When it comes to recommending perennials for your garden it is hard to think of anything that is more reliable, more versatile, more effective and easier to grow than this very showy little plant.
Not only are these gorgeous flowers produced in huge quantities, but they also form in succession from now all through the summer, all the way through to the arrival of frost in mid to late autumn. The incredible thing is that they will keep flowering even without much attention. That said, it is a good idea to lightly shear off the old flower heads when most have finished flowering. I say most, because there is seldom a time when they won’t have at least a few flowers on them.
Sacrificing a few flowers at this stage is more than compensated later on. Within a couple of weeks the clumps are sporting fresh, renewed growth and lots and lots of little buds and flowers again. It takes little effort or time to keep them looking at their best. I just take a pair of hedging shears and lightly clip off the old heads. In a few moments I have gathered up the spent heads, tidied up the clumps and provided the stimulus for renewed vigor with nice bushy clumps and a fresh new crop of flowers.
Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ is a selection from a hardy, resilient native species (Coreopsis verticillata) that inhabits open sunny places and dry, open woods in the eastern half of the country (from Maryland to Florida and westwards to Arkansas). Like many of our native plants it is ideally suited to cope with variations of our climate and still give of its best. That is what is wonderful about selections from native species: they often inherit an admirable tenacity to survive and thrive, regardless of the changing weather conditions. This native baby will take it as cold as Zone 3. On the other hand, things like drought, heat, humidity and blustery wind hardly have any effect - assuming of course, that the plants are well established in their new locations.
So long as the soil is not waterlogged, you will find it easy and accommodating to grow. All it needs is an average soil that is well drained. Believe it or not, they will even do quite well in thin gravelly soils. As for light preference, they do best in sunny, open positions but they will tolerate partially shaded conditions, providing the shade is not too dense.
The common name, Threadleaf Coreopsis, and the species name, Verticillata, refer to the fine, needle-like leaves, and hints at the thread-like appearance of the leaves. For me, there is a kind of dainty, intricate beauty in the soft green leaves that makes them look pretty, even when not in flower.
I love the way it gives a delicate, lacy look to garden. This airy, see-through habit is a perfect contrast to more “solid” plants. They look great next to those with a broad, dense leaf canopy or those with bigger, bolder flowers. This light, airy feel is at its best when placed towards the front of beds and borders, as edging along paths, steps and paved areas where they gently spill out over the edges, softening the hard lines and solidness.
If you are like me, you will appreciate the soft primrose color and the way that it combines so well with many other colors in the garden. My favorite combination is to put it with light blue color tones. Just the other day I saw it used as ground cover beneath a lamppost clad with Clematis ‘General Sikorski’. The combination was breath taking! The big blue flowers, with the soft pastel yellows, was absolutely awesome. Of course it works well with deeper yellows, whites and creams, too. There are a lot of Daylilies and Shasta daisies coming into flower around now. You can make an easy care combination using some of these. I think you will like the way they work together.
They are also marvelous in raised beds, containers or massed on banks or sloping ground – places where the slowly creeping root system can spread to prevent the effects of erosion or fill their allotted spaces to intensify the massed effect and reduce maintenance. Yes, the root system does creep – but in a nice way! It slowly spreads out from the center making small spreading shoots that can easily be curtailed at any time. I have seen it spread out and make whole drifts of ground covering color. When placed near the edges of raised beds and borders it will tumble down over the edges, spilling over like a rolling mist studded with little primrose-yellow stars. This is not one of those dreadful plants that once planted grows and spreads into your neighbor's yard and then into the neighbor's yard beyond that!
Together with the ease of culture, tolerance of weather, ability to cope with thin, fast draining soils, it is an easy keeper. I find pests and diseases hardly ever affect it. For me this is a major plus, because I don’t have time to fuss and bother with chemicals and sprays. I love plants like this that can stand on their feet without much intervention from me. I also adore the way it brings in hordes of butterflies. Towards the end of the season I deliberately leave a few old flower heads to provide a source of food for small birds.
For a plant this good, it is little wonder that it has received multiple awards and international acclaim. Among the ones that come to mind is an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in Great Britain in 2001. Closer to home, The Perennial Plant Association selected it as their Plant of the Year in 1992. It is also recommended by the Ohio Plant Selection Committee and the United States National Arboretum.
Well, in true style I save the best for the last and here comes that extra dimension: it is a romantic flower. You see, the light color, and the glossy canoe-shaped petals reflect the light from the moon! If you are lucky enough to be out in your garden on a beautiful moonlit night you will discover that the flowers are positively luminescent. Amazingly, they glow in the moonlight. After all, it's not called ‘Moonbeam’ for nothing!
So here’s an idea for you – pop over to see us, get enough plants to plant a big bold, drift or two, then entice your loved one to take a stroll in your garden. Who knows what can happen!!!!
Until next time, remember.... Enjoy your gardening. It's good for you!
I recently gave a presentation to a group of gardeners. I shared how modern plant production techniques have dramatically increased the quality of plants over the last few years. Remarkable scientific advances have enabled the experts in our Garden Splendor® nursery to consistently turn out plants of unparalleled quality and freshness.
These advancements have meant bigger and better plants. And when coupled with technology and communication systems like the Internet (and e-mail magazines like this one), we can now communicate these developments with you faster and easier than ever before.
I think a few people were surprised to hear me call it “revolutionary.” But, consider that it was not all that long ago that we thought having nursery plants grown in containers was really something! Suddenly, we could easily pick up plants and move them around our garden. We could place and choose the perfect spot and color combination. And it opened up the ability to safely transplant them over a much longer period.
In my own case (zone 6), you used to have to plant everything by early spring. Back then, when you said B & B you were talking about Ball & Burlap. Say B & B to someone nowadays, though, and they'll think you mean a Bed & Breakfast. The burlap days are gone - and thank goodness they are!
When the great 20th-century gardens, such as Dumbarton Oaks, Hestercombe, and Hidcote Manor, were designed by legendary designers like Beatrix Farrand, Gertrude Jekyll, Lawrence Johnston, etc., they didn’t have the ability to pick up plants, in full flower, at their local garden center to create their masterful combinations. In most cases, they didn’t even have colored pictures of the plants to go by! Their plants arrived - dormant - in crates and baskets. Most of the time these designers were working from memory, developing their famous layouts with consummate skill and amazing foresight.
Today we can emulate these celebrated masters with such little effort! With just a few clicks of a mouse you can view thousands of pictures, explore endless possibilities and research the Garden Splendor® database. Then pay us a visit and begin the creative process of planting your own piece of paradise.
Modern systems and logistics offers selections that are always changing. Amazingly, because they are flowering in their natural season, this opens up a seasonal planting palette that gives us the opportunity to have our gardens bursting with color and interest throughout all the seasons. Add to this advancements in plant nutrition, plant culture and propagation (the production of young plants) and you can see why these are exciting times. And the selection continues to increase! More and more plants, that were hitherto very difficult or almost impossible to produce, are now available.
The real excitement comes when we, as gardeners, take these beautiful plants and use them to create our own magical and unique garden layouts. Budding garden artists, like you and me, can take a group of individually handsome plants and, by artfully placing them together, create stunning groupings.
It could hardly be easier. The plants, information and pictures are there. All it needs is our individual creative talent . . . and you know, we all have it! We each possess our own sense of taste, our own favorite colors, our own styles, etc. So go on . . . stir up those creative juices and have a go! There is no wrong way. There is only your way.
I can tell you that my wife and I are not great at sitting down and drawing out detailed plans. We’re too impatient. We certainly are not disciplined enough to follow projects the way those writers often describe in books and magazines.
With our “seat of the pants” approach, we love researching the Web site. As we surf, we compile short lists of the plants that are appropriate for the place we have in mind and that we both like (very important). Armed with our list, we then visit the garden center where we can see, touch and even sometimes smell the scented or aromatic plants. During this process we carefully refine our final selections.
We will even sometimes take these plants, in flower and looking at their best, and put them beside each other to see how the colors and textures blend together. We actually prepare and build little combinations right there in the pathways of the garden center, even before we buy them. So if you see a fellow with plants arranged all over the place, that's probably me. Pay me no never mind and just go around me. I'm having fun!
As you probably know, the other really nice thing about our garden center is the knowledgeable and experienced staff. They are right there to offer advice and share your ideas. They will keep you “right” technically when, or if, you need the assistance.
Be sure to check out the rest of this newsletter and our Web site. Good luck with your new planting projects. It’s very rewarding and never been easier. When you are ready, pop over to visit and see for yourself how you can take advantage of this quiet revolution. Unlock your own unique artistic talents using the extraordinarily beautiful Garden Splendor® plants.