Coreopsis lanceolata

Coreopsis lanceolata: Sunny Yellow Daisies for Lean, Dry Ground

Lance-Leaved Tickseed is the native wildflower that throws a party and invites everyone back next year. Bright golden daisies with toothed petal tips on long, bare stems, plus seeds the birds fight over. IT SELF-SEEDS, SO EXPECT SEQUELS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Coreopsis lanceolata
• Common Name: Lance-Leaved Tickseed
• Height: 30–60 cm (1–2 ft)
• Spread: 30–50 cm (1–1.5 ft)
• Flowers: Bright golden-yellow daisies about 5 cm (2 in) across, with toothed petal tips, held on long, mostly leafless stems
• Bloom Time: Late spring to midsummer (May to July), with more flowers into late summer if deadheaded
• Foliage: Narrow, lance-shaped green leaves, mostly at the base of the plant
• Features: Seeds feed birds, self-seeds

Where to Plant: Use it in a meadow garden, on a sunny slope, in a dry border or in a boulevard bed where lean soil defeats fussier plants. It's also good for giving a new garden colour quickly, and the long stems make good cut flowers. It self-seeds, so give it room, and leave a few seed heads if you want goldfinches visiting in late summer.

Companion Plants: Plant lanceleaf coreopsis in a sunny or lightly shaded native bed with lean, well-drained soil. Penstemon hirsutus opens lavender trumpets at 30 to 60 cm in May and June. Agastache foeniculum adds lavender-blue anise hyssop spikes at 60 to 120 cm from July to September. Heliopsis helianthoides brings golden oxeye sunflowers at 90 to 150 cm from June to September. Andropogon gerardii rises at the back to 120 to 200 cm, turning copper-bronze in fall.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average to sandy, well-drained soil. Rich soil and fertilizer make it floppy, so skip both. Water through the first season, then only in long dry spells. It tolerates clay if water doesn't sit around the crown. Deadhead regularly to stretch the bloom season. Leave some flowers to set seed if you want the patch to renew itself, or remove them all if you'd rather it stayed put. Individual plants are short-lived, so self-sown seedlings are how it sticks around. Cut back in late fall or early spring. Clumps can be divided in spring.

History: Lance-leaved tickseed is native across much of eastern and central North America, including southern Ontario, where it grows in sand prairies, open dunes and dry clearings. The common name tickseed comes from the small, flat seeds, which look a little like ticks.

Final Thoughts: Drought tolerant, bee and butterfly friendly and gloriously low effort. Plant a few and let it MULTIPLY LIKE GOSSIP.