FLOWER SEEDS

The Coreopsis up close. The flower can get to 1-2' wide, and on a stem about12"tall.

Coreopsis is tolerant of most soils and is a vigorous grower.  With its spreading habit profuse flowering abilities, coreopsis provides the garden with waves of color through mid-summer. Most varities are yellow but there are a few which are pink. Mine is yellow. Coreopsis is a wonderful edging plant in a full sun perennial border. With litlle care, coreopsis will thrive for years.

This Daisy like flower with eight yellow rays on single, elongated stems makes an excellent cut flower that lasts about seven to ten days. A dought tolerant plant, it blooms continuously from June through July creating a fanastic summer display and it can tolerate some shade in sandy soils. Under ideal conditions this beautiful wildflower will bloom its first year and its foliage makes attractive ground cover throughout the year.

It is attrctive to butterflies and even is deer resistant!

Make  sure you pick a sunny  well drained location. Plant 15-18" apart. While these perennials are easy to grow, there are a few very basic maintenance guidlines to follow which will help your garden flourish. Even though they will thrive in less than ideal soils, add compost and other organic matter to the soil when planting these perennials.

In the summer the main task is in a perennial to deadhead the flowers that have gone by. Deadheading is the process of clipping off the spent blooms as they go by.This will encourage new blooms in perennials and will keep the garden looking fresh all season.

Coreopsis being  very  dought tolerant, they do not respond well to continuously moist soil. Howerver, when they are first planted they need regular watering- until they become established.If you have good soil with lots of organic matter added each year and if your plants are well mulched, you will need to water them only when it has not rained for a week or two. If you have poor soil with little organic content or if you choose not to use mulch, then you may have to water the plants every few days in the summer hear, at least until they are on their way. This is especially true for coreopsis growing in containers that dry out quickly in the sun.

Coreopsis do not require a highly fertile soil, and feeding them too much makes them tall and floppy. A half-handful of general purpose slow acting granular fertilizer scattered on the soil or worked into the soil around each plant in the spring is plenty for the season. They will do well in most soils without any fertilizer at all. I use Miracle Grow in a spray with my hose once in awhile.

For seed germination, no pre-treatment necessary other than cold, dry storage till planted. Seed will germinate upon sowing in a warm location. Plant during the early spring.