Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise'

Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise': Ruffled Gold Built for Hot Spots

'Early Sunrise' is up before your alarm, already wearing ruffles and drinking its coffee in full sun. Semi-double golden flowers that don't wilt when the thermometer starts bragging. THE MORNING PERSON YOU ACTUALLY LIKE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Coreopsis grandiflora 'Early Sunrise'
• Common Name: Large-flowered Tickseed
• Height: 45 cm (18 in)
• Spread: 38–60 cm (15–24 in)
• Flowers: Semi-double, ruffled, golden-yellow, about 5 cm (2 in) across, with an orange-yellow centre
• Bloom Time: Early summer to late summer (June to August), longer with deadheading
• Foliage: Green, lance-shaped leaves in a tidy clump
• Features: Long blooming, heat tolerant, good for cutting

Where to Plant: Plant it at the front or middle of a sunny border, in a cottage garden, or in a big container. It is an easy way to fill a hot, dry spot near the driveway, and massing it gives a bold sweep of gold.

Companion Plants: Lavandula 'Grosso' adds purple spikes from July to September, a strong contrast to the yellow flowers. Sporobolus heterolepis brings a fine, flowing native grass at 60 to 90 cm. Delphinium Laser Beam™ adds blue spikes from June to September. These sun lovers all like good drainage.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average to sandy, well-drained soil. Heavy, wet clay is the main thing it won't forgive, so improve clay with compost or grow it in a raised bed. Water well until established, then only in long dry spells. Skip the fertilizer. Deadhead regularly, or shear the plant back lightly after the first big flush, to keep flowers coming. Cut it back in late fall or early spring. Like most large-flowered tickseeds, it can be short-lived. Divide every two or three years in spring to keep it going, or let a few seed heads ripen so seedlings can fill in.

History: 'Early Sunrise' is a selection of large-flowered tickseed, Coreopsis grandiflora, a species native to the central and southeastern United States. It won a Fleuroselect Gold Medal in 1989 and the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 1993, and it was also an All-America Selections winner.

Final Thoughts: Heat tolerant, drought tolerant once settled, deer resistant and great for cutting. SNOOZE BUTTON NOT INCLUDED.