Lanceleaf coreopsis

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light shade but flowers less and may lean.

Water

Water regularly while establishing; afterwards, water during prolonged dry spells. Avoid persistently wet soil.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gravelly or loamy soil; tolerates poor soil and a range of pH levels. Rich, heavily fertilised soil encourages floppy growth.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Flowers

Golden-yellow flowers from late spring into summer; removing spent flowers can extend flowering.

Foliage

Green, narrow, lance-shaped leaves, mostly near the base; some leaves have small side lobes.

Growth

Moderate to fast; seed-grown plants may flower in their first year.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.2 ft (0.36 m)

3. After 2 years

   1.4 ft (0.42 m)

4. After 3 years

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

About 2 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US and Canada

Invasive in

Australia

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Water newly planted clumps whenever the root zone begins to dry during their first growing season.
• Avoid routine feeding; use only a little compost if growth is weak on very poor soil.
• Keep crowns clear of thick organic mulch, especially where winters are wet.
• Divide crowded or declining clumps in spring every two to three years.
• Remove unwanted seedlings early, particularly near natural areas.

Pruning. Remove faded flower heads throughout flowering to encourage more blooms and limit seeding. In late winter or early spring, cut dead stems back to just above the basal leaves without cutting into the crown.

Late winter

Remove dead stems before fresh growth develops, preserving any green basal leaves.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps in a sunny, well-drained position and water them in.

Late spring

Check establishing plants during dry weather and remove competing weeds.

Summer

Deadhead regularly for repeat flowering and to reduce self-seeding.

Autumn

Remove unwanted seedlings; leave a few seed heads for birds only where spreading is acceptable.

Winter

Keep fallen leaves and wet mulch from accumulating over the crowns.

• Plant in repeated groups near the front or middle of a sunny border for early-summer yellow colour.
• Combine with purple-flowered salvias and catmint for contrasting flower colours and similar drainage needs.
• Mix with little bluestem and other locally appropriate grasses in a meadow-style planting within its native range.
• Use in gravel gardens or on sunny banks where drainage is sharp and irrigation is limited.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Native meadow, Pollinator garden, New perennial (prairie), Dry gravel garden and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Little bluestem, Butterfly weed, Purple coneflower, Catmint, Meadow sage and Yarrow.

Wildlife: Flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees, butterflies and other insects. Finches and other seed-eating birds may take ripe seeds.

• Crown or root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move plants to a raised, freely draining site; discard badly rotted clumps.
• Powdery mildew: provide full sun and space for air circulation, and remove badly affected foliage.
• Slugs and snails on young growth: check plants after dark, remove pests and use wildlife-conscious controls where needed.
• Floppy stems and reduced flowering: avoid rich feeding and move shaded plants into full sun.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. No part is recognised as seriously poisonous, but it is not a food plant and eating it may cause digestive upset.

Where it spreads. Self-seeds readily and can spread beyond garden beds. It is an environmental weed in parts of Australia, including Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Japan lists it as an invasive alien species and restricts its cultivation and movement; check local rules before planting.

• Large-flowered coreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora)

  Its upper leaves are usually divided into narrow segments, whereas lanceleaf coreopsis has mostly simple, lance-shaped leaves concentrated near the base. Garden hybrids can be difficult to distinguish.

• Threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata)

  Has finely divided, threadlike leaves and a bushier outline rather than broad, lance-shaped basal leaves.

• Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)

  An annual with finely divided foliage and usually yellow flowers marked with reddish-brown near a dark central disc.

Coreopsis comes from Greek words meaning 'bug-like', referring to the seed's appearance, while lanceolata describes the lance-shaped leaves.

Propagation. Sow seed in spring, lightly covering it, or divide established clumps in spring. Seedlings from named cultivars may differ from the parent plant.

Accepted botanical name

Coreopsis lanceolata

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states. Introduced in Hawaii and Pacific Basin.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan and Minnesota.

Measured

Average height 14 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.