Coreopsis – Yellow Flowering Annuals

Splashes of Maroon and Gold in a Summer Garden

Jun 28, 2009 Robert Dailey

Coreopsis brings a sunny disposition to any summer garden. Delicate bright golden yellow flowers with maroon centers on thin stems appear to be floating in air.

Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) is a native North American annual that works well as a border plant and an accent plant.

Growing up to two feet and more, this annual has naturalized in most U.S. states and in most Canadian provinces. It's found almost everywhere in the Midwest and the west, it grows in ditches, along roadsides, on abandoned railroad tracks, in prairies and meadows and in right of ways. While the plant grows wild in the plains and west, it has not readily naturalized in the east.

Called tickseed in some areas and calliopsis in the Deep South, the plant reproduces well. Although essentially an annual, each plant can grow for several years before it dies, if the conditions are right.

Planting Coreopsis

Plant coreopsis in early spring or fall. Make sure the seeds come in contact with the soil. Covering them with a little soil helps protect them from hungry birds.

Hardy from Zone 4 through 10, coreopsis blooms from late spring-early summer through the fall. The plant prefers full sun, but will do well in partial shade.

Coreopsis does best in moist, sandy soils, although it will tolerate almost any type of soil, including clay and gravelly soils. During wet times, it does exceptionally well. Water coreopsis regularly but don’t over water the plant. While some literature directs that it will not do well in dry areas, it actually adapts well to water-wise and even xeric gardens.

It self sows freely. It’s not unusual to find a number of seedlings growing the next year in the same site as the previous year’s plant, due to seeds dropped.

Keep the plant deadheaded to prohibit volunteer seedlings next year.

Coreopsis and Soil Types

The plant is fairly tolerant of soil types, thriving in mildly acidic soils with a pH of 6.1 to slightly alkaline soils with a pH of 7.8.

Snails, slugs and fungi do prey on coreopsis, sometimes wreaking havoc on the plant. However, for the most part, coreopsis is disease free, easy to grow and pleasing to the eye.

Bees and butterflies love the flowers, and birds are attracted to the seeds. Additionally, the caterpillar stage of several moths and butterflies feed on the plant’s foliage.

Plains coreopsis also has a folk medicine history. Native Americans made a hot drink from the plant, and it is reported that early settlers used the plants in mattresses to repel fleas, ticks and bedbugs. No data is available to prove or disprove that idea.

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The copyright of the article Coreopsis – Yellow Flowering Annuals in Desert/Water-wise Gardens is owned by Robert Dailey. Permission to republish Coreopsis – Yellow Flowering Annuals in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Plains Coreopsis