Coreopsis tripteris – Tall Tickseed – 1.25-Quart

You’re probably familiar with many types of Tickseed that have been garden stalwarts for years despite being rather short-lived: the large-flowered C. grandiflora ’Early Sunrise’; and Lanceleaf Tickseed (C. lanceolata), a staple of wildflower seed mixes. And there are a plethora of new varieties, though quite showy, like the Big Bang™ and Little Bang™ series which rarely seem to return for a repeat performance. In contrast here’s a Tickseed that’s a reliable garden performer, but many gardeners don’t seem to know about it. It’s an impressive plant in stature, best for back-of-the-border or wild meadows. It puts forth clouds of typical Tickseed flowers from the height of Summer into early Fall that are very attractive to beneficial insects. Its seeds help feed many species of birds. Birds do miss a few seeds though, and the plant’s one drawback is an aggressive self-sowing nature. Native from southeastern Pennsylvania through the midwest, south and southeast.

We often have two cultivars of this species. ‘Gold Standard’ seems to be pretty similar in most respects to the species. ‘Flower Tower’ is a bit taller but with a shorter bloom time – it’s flowering is concentrated in late Summer and doesn’t extend into the Fall much.