Coreopsis for Summer Coloursubmitted on 19 March 2015
A couple of years ago I bought some Coreopsis plants from a local garden centre, which gave a display of bright golden flowers all summer. As an added bonus they were perennial so I could look forward to them year after year, though unfortunately they never reappeared. This year I have decided to grow my own from seed.
The perennial coreopsis is ideal for the front of the border, and with their bright colour they can hold their own amongst the showiest crocosmias, dahlias and cannas. The two most popular species are Coreopsis verticillata and C. grandiflora, and there are also a dozen or so related garden-raised cultivars.
Coreopsis verticillata has divided leaves, so narrow as to be almost thread-like, and branched stems, about 2ft tall, which are topped from July to September by golden yellow flowers, which are very attractive to bees.
'Grandiflora' has larger flowers and is a sturdier plant, with broader, strap-shaped, bright green leaves, and olden flowers, up to 2½in across. It grows to about 2ft tall but is not generally long-lived.
Among those that will bloom in their first summer is the semi-double-flowered, 18in-tall 'Early Sunrise', which is the one I have chosen. This has large, bobble-head yellow flowers. If you would prefer a coreopsis with a different flower colour, try 'Limerock Ruby' which is ruby red or the pink C. rosea 'American Dream.'
Both types of coreopsis should be planted in late spring, Coreopsis grandiflora in a soil with some moisture in it, and a sunny aspect, and C. verticillata in a light, free-draining soil, preferably in sun.
They flower best and longest if they are deadheaded. By shearing back the flower stems to side growths or even down to the base rosette in late July or August, you will encourage them to flower into the autumn. In late September, cut them right back again.
When growing from seed you need to start them off under glass in February or March. My seedlings are just starting to appear after a week or so on a window ledge. Divide C. grandiflora and its cultivars every two or three years, otherwise you risk losing them in winter.
Cultivars such as 'Moonbeam', 'Astolat' and 'Mayfield Giant,' which are variable if grown from seed, should be propagated either from basal cuttings or divided in spring.
I hope my plants are a success as they will be such a colourful addition to the garden.
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