Plains coreopsis seed
LATIN NAME: Coreopsis tinctoria
COMMON NAME: Plains Coreopsis
Plains coreopsis is the bright, easy annual of the open prairies of the middle of the continent, and a patch of it in flower looks like a scatter of golden coins across the grass. The fine, feathery foliage carries a long run of the single, yellow daisy heads, each marked with a deep maroon centre, and the plant flowers through the summer and into the autumn. It grows quickly from seed, sows itself around freely and brings the bees, the butterflies and the seed-eating birds with it. It is one of the cheeriest and the easiest of the prairie flowers for the sunny border and the wildflower patch.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The prairie coreopsis has a quiet but steady presence in the plant science. Botanists have studied its role in the tallgrass prairie and its value as a nectar plant, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the meadow restoration and the pollinator habitat. The warm yellow and the maroon of the petals have also drawn a line of research into the natural pigments, and the plant is a familiar subject of the prairie-flower breeding. The seed is small, quick and dependable, so the growing methods are well tested and easy to follow.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Plains coreopsis is grown in the prairie mixes, the meadow plantings and the pollinator gardens right across the region, and it is one of the most dependable of the wildflower seeds in the trade. The bright heads are a rich source of the nectar and the pollen, and the plants keep the border in flower for a very long stretch. It is also a fine, easy cut flower, and the dried heads give the winter arrangement a warm, natural look. It has been written about in the horticultural and the ecological papers for its place in the grassland plantings, and it asks for little beyond the sun and the well-drained soil.
The plains coreopsis is at home across the open country of the middle of the continent, and it is one of the plants that turn the old fields and the roadsides into drifts of gold through the summer. The flowers of the wild form have been used in the old practice to make a warm, yellow dye, and the plant is a familiar of the prairie and the meadow restoration. The fine, feathery foliage and the long run of the flowers make it one of the most dependable of the wildflower seeds in the trade, and it grows as happily in the garden bed as in the wild patch. It is a plant with a long, honest record in the grassland of its home.
To raise the plains coreopsis from seed, scatter the small, flat seeds on the surface of pots of moist, free-draining soil and press them in without covering them, since they like the light. Keep the pots in a bright, open spot and water them gently. The seedlings are up within a week or two and grow on fast, so they can be set out early in the sunny border. A patch of it in the open ground will flower through the whole of the warm season and scatter its seed for the years to come.
Coreopsis Plains Coreopsis Tinctoria is one of the most popular annual wildflowers. Plains Coreopsis seeds are very easy to germinate, and also called Calliopsis or Tickseed, this annual Coreopsis plant produces numerous bi-colored in yellow and red, vivid flowers that have eight gold-yellow rays surrounding burgundy centers of variable size. The blooming Coreopsis flowers are attractive to butterflies.
Coreopsis Plains is a cheerful and bright meadow wildflower that makes a wonderful addition to a rock garden or wildflower planting. One of North America’s best-loved annuals, Coreopsis is also one of the easiest flowers to grow, and Coreopsis Tinctoria seeds can be started directly outdoors. Plains Coreopsis is an ideal plant for areas that have poor drainage or remain wet for long periods of time, but the plant will also tolerate dry conditions. Coreopsis self-seeds easily and makes an excellent cut flower.
PLANT PROFILE
Season: Annual
Height: 24-30 Inches
Bloom Season: Summer
Environment: Sun/Partial Shade
Soil Type: Average/Poor/Dry/Moist, pH 6.2-7.2
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS
Sow Indoors: Spring (4-6 weeks before last frost)
Sow Outdoors: Spring
Seed Depth: 1/16 Inch
Germination Time: 14-20 Days