Marie Iannotti is a life-long gardener and a veteran Master Gardener with nearly three decades of experience. She's also an author of three gardening books, a plant photographer, public speaker, and a former Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator. Marie's garden writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide and she has been interviewed for Martha Stewart Radio, National Public Radio, and numerous articles.
Coreopsis, often called tickseed, is a genus containing up to 80 species of flowering perennials native to North America, Central America, and South America. The flowers are usually yellow and daisy-like (and, like daisies, they're part of the Aster family). There are four species of particular interest to gardeners: C. grandiflora (large-flowered tickseed), C. lanceolata (lance-leafed tickseed), C. verticillata (threadleaf coreopsis), and C. rosea (pink coreopsis).
Coreopsis plants are extremely adaptable, easy-growing perennials. There's a good range of varieties, and their numbers increase every year through the development of additional cultivars. There are tall, fluffy forms, red and pink varieties, and even annual types.
Here are eight varieties of coreopsis to consider growing in your flower garden.
Gardening Tip
All coreopsis specieshave a tendency to become sparse in late summer. They're often rejuvenated by aggressively cutting them back after the main flowering period has concluded.
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Large-Flowered Tickseed (Coreopsis grandiflora)
Arco Images / Huetter Christian / Getty Images
In addition to its many cultivars, the pure Coreopsis grandiflora has been gracing gardens with its bright yellow flowers for generations. It makes an excellent perennial for novice gardeners, but experienced gardeners will also appreciate its reliability, ease of growth, and versatility. Also known as large-flowered tickseed, it can grow in just about any soil, whether shallow, lean, or chalky. It's open pollinated, so it can be grown either from seed or by division, and it will also self-seed, but not to the point of annoyance. If you don't want the volunteers, deadhead the plants before they go to seed. These plants will benefit from shearing after the initial bloom fades.
Native Area: Central and eastern North America
USDA Growing Zones: 4–9
Height: 18–24 inches
Sun Exposure: Full sun
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'Heliot' (Coreopsis grandiflora ‘Heliot’)
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Coreopsis grandiflora are exuberant plants and will happily spread out in a garden. One cultivar, 'Heliot,' a Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner, was bred to stay tight and compact—perfect for a smaller garden or containers. The flowers are single with a burgundy ring around the center disk. They're not as full as the double Coreopsis grandiflora, but they bloom from early summer right through to frost, even in the first year of planting. This cultivar also benefits from shearing after the initial blooms fade. Divide the clumps every three years to maintain the plant.
Native Area: Central and eastern North America
USDA Growing Zones: 4–9
Height: 10–14 inches
Sun Exposure: Full sun
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'Rising Sun' (Coreopsis grandiflora ‘Rising Sun’)
Fleuroselect
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Rising Sun' is another Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner. It's unique in a couple ways: First, it begins blooming weeks earlier than other varieties of coreopsis. Then there's the flower itself. 'Rising Sun' has semi-double, fringed golden flowers with a red dot at the base of each petal. The 2-inch flowers are relatively large for the species, but the growth habit and ease of maintenance are everything you'd expect.
Native Area: Central and eastern North America
USDA Growing Zones: 3–9
Height: 18–24 inches
Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
AlpamayoPhoto / Getty Images
While all coreopsis plants are carefree, the lanceleaf, another North American native, is virtually foolproof. All it asks for is lots of sunshine and well-draining soil, and it will bloom its heart out all season long with deep yellow flowers. Lanceleaf coreopsis has a more open, airy form than Coreopsis grandiflora, although not as airy as the threadleaf. Lanceleaf has a bit of a wildflower look that blends well in cottage-style gardens. The flowers follow the sun, so position them where you'll best enjoy the view.
When Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' came on the market, nurseries couldn't keep it in stock. The buttery yellow flowers were too irresistible, and then there's the foliage: thread-like wisps of green that soften the look of the garden. 'Moonbeam' is, indeed, a stunning plant. It blooms from midsummer all the way into fall. Although this cultivar shares its species' ease of growth, it tends to be less long-lived than most, often disappearing from a garden within three years. Then again, it's been known to travel a bit and pop up in another part of the garden. It's impossible to say how 'Moonbeam' will perform in your particular garden, but it's worth a shot as it blends well into any garden design.
The threadleaf coreopsis (C. verticillata) is increasingly popular, leading to the development of several cultivars.The feathery leaves and profusion of blooms are certainly worthy features. However, some threadleafs become wispy and floppy as they age, and others are short-lived. However, 'Golden Showers' can hold its flower stems tall and sturdy throughout the season. It tends to form a nice size clump, rather than traveling around your garden, and it stays around for several years. The golden yellow flowers bloom from midsummer into fall. Like mostcoreopsis, 'Golden Showers' is very tolerant of hot, dry weather. Shearing the plants back by about two-thirds once the initial blooming is finished will refresh the plant and set new buds.
Native Area: Eastern-central U.S.
USDA Growing Zones: 4–9
Height: 24–30 inches
Sun Exposure: Full sun
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Pink Coreopsis (Coreopsis rosea)
Prairie Nursery
C. Rosea is another species of threadleaf coreopsis—the only one with pink flowers. It has the same airy texture of C. vertilcillata but is less tolerant of heat and drought. The daisy-like flowers bloom through summer, appearing on short stalks, and this plant is best for regions with cool summers.
Native Area: Northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada
USDA Growing Zones: 3–8
Height: 1–2 feet
Sun Exposure: Full sun
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'Limerock Ruby' (Coreopsis x 'Limerock Ruby')
The Spruce / Marie Iannotti
'Limerock Ruby' came onto the scene when the threadleaf was peaking in popularity. It's an accidental hybrid created from the cross-pollination of unidentified selections of C. rosea and C. verticillata, producing a plant that resembles a threadleaf but with red flowers and orange centers. Initially marketed as being hardy to zone 5, it's been redefined as a zone 8 perennial, but it can be grown as an annual in colder zones. There have since been more introductions in the series, such as the pink 'Limerock Passion' and the tangerine 'Limerock Dream,' which keep the interest in coreopsis going strong.
Native Area: Nursery hybrid; parent species are native to northeastern North America and eastern-central U.S.
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