Plant of the month, Coreopsis

Coreopsis are yellow summer bloomers. There are 6 native species of Coreopsis native to Missouri and most of them are available at garden centers that specialize in native plants. Coreopsis establish quickly and bloom the first year. They are well known for giving a reliable bloom for the first season of a new prairie planting. All coreopsis are great for attracting butterflies and bees to their flowers and many birds including gold finch to their seed heads.

Plains coreopsis, Coreopsis tinctoria, looks great in the prairie garden. Annual yellow flower with red centers bloom June to September. A delicate looking plant growing to 2 to 4 feet tall. Grows best in full sun and dry to medium soil. It will tolerate drought, clay, dry, shallow, and rocky soil. It attracts birds and butterflies and survives deer. Good plant for areas with poor, dry soils. Excellent in large plantings.

Lanceleaf coreopsis, Coreopsis lanceolata, is a perennial sprawling 1ft tall plant with 2 ft flower stalks. It has yellow blooms May to July. Coreopsis grows best in full sun and dry to medium soil. It can tolerate drought, dry, shallow, and rocky soil. It attracts butterflies and birds and survives deer. Grows well in rock gardens, meadows or prairies. This is a good plant for areas with poor, dry soils. Self-seeding tendencies may need to be kept in check to maintain a more formal appearance.

I have a swath of lancelef coeopsis across the front of my garden and it reliably attracts large flocks of golf finches each year. I love to watch them as they balance of the stems to peck out the seeds. I’m always sure to collect some seeds for myself to save for next year. I snip off the seed heads into a paper bag and then break them up after they have dried for a few weeks. The seeds do not need any special treatment and can be scattered immediately or kept dry and cool to be planted the next spring.

Coreopsis are sometimes confused with bidens which also have yellow disk blooms at the same time. Bidens are called beggars ticks which coreopsis are referred to as tick seed. However, Bidens seeds have little barbs that stick to your clothes while coreopsis do not. Coreopsis gets the name tickseed from the tinny brown seeds that are about the size and color of seed ticks.

Coreopsis fill an ecosystem role as early establishers in disturbed soils. They spread and grow easily from seeds. They bloom in the first year and produce lots of seeds. The plants are short lived but can self perpetuate with their seeds. Because of their live fast attitude they have trouble competing with some of the other prairie plants that take more time to put down big root systems. As garden plantings mature there may be less coreopsis each year.