Coreopsis UpTick™ Red

Coreopsis UpTick™ Red: Small Plant, Big Red Attitude

This tickseed can't decide what to wear. The first blooms come out almost solid dark red, then later flowers show up with gold tips, like it went for highlights halfway through. INDECISIVE, BUT IN A FUN WAY.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Coreopsis hybrid
• Common Name: Tickseed
• Series: UpTick™, bred by Darwin Perennials (cultivar code 'Baluptred')
• Height: 30–36 cm (12–14 in)
• Spread: 30–36 cm (12–14 in)
• Flowers: Large single daisies. The first blooms are almost solid dark red, and later ones carry golden yellow tips around a golden centre.
• Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Narrow green leaves in a dense, mounded clump
• Features: Long blooming

Where to Plant: Its short, neat habit makes it a natural for the front of a sunny border, for edging a path or for planting in groups of three or five. It also fills a container without flopping. The flowers last nicely as cut stems, so it earns a spot in a cutting bed too.

Companion Plants: Plant UpTick™ Red in a sunny, dry bed with dark rosettes, ruby coneflowers and a native bluestem. Sempervivum 'Black' tucks in at the front at 8 to 10 cm with dark rosettes. Armeria Dreameria® 'Sweet Dreams' adds lavender-pink globes at 25 to 30 cm from May to September. Echinacea Sunny Days™ 'Ruby' brings double ruby coneflowers at 45 to 60 cm from July to October. Schizachyrium scoparium stands behind at 60 to 120 cm, blue-green in summer and copper-red in fall.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. Coreopsis dislikes wet feet, so if you garden on heavy clay, mix in compost or plant it on a slight rise. Water regularly through the first season. After that, average watering is plenty. Deadhead spent flowers to keep new buds coming. If the plant looks tired in midsummer, a light shearing tidies it up and encourages a fresh round of bloom. Leave the foliage standing over winter and cut it back in early spring. Divide every few years in spring if the centre of the clump starts to thin out.

History: Darwin Perennials introduced the UpTick™ series in 2016 for hardy, mildew-resistant coreopsis with large flowers on a compact, mounded plant, and it won a Best New Plant award at the Four Oaks trade show in the UK that same year. Red joined the lineup later as a deeper, darker colour.

Final Thoughts: Long blooming, low maintenance, deer resistant and loved by bees. Plant it in sun and enjoy the costume changes. TWO LOOKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE.