If you're looking for low maintenance, drought-tolerant, long-blooming and cheerful plants for a flower border or a filler, coreopsis are a perfect choice. With more than 80 species of coreopsis, plus many selections and hybrids, there's a perfect plant for your sunny garden. About half of the varieties are Native North American prairie and woodland plants, while the others are native to Central and South America. Their ruggedness and profuse blooms have made them popular with plant breeders. Their common name, "tickseed," is supposedly for the seeds' resemblance to ticks. Even so, birds (particularly Goldfinches) love to snack on the seeds during fall and winter. Bees and butterflies are drawn to their colorful blooms. Their daisy-like flowers range in colors from bright yellow and orange to pink and red. Coreopsis form upright clumps and have a moderate growth rate. Plant them any time from early spring to fall, once danger of frost has passed. Annual varieties will start blooming in early summer and repeat bloom periodically through fall, while perennial varieties will begin blooming the second year after planting..
