Coreopsis verticillata / Whorled Tickseed

Want an easy-to-grow reliable native flower? Try Coreopsis verticillata. Under most conditions you’ll be pulling it out to control spreading, rather than coddling it to survive. Slender stalks and narrow green leaves resembling soft pine needles support a bed of yellow flowers blooming June to September. Plant in full sun in drier to medium soils. Grows 2.5 to 3 feet tall with a 1.5 to 2 foot spread. Tolerates deer browse, drought, and dry and shallow rocky soils. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more flowering. The seeds resemble ticks as the botanical name implies; koris meaning “bug” and opsis meaning “like”.