Coreopsis
The tickseeds. Prairie daisies that laugh at drought and bloom like they have something to prove. Yellow, red, pink, bicolor — pick a lane or don't, there's a pile of them.
Drought-tough, pollinator-friendly, and endlessly cheerful. Every species and cultivar we can find — from the threadleaf classics to the wild new hybrids.
Coreopsis is the genus that covers more ground than it gets credit for. From the threadleaf verticillatas that spread into golden carpets to the grandifloras that self-seed into wildflower meadows, from the native lanceolatas thriving on neglect to the hybrid Big Bangs pushing the color range into wine and magenta — this is a genus with range.
We're building a database of every Coreopsis species and cultivar we can track down. Heights, spreads, hardiness zones, bloom periods, and honest notes on which ones are truly perennial and which ones are annuals pretending to be perennials. If the tag says 'perennial' but it's only coming back in Zone 8, we'll tell you.
The annual vs. perennial tension in this genus is real. Some of the showiest cultivars are tender hybrids that won't survive a northern winter. The native species are bulletproof but mostly yellow. The threadleafs are the longest-lived but the slowest to establish. We're documenting all of it so you know what you're buying before the tag disappoints you.
Coreopsis rosea 'Alba'
White-flowered form of pink tickseed. Uncommon and refined. Same fine foliage, same moisture preference, completely different vibe.
Verdict: White rosea. Rare, refined, and still wants its feet a little damp. The elegant weirdo.
Coreopsis rosea 'American Dream'
One of the first pink coreopsis and still one of the best. Delicate rose-pink over fine foliage. Warning: this one actually wants more moisture than other coreopsis — don't treat it like a drought plant or it'll pout.
Verdict: The OG pink coreopsis. Wants more water than its cousins — it's the diva of the genus.
Coreopsis tinctoria 'Amulet'
Pointed, toothed petals that look like a red star. Grows anywhere from Zone 2 to Zone 10 because it's an annual and doesn't care about winter. Direct sow and stand back.
Verdict: A red star annual. Zones 2 to 10 because annuals don't care about your winter. Scatter and go.
Coreopsis 'Autumn Blush'
Opens golden, then blushes rose as temperatures drop. By October it's a completely different plant than it was in July. The garden's own mood ring.
Verdict: A mood ring. Gold in July, rose in October. Same plant, completely different energy.
Coreopsis 'Bengal Tiger'
Yellow petals with bold red tiger stripes. The most 'whoa, what IS that' coreopsis in existence. No one walks past this without commenting.
Verdict: Red tiger stripes on yellow petals. No one — NO ONE — walks past this without saying something.
Coreopsis 'Citrine'
Five inches tall. Five. A golden gem for the tiniest spots. Annual in most of the country but at five inches, you're basically buying jewelry for your garden.
Verdict: Five inches. Basically garden jewelry. Annual most places but at that size, who's counting?
Coreopsis 'Cosmic Evolution'
Cream petals flushed with magenta that intensifies in cool weather. This is the one that makes coreopsis skeptics shut up. Nothing else in the genus looks like this.
Verdict: Cream and magenta. In a coreopsis. The one that shuts up the coreopsis skeptics.
Coreopsis 'Cosmic Eye'
Compact continuous bloomer — deep red center radiating out to bright yellow petal edges. Fine dark green foliage. Looks like a tiny eclipse. Fits in a pot.
Verdict: A tiny eclipse in a pot. Red center, gold edge, nonstop bloom. One of the best compact Big Bangs.
Coreopsis 'Cranberry Ice'
Deep cranberry-pink petals with frosty white tips. Zone 6, which is better than most of the colorful coreopsis. Compact enough for the smallest spots.
Verdict: Cranberry with frosted tips — and Zone 6 hardy. The colorful compact that actually survives.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Crazy Cayenne'
Walters Gardens bred this whole Sizzle & Spice line and they're dead serious about the spice metaphor. Fiery orange-red blooms on a compact, rounded threadleaf mound. Actually winter-hardy, unlike a lot of flashy coreopsis.
Verdict: The spiciest threadleaf on the market. Walters Gardens said 'what if a threadleaf was HOT?' and delivered.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Crème Brulee'
Buttery yellow on fine-textured foliage. Named after dessert, which is always a good sign. One of the most popular threadleaf selections and it deserves it.
Verdict: Named after dessert. Buttery. Reliable. If your garden doesn't have this, your garden has a Crème Brulee-shaped hole.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Cruizin' Broad Street'
The pale, pastel one. Softer than Main Street — more Moonbeam energy. For people who want a Cruizin' without the intensity.
Verdict: The chill one. Moonbeam-soft tones on the Cruizin' platform. For the pastel crowd.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Cruizin' Main Street'
The straightforward golden-yellow Cruizin'. Clean, well-branched, blooms into October. No tricks, just golden threadleaf doing golden threadleaf things well.
Verdict: Straight down Main Street. No detours, no tricks. Just clean golden threadleaf into October.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Cruizin' Route 66'
Opens golden yellow, then shifts to burgundy-red as the flower ages. So you get two colors on the same plant at the same time. Showoff.
Verdict: Two colors at once — gold and burgundy on the same plant. A whole mood ring in the garden.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Curry Up'
Golden flowers with a clear dark red center — wider petals than others in the series. The eye on this one really pops against the gold.
Verdict: Gold with a dark red bullseye. The bicolor in the Sizzle & Spice lineup. That eye really pops.
Coreopsis 'Dream Catcher'
Soft pink petals around a golden eye. Compact and sweet without being saccharine. The kind of plant that works next to almost anything.
Verdict: Soft pink, gold eye, plays nice with everything. The low-key charmer of the lineup.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Early Sunrise'
Won an AAS award in 1989 and is STILL one of the best-selling coreopsis on earth. Semi-double golden blooms, cuts well, blooms from June to October. Some cultivars come and go. This one just keeps showing up.
Verdict: AAS Winner since '89 and still outselling the new kids. If it ain't broke.
Coreopsis auriculata 'Elfin Gold'
Low, semi-evergreen, and gold. Does its thing at the front of the border without asking for attention. The kind of plant you take for granted until you don't have it.
Verdict: Quiet overachiever. Sits at the front of the border doing its job. You'd miss it immediately.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Flying Saucers'
The name is not exaggerating — flowers up to 3 inches across, which is enormous for a coreopsis. Tall stems make great cut flowers. If you want the biggest grandiflora blooms possible, this is the one.
Verdict: Three-inch flowers. Three! The biggest blooms in the grandiflora world. Cut them — they're begging for a vase.
Coreopsis 'Full Moon'
Darrell Probst's first Big Bang release, and the flowers are genuinely huge for a coreopsis — canary-yellow dinner plates (okay, saucers). The whole Big Bang series was bred from crossing 8+ species. Serious plant breeding.
Verdict: The first Big Bang. Darrell Probst crossed 8 species to get here. The flowers are comically large. Worth it.
Coreopsis 'Full Moon Improved'
Full Moon but with better vigor and tighter habit. When a plant is already good and they improve it, pay attention.
Verdict: Full Moon V2. Better vigor, tighter habit. When they improve a good thing, listen.
Coreopsis 'Galaxy'
The most compact Big Bang. Semi-double to double canary yellow on a sturdy little plant that blooms continuously. Doesn't ask for much.
Verdict: The smallest Big Bang. Semi-double golden blooms on a plant that barely needs acknowledgment.
Coreopsis 'Garnet'
Compact pinkish-red at barely 10 inches. May overwinter in warmer climates, may not in colder ones. Worth the gamble for the front-of-border color.
Verdict: Ten inches of pinkish-red. Worth the winter gamble for that front-of-border pop.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Golden Dream'
Dense habit with tons of golden blooms. Another solid threadleaf selection that's hard to distinguish from Golden Gain honestly. Just pick one and plant it.
Verdict: Hard to tell from Golden Gain, honestly. Both are great. Pick one, plant it, move on with your life.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Golden Gain'
Upright and bushy with good disease resistance. One of those varieties that doesn't get a lot of press but just quietly does its job every year. The threadleaf you overlook in the catalog and regret later.
Verdict: No press, no hype. Just quietly outperforms half the cultivars getting attention. The overlooked one.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Golden Shower'
The tallest threadleaf. Gets up to three feet and spreads three feet — a real presence. Very hardy, very long-lived. Give it room.
Verdict: The big threadleaf. Three feet tall, three feet wide, and Zone 3. Give it room and get out of the way.
Coreopsis 'Goldfink'
Compact golden dwarf that's actually Zone 4 hardy, which most compact coreopsis are not. If you want small AND cold-tough, this is the short list.
Verdict: Compact AND Zone 4. That's a rare combo. The cold-hardy shortie.
Coreopsis rosea 'Heaven's Gate'
Deeper rose-pink than American Dream with a dark center. More compact and better behaved — doesn't run as aggressively. The rosea you bring home to meet the parents.
Verdict: American Dream with better manners and a deeper rose. The rosea that doesn't run wild.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Hot Paprika'
Rich red flowers with gold button centers on a tight rounded mound. Excellent container plant. The kind of thing you put by the front door to show off.
Verdict: Red with gold buttons on a perfect mound. Put it by the front door. You earned this.
Coreopsis 'Ice Wine'
Creamy white petals, rich burgundy center. The most 'I spent money on garden design' looking coreopsis. Elegant in a genus that usually leans cheerful.
Verdict: The coreopsis that looks like you hired a garden designer. Cream and burgundy elegance.
Coreopsis auriculata 'Jethro Tull'
Named for the 18th-century agriculturalist, not the band, but you'll tell people about the band anyway. The petals are fluted into little tubes — literally no other coreopsis does this. People will stop and stare.
Verdict: Fluted tubular petals that make everyone stop and ask 'what IS that?' Named for the farmer, not the band.
Coreopsis 'Ka-Pow Cerise'
Deep burgundy with paler edges. Same Big Bang DNA but slightly more compact. The darkest, moodiest Ka-Pow, and arguably the best.
Verdict: The dark one. Burgundy with a lighter edge. Moody, compact, and arguably the best Ka-Pow.
Coreopsis 'Ka-Pow Ivory'
Cream in summer, then magenta bleeds in as it cools. Season-long color evolution that actually works — the cool-weather version is better than the summer version, which is saying something.
Verdict: Cream now, magenta later. The fall version is better than the summer version. How often does that happen?
Coreopsis 'Ka-Pow Lemon'
Lemon-yellow all summer, then develops red tones as autumn rolls in. It's like the plant is getting dressed up for fall.
Verdict: Lemon all summer, then puts on its fall wardrobe. The plant equivalent of switching to flannel.
Coreopsis lanceolata
The native species. Thrives on neglect in poor, rocky, sandy soil where fancy cultivars would just give up and die. Zone 3 hardy. This is the one you plant on that terrible slope behind the garage.
Verdict: The one for the terrible slope behind the garage. Zone 3. Poor soil. Doesn't care. Thrives.
Coreopsis auriculata 'Leading Lady Charlize'
Sterile flowers — which means the plant dumps all its energy into blooming instead of making seeds. No deadheading. All summer. Mildew-resistant too. This is the lazy gardener's dream and I say that with admiration.
Verdict: Sterile blooms = no deadheading = all summer flowers. The lazy gardener's dream. No shade.
Coreopsis auriculata 'Leading Lady Lauren'
The third Leading Lady. Same sterile, no-deadhead, mildew-resistant platform. At this point you're choosing based on which name you like better, and that's fine.
Verdict: The third one. They're all the same plant in different packaging and they're all great.
Coreopsis auriculata 'Leading Lady Sophia'
Same deal as Charlize — sterile, mildew-resistant, compact, nonstop. Honestly hard to tell the Leading Ladies apart. They're all good. Just pick one.
Verdict: Basically Charlize in a different outfit. Same great genetics. Just pick one and move on.
Coreopsis 'Li'l Bang Candy Stripes'
Pink petals streaked with deeper red — like peppermint candy in flower form. Fun, compact, and honestly just makes you smile. Not every plant needs to be serious.
Verdict: Peppermint-candy petals. Makes you smile. Not every plant has to be deep — some can just be fun.
Coreopsis 'Li'l Bang Darling Clementine'
Warm orange-gold in the mini Li'l Bang package. Great for pots and the front of beds where you want a warm tone instead of the usual yellow.
Verdict: Warm clementine-orange for people who are over yellow. Mini, mounded, and easy.
Coreopsis 'Li'l Bang Daybreak'
Big Bang genetics shrunk down to container size. Deep red blooms with bright yellow centers — prolific. Perfect for pots and edges where a full-size Big Bang would be overkill.
Verdict: Big Bang in a pint glass. All the color, container-friendly. For when a 2-footer is too much plant.
Coreopsis 'Li'l Bang Goldilocks'
The simple gold one in the Li'l Bang series. Explosive single yellow blooms from summer into fall. Not complicated. Not trying to be.
Verdict: Just right. The Goldilocks principle applied to coreopsis. Not too much, not too little.
Coreopsis 'Li'l Bang Red Elf'
Satiny deep red with frilly gold centers. Very compact, very prolific. The kind of plant you put in a pot by the front door and get compliments from strangers.
Verdict: Satiny red, frilly gold center, fits in a pot. Strangers will compliment your front door.
Coreopsis 'Li'l Bang Starlight'
White flowers with a burgundy star-shaped center that gets BIGGER as the weather cools. So it starts subtle and ends dramatic. Great disease resistance.
Verdict: The burgundy star grows as temps drop. Starts cute, ends dramatic. Nature's slow reveal.
Coreopsis 'Li'l Bang Starstruck'
Deep burgundy center fading to cherry, then pink, then white at the petal tips. A full ombré on a single flower. Golden yellow center eye. This is showing off and it knows it.
Verdict: Full ombré gradient on one flower — burgundy to cherry to pink to white. Coreopsis doing couture.
Coreopsis 'Limerock Dream'
Five inches tall. Apricot-and-pink bicolor. An annual in most of the country but so pretty nobody cares. Treat it like an annual, enjoy it like a treasure.
Verdict: Five inches of apricot-pink beauty. Annual most places. Nobody cares because it's that pretty.
Coreopsis 'Limerock Ruby'
Caused a legitimate sensation in 2001 — the first true ruby-red coreopsis anyone had seen. Then everyone realized it wasn't cold-hardy below zone 7 and the excitement cooled. Still gorgeous. Just plant it as an annual up north.
Verdict: The 2001 red revolution. Then we found out it can't handle winter. Still gorgeous. Treat as annual above zone 7.
Coreopsis 'Little Sundial'
Compact bicolor — gold petals with a bright red ring. Miniature but impossible to miss. The kind of detail that makes a container planting look thoughtful.
Verdict: Tiny but impossible to miss. That red ring on gold petals is a bullseye of good taste.
Coreopsis tinctoria 'Mardi Gras'
Slim petals that curl downward — yellow tips with a red splash at the base. Looks like a little party. Named perfectly. Great in a pot where the curling petals can do their thing.
Verdict: Curly petals in party colors. Throw it in a pot and let it celebrate. Named perfectly.
Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising'
A true, deep, velvety wine-red coreopsis that actually comes back year after year. Before this, red coreopsis were either annuals or liars about their hardiness. Mercury Rising changed the game. Mildew-resistant too.
Verdict: The red coreopsis that actually comes back. Before this they were all liars. Game-changer.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'
THE threadleaf coreopsis. The one that launched a thousand gardens. Masses of soft creamy-lemon stars floating over ferny foliage all summer. Zone 3 hardy and long-lived. If there's a Mount Rushmore of perennials, Moonbeam has a face on it.
Verdict: Mount Rushmore perennial. The plant that made threadleaf coreopsis a category. Still the benchmark.
Coreopsis 'Moonlight'
So pale it's almost white. Glows in evening light. The coreopsis for people who think yellow is too loud.
Verdict: Almost white. Glows at dusk. For people who think regular coreopsis is too much.
Coreopsis auriculata 'Nana'
Six inches tall and tougher than it looks. Spreads by stolons into a golden carpet you'll be grateful for every May. One of those 'best in genus' plants that actually deserves the title.
Verdict: Six inches of gold that earns Best In Genus. The front-of-border champ nobody argues with.
Coreopsis 'Pineapple Pie'
Gold with a deep red center. Same annual-in-most-zones reality as Pumpkin Pie. Five inches tall. A tiny seasonal treasure.
Verdict: Five inches of gold-and-red treasure. Seasonal. Savor every bloom like summer itself.
Coreopsis 'Pink Lemonade'
Bright pink. Zone 7-9. For warm-climate gardeners who want pink coreopsis that actually comes back. For the rest of us, it's another pretty annual.
Verdict: Bright pink for Zone 7+. The rest of us can grow it as an annual and dream of warmer winters.
Coreopsis 'Pinwheel'
Pink-and-white petals in a pinwheel pattern. Playful and fun — the coreopsis you plant to make the garden less serious.
Verdict: The fun one. Pink-and-white pinwheels that refuse to take gardening seriously.
Coreopsis tinctoria
The original. Native to the Great Plains. In every wildflower seed mix on earth. Self-sows so freely it basically manages itself. Yellow-and-mahogany bicolor that's been charming people since before cultivars existed.
Verdict: In every wildflower mix ever. Self-sows forever. The original before breeders got involved.
Coreopsis 'Pumpkin Pie'
Deep coppery-orange with red centers. Zones 8-9 only, so it's an annual for most of us. But it's gorgeous for one summer — tight little mound of copper flowers. Savor it.
Verdict: One gorgeous summer of copper and red. Zone 8-9 only. Treat it like a vacation — enjoy it while it lasts.
Coreopsis 'Radioactive'
Bright yellow petals radiating from a bold red center. Strong grower. The name is ridiculous and the plant lives up to it.
Verdict: Named Radioactive and it glows like it. Bold red center, neon yellow petals. Ridiculous name, great plant.
Coreopsis 'Red Satin'
Saturated red on threadleaf foliage. The 'Permathread' name is aspirational — they bred for improved hardiness and lasting color. Red coreopsis that actually sticks around.
Verdict: They named it Permathread because they want it to last. Red on threadleaf that's bred to stick around.
Coreopsis 'Redshift'
Opens creamy yellow with a red eye, then — as it cools — the whole flower shifts deep red. So you get yellow flowers AND red flowers on the same plant at the same time. Nature showing off.
Verdict: Yellow in summer, red in fall, both at once in between. The plant that can't pick a color and it's perfect.
Coreopsis 'Rum Punch'
Pinkish-red with good substance. Another warm-zone perennial that northerners can grow as an annual. The color is excellent — like a proper cocktail.
Verdict: Cocktail-colored and warm-zone-only. Grow it as an annual up north and pretend you're in Florida.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Sassy Saffron'
The classic yellow-and-dark-center look on the Sizzle & Spice compact platform. Deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, tidy. Everything you want.
Verdict: Classic bicolor on the Sizzle & Spice frame. Does everything you want and nothing you don't.
Coreopsis 'Scarlet Ribbons'
Velvety maroon-red flowers over fine, airy threadleaf foliage. The contrast between the heavy flower color and the delicate foliage is genuinely beautiful.
Verdict: Heavy velvet-maroon blooms on impossibly delicate threadleaf. The contrast is chef's-kiss level.
Coreopsis 'Shades of Rose'
Multiple shades of rose-pink on each bloom — like a watercolor painting decided to become a flower. Romantic and subtle in a genus that's usually anything but.
Verdict: Watercolor-rose petals. Romantic and subtle. The coreopsis that reads poetry.
Coreopsis 'Sienna Sunset'
Peachy-orange tones that basically don't exist anywhere else in the coreopsis world. Butterflies love it. If you want a warm sunset color from a coreopsis, this is your only option.
Verdict: This color doesn't exist in other coreopsis. Peachy-orange sunset tones. Your only option — and it's great.
Coreopsis 'Snowberry'
White flowers with a subtle purple blush. Cool-toned and unexpected in a genus that's usually screaming in warm colors.
Verdict: White with purple breath. Cool and quiet in a genus that usually yells in orange and yellow.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Solanna Glow'
Semi-double golden blooms on an extra-compact plant that doesn't mind heat. The kind of plant that does well in parking lot median strips, which is actually high praise.
Verdict: Heat-proof and compact. If it can handle a parking lot median, it can handle your border.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Solanna Golden Sphere'
Danziger bred this series and it shows — double spherical flowers like little golden gumballs on compact dark-foliaged plants. Mildew-resistant. Looks expensive.
Verdict: Golden gumballs on dark foliage. Looks like someone paid a designer. It's a Danziger — they know what they're doing.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Solanna Sunset Burst'
Yellow petals with a fiery red center on the same compact Solanna frame. The bicolor one in the series, and probably the most eye-catching.
Verdict: The Solanna that yells. Red center, yellow petals, compact frame. It demands attention.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Solanna Sunshine'
Singles on strong short stems. Thrives in heat and humidity that would make other grandiflora cultivars sulk. Compact enough for a big pot.
Verdict: Laughs at heat and humidity. Strong short stems. The Solanna you bring to a Southern garden.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Sonnenkind (Baby Sun)'
German-bred, compact, with a contrasting dark eye that gives it more personality than a plain yellow. Sonnenkind means 'child of the sun' and honestly that's adorable.
Verdict: German-bred sun baby with a dark eye that adds real character. Sonnenkind = child of the sun.
Coreopsis 'Star Cluster'
White petals with a gold center that develop grape-purple streaks as it cools down. Blooms for FIVE MONTHS. Sterile so no deadheading needed. Mildew-free. This plant is unfairly good.
Verdict: Five months of bloom. Purple streaks appear in cool weather like a bonus level. Unfairly good.
Coreopsis lanceolata 'Sterntaler'
German selection with a brown ring near the center that gives each flower a painted look. More personality than a plain yellow lanceleaf. Compact grower.
Verdict: The German one with the brown eye-ring. Subtle, but it's the detail that makes it interesting.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Sun Up'
Single bright yellow daisies from seed. No frills, no drama, just cheerful yellow flowers in the cottage garden. Easy to grow, easy to love, easy to ignore — which is a compliment.
Verdict: No frills. Just yellow daisies being yellow daisies. Sometimes that's the whole plan.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Sunburst'
Fully double golden pompons on tall stems. Looks more like a fancy mum than a coreopsis, which is either a selling point or not depending on your vibe. Good mid-border height.
Verdict: Double golden pompons that look like tiny mums crashed the prairie daisy party.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Sunfire'
Gold petals, bold burgundy center — the bicolor look that makes people think you planned a whole color scheme. Short-lived perennial but self-seeds so aggressively it's basically immortal.
Verdict: Short-lived but self-seeds like it's trying to take over. The burgundy eye sells the whole thing.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'SunKiss'
Native species selection with a red bullseye center that pollinators treat like a landing pad. Bees and butterflies line up for this thing. Fourteen inches of pure pollinator bait.
Verdict: That red center is basically a pollinator runway. Bees line up like it's TSA PreCheck.
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Sunray'
Another double yellow, a bit more compact than Sunburst. Sturdy stems, reliable bloomer, doesn't need a lot of hand-holding. Classic border plant.
Verdict: The reliable double. Shows up, blooms, doesn't flop. That's the whole resume and it's enough.
Coreopsis pubescens 'Sunshine Superman'
Fuzzy-leaved native with a knockout floral show. Butterflies and goldfinches mob it. Self-seeds generously — the seedlings are taller than the parent, which gives the display a shaggy look by year three. Embrace it.
Verdict: Butterflies AND goldfinches. Self-seeds enthusiastically. Embrace the shaggy charm by year three.
Coreopsis rosea 'Sweet Dreams'
White petals with a vivid raspberry-pink center ring. In a genus dominated by yellows, this looks like it wandered in from a different party and decided to stay.
Verdict: White with a raspberry ring. Looks like it crashed the yellow party and everyone's glad it did.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Sweet Marmalade'
Warm orange-gold tones that are unusual for a threadleaf coreopsis — most are some shade of yellow. Compact and rounded. A nice change of pace if you're tired of yellow.
Verdict: Orange in a threadleaf? That's new. Warm marmalade tones when you're over the yellow parade.
Coreopsis 'Sweet Tart'
Pink-and-yellow bicolor on tough threadleaf plants. Looks like a candy you'd find in a grandma's purse, and I mean that as the highest compliment.
Verdict: Pink-lemonade candy on threadleaf foliage. Grandma's purse candy, highest compliment.
Coreopsis tripteris
EIGHT FEET TALL. A coreopsis. Eight feet. Anise-scented foliage. Native prairie giant. Put it at the back of the meadow and let it tower over everything. Deer leave it alone. Zone 3.
Verdict: Eight feet of coreopsis. That's not a typo. Anise-scented leaves. The back-of-meadow skyscraper.
Coreopsis 'Tequila Sunrise'
The flowers are nice. But the FOLIAGE — variegated green-and-cream leaves that look good even when nothing's blooming. Possibly the only coreopsis worth growing for its foliage alone.
Verdict: Forget the flowers — the variegated foliage is the real show. The only coreopsis grown for its leaves.
Coreopsis 'UpTick Cream & Red'
Creamy petals around a dark red center. The cream-and-crimson combo reads more sophisticated than most coreopsis bother to be.
Verdict: Cream and crimson. More sophisticated than most coreopsis even attempt. The fancy UpTick.
Coreopsis 'UpTick Gold & Bronze'
Crushed trial gardens in Miami AND South Carolina — which means it handles heat and humidity without blinking. Gold and burgundy that performs where other bicolors melt.
Verdict: Crushed trials in Miami AND the Carolinas. This is the UpTick you bring to a heat wave.
Coreopsis 'UpTick Red'
Solid deep red. No bicolor, no accent — just red on a compact mound. Sometimes you just want one color and you want it done right.
Verdict: Just red. On a mound. Done right. Sometimes that's all you need.
Coreopsis 'UpTick Yellow & Red'
Darwin Perennials bred these for garden center retail — which sounds like an insult but it means they had to perform perfectly in trial gardens across different climates. Big bicolor blooms on tidy mounds.
Verdict: Bred to crush it in trial gardens coast to coast. That's not marketing — it's just well-bred.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb'
Brighter gold than Moonbeam, more compact, and arguably the most reliably perennial coreopsis you can plant. Just keeps coming back year after year while other cultivars ghost you.
Verdict: Moonbeam with more gold and better manners. Comes back every single year while fancier cultivars ghost you.
Coreopsis auriculata 'Zamphir'
Named for the pan-flutist from those late-night infomercials. Same fluted petal trick as Jethro Tull, slightly more compact. If you're old enough to remember the commercials, you need this plant.
Verdict: Jethro Tull's slightly shorter twin. Named for THAT pan flutist. If you know, you know.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Zesty Zinger'
Deep red petals tipped with bright yellow — like the petal was dipped in gold. Compact and dense. The most dramatic bicolor in the series.
Verdict: Red petals dipped in gold tips. The most dramatic one in the Sizzle & Spice lineup.
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