Ornamental · Asteraceae
Coreopsis
Coreopsis grandiflora
Give it full sun and lean, dry soil, and tickseed throws gold daisies from late spring to frost.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 4–9
1–3 ft · 0.3–0.9 m
Overview
Coreopsis, the easy-living perennial more often called tickseed, brings a sunlit, low-key glamour to the kind of garden you actually want to sit in. Part of the daisy family, it turns a hot, dry edge of the property into a long season of golden-yellow flowers that hum with pollinators and butterflies. The name, oddly enough, has nothing to do with the bug; it traces back to the seeds, which look like ticks up close.
What makes it such a natural fit for an unfussy life is how little it expects in return. It rides out drought once established, settles happily into lean, neglected ground, and keeps the color coming from late spring deep into summer, often right to the first frost. Rich soil and a heavy watering routine work against the effect, so the relaxed, hands-off approach is exactly the one that flatters it.
It splits into two looks worth weighing for a space. The large-flowered tickseeds read bold and cheerful, big daisies that arrive fast and make a clear statement, while the threadleaf types like Moonbeam and Zagreb offer a softer, hazier presence with finer foliage and smaller flowers over a longer run. Both keep the same easy routine: a sunny position, sharp drainage, and a light touch.
Care
The short version: a sunny position and lean, well-drained soil, with water only once the top half has dried. Keep the feeding minimal, deadhead through the season, and shear the clump in midsummer to invite a second flush.
Light
Coreopsis wants full sun, and that open, bright position is where it flowers and shows best. A little afternoon shade is fine, but go much further and you trade the trim, sunlit look for floppy, leggy stems and fewer blooms.
Water
Once it has settled in, this is a drought-tolerant plant that fits an easygoing routine. Let the top half of the soil dry out between drinks, roughly every 7 to 14 days, and lean on sharp drainage rather than a strict schedule. Keeping it wet is the surest way to lose it.
Soil
Lean ground is what flatters it. It thrives in well-drained sandy, rocky, or clay soil and takes poor, infertile spots in stride, holding a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 5.5 to 7.0. Rich soil only loosens its shape.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air suits it, so there is no figure to fuss over. What matters to the look is drainage and airflow, since damp, crowded settings are what open the door to rot.
Feeding
Feed it sparingly, if at all. A light touch through the growing season is plenty, because rich soil pushes soft, floppy growth and dims the flowering.
Pruning
Deadhead spent blooms through the season to keep the color going. Then shear the whole clump back in mid to late summer to call up a fresh fall flush and neaten any sprawling foliage.
Size & spacing
Plants reach 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91 cm) tall and spread about as wide, an easy mid-bed scale. Allow each one 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91 cm) so air moves freely and the planting stays composed.
When to plant
Coreopsis is a dependable perennial for zones 4 through 9, a plant that slips easily into the rhythm of a garden year. Start seed indoors a few weeks before the last frost or sow it straight into the ground, set plants out once spring has settled, and the color follows from late spring into summer.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6 to 8 weeks before last spring frost
- Plant: After last spring frost in spring
- Harvest: Late spring to late summer, sometimes to first frost
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Nearly every trouble with coreopsis comes down to one thing: too much water. Get the drainage right and most of what follows simply never disturbs the picture. When something does, match what you see and tend to it before it spreads.
Mushy stems at the soil line and a plant that flops over
When a planting that once read clean and sunny slumps into the bed, the cause is usually crown rot from ground that holds too much water, not any pest. After the base softens and darkens the plant rarely rallies, so lift it and let it go. Restore the look by easing off the watering, sharpening the drainage, and setting fresh divisions where the soil stays free and fast.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy affected plants
- Improve drainage and reduce watering
- Replant healthy divisions in well-drained soil
White fungal threads at the base with sudden collapse
Southern blight arrives with warm, humid weather and can undo a planting in a matter of days. Its signature is a fine white mat at the soil line scattered with tan, mustard-seed-sized sclerotia. Tidy the scene by lifting the affected plant with the soil around it, drawing mulch back from the stems, and spacing the bed so air drifts through it freely.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infected plants and surrounding soil
- Avoid mulching directly against stems
- Improve air circulation and drainage
Ragged holes chewed in the leaves with slime trails
Ragged gaps in the planting are the work of slugs and snails, which feed by night when the bed stays damp. The faint silvery trails near the leaves mark where they have traveled. Keep the display looking composed by gathering them after dark, drying the bed with less water and mulch, and ringing favored plantings with traps or a tidy barrier.
Fix:
- Hand-pick at night
- Reduce excess moisture and mulch
- Use traps or barriers
Few flowers on floppy, sprawling stems
A planting that grows loose and leafy with little color usually sits in soil that is too rich or too damp, and leaving spent flowers in place only blurs the effect further. Bring back the crisp, sunlit look by moving it into full sun and lean, well-drained ground and keeping the feeding restrained. Deadhead through the season and shear the clump in mid to late summer to refresh the display.
Fix:
- Deadhead regularly
- Shear back in mid to late summer
- Reduce fertilizer and grow in full sun and leaner soil
Toxicity
Reassuring news for a home shared with animals. Coreopsis is non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses on the ASPCA's list, and it poses no known threat to other animals or to people. A nibbled leaf or flower is nothing to worry over.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Cats can live alongside it with ease. The ASPCA lists coreopsis as non-toxic, so a stray taste from a household cat asks for no second thought.
Dogs None
Dogs are welcome near the planting too. It holds no known toxins, though a dog that bolts a large mouthful of any plant may pass through a brief, harmless upset stomach.
Horses None
Horses meet no hazard here. Coreopsis is listed as non-toxic, so it brings no poisoning risk to grazing ground.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits sit comfortably with it. Should the leaves or flowers be browsed, they hold nothing that could cause harm.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can keep its company while grazing, with no toxicity to consider.
Birds Safe
Birds come to no harm from it, and many drift in for the dried seed heads as a meal.
People Safe
People face no toxicity from it. It earns its place as a garden flower rather than a crop, so there is no edible part to gather.
Varieties
Coreopsis comes in dozens of named selections, but a few earn their place again and again. These are the ones worth knowing as you plan a space.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'
A threadleaf type that lends an airy, soft-focus mood, its finely cut foliage carrying pale yellow flowers across a long season.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb'
A compact threadleaf selection that settles into a neat mound, an easy anchor for a tidy bed beneath golden-yellow flowers.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Grandiflora'
A more compact threadleaf form near 2.5 feet, scaled for the front of a border and topped with bright golden-yellow daisies.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Early Sunrise'
A large-flowered tickseed for instant impact, its semi-double golden blooms arriving fast from seed in the first year.
How to propagate
Coreopsis is simple to increase, whether you part an established clump or grow it from seed, and more often than not it reseeds itself before you reach for the trowel.
DivisionEasy
Early spring; divide clumps every 2 to 3 years to maintain vigor · One growing season
Division is the graceful way to keep a coreopsis planting full and well kept. In early spring, lift an established clump, part it into healthy pieces, and replant them to refresh tired stands and hold the spread to its allotted space. The divisions find their feet across a single growing season.
SeedEasy
Start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before last frost or direct sow; self-seeds readily · Blooms first year for many large-flowered types
Coreopsis comes easily from seed, started indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost or scattered straight across the bed. Many large-flowered types reward the season with flowers in their first year. Large-flowered tickseed can be short-lived, yet it reseeds so freely that the planting renews itself and the look carries on.
Myths
Tickseed takes its name because the plant attracts or shelters ticks.
The name belongs to the seeds, not the pests. Each small dry seed simply echoes the shape of a tick, and that likeness is the entire reason for it. In a planting, what it draws is pollinators and butterflies, never ticks.
Coreopsis is poisonous and belongs well away from cats and dogs.
The reassurance is on record, as the ASPCA lists coreopsis as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. A pet that samples a leaf or flower is in no danger.