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Largeflower Tickseed

Coreopsis grandiflora

Largeflower tickseed opens golden daisies two inches across on wiry stems over a low mound of narrow leaves, and it flowers so heavily in its first season from seed that it is often sold and treated as an annual. It is genuinely perennial but short-lived, three years or so, keeping itself going by self-sowing wherever soil is bare. Deadheading extends bloom by weeks; left alone, it sets seed and stops. It belongs on dry, sandy, infertile ground — in a rich bed it grows soft, flops open at the center and dies out over a wet winter. Small bees and butterflies work the flowers heavily and goldfinches take the seed. Most garden coreopsis cultivars trace back to this species, which is why it looks so familiar.

Family

Asteraceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

1.5–2.5 ft

Spacing

1–1.5 ft apart

Light

part shade

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

May, June

Bloom colors

yellow

Wildlife value

pollinators, butterflies

Landscape uses

border, naturalizing

Native states

AL, AR, FL, GA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NJ, NM, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI