Coreopsis 'Moonbeam'

Coreopsis 'Moonbeam': The Peacekeeper of Loud Borders

Pale lemon-yellow stars over a cloud of thread-fine leaves, soft enough to calm down even your loudest border. 'Moonbeam' is the dimmer switch of the garden. MOOD LIGHTING, ALL SUMMER.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' (a hybrid of C. verticillata)
• Common Name: Threadleaf Tickseed
• Height: 38–46 cm (15–18 in)
• Spread: 41–51 cm (16–20 in)
• Flowers: Small, pale lemon-yellow, star-shaped daisies
• Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Very fine, thread-like green leaves forming a soft mound
• Features: Long blooming, heat tolerant, rabbit resistant, salt tolerant

Where to Plant: Use it at the front of a sunny bed, along a dry path, or massed on a slope. Because it tolerates salt and dry soil, it is a good pick for the hot strip by the driveway or sidewalk.

Companion Plants: Lavandula 'SuperBlue' adds blue spikes from June to August, a soft pairing with the pale yellow stars. Sempervivum 'Kalinda' fills gaps at the front with tight rosettes and pink flowers. Behind, Panicum Prairie Winds® 'Totem Pole' rises straight up to 180 cm. All three love full sun and sharp drainage.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. Sandy or gravelly soil is fine. Soggy winter soil is not. Water well through the first season, then only in long droughts. Deadheading one tiny flower at a time is nobody's idea of fun. Instead, shear the whole plant back by about a third in midsummer when blooming slows. It will tidy up and flower again. Cut it back in late fall or early spring. It spreads slowly into a wider patch. Divide every two or three years in spring to keep the centre full.

History: 'Moonbeam' was the first Perennial Plant of the Year, chosen by the Perennial Plant Association in 1992. It is usually sold as a form of Coreopsis verticillata, the threadleaf tickseed native to the eastern United States, but it is believed to be a hybrid between that species and an unknown parent.

Final Thoughts: Heat, drought, road salt and deer: it's unbothered by all of it. Plant a row along the driveway. LIGHTS ON, FEET UP.