes into retail shops and office spaces. Visitors can walk the paths and visit the carefully restored homes: The Parker House, Parker Outbuilding, Gray-Lewark House, Gray-Lewark Outbuilding, The Gard House, and A Village Garden.
Twiddy & Company has been instrumental in efforts to restore the many buildings in the Village and is housed in the historic Kill Devil Hills Lifesaving Station, which they have relocated to the Village. They have also restored the Wash Woods US Coast Guard Station #166, which is situated on the four-wheel-drive beaches of Corolla.
With it’s unpaved roads and historic setting, staying in Corolla Village in Corolla, NC provides a unique way to experience the beauty, history, and scenery that the secluded northern Outer Banks beaches have to offer. Located near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, the Whalehead mansion, Currituck Maritime Museum and Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, Corolla Village is home to restored residences that are now home to numerous quaint shops, stores, and museums.
Visitors enjoy strolling through Corolla Village because it’s like taking a trip back in times to when life was much simpler…with it’s unpaved sand roads, live oaks, scrub pines, and relaxing pace. From Corolla Village, it’s only a short walk or bike ride to the ocean and several of the most popular things to do in Corolla, NC. It’s difficult to image that this area was home to only two-hundred people at the turn of the century, and most of the residents were families of those working at the Currituck Beach Lifesaving Station.