Perennials - Moonbeam Coreopsis Review

The reason the Moonbeam Coreopsis didn't immediately catch my eye was because the plant is dainty looking, and I tend to go for a stronger statement in a plant.  Also known as "tickseed" the Coreopsis has delicate, almost-grasslike foliage topped off with a profusion of lemon-yellow flowers.  The plants are suitable for use in zones 3 to 9 and are said to be drought tolerant.  I bought a few of them to plant and see how they would look.  I still wasn't excited about them, but I thought they'd be easy enough to maintain.

As far as looks go, I was surprised to discover that I did like the dainty mass of tiny yellow flowers.  A lot.  The coreopsis grows in a visually-pleasing mounded fashion.  They are a cheerful color and almost seem more like a springtime flower rather than a summer one.  They make an excellent accent plant interspersed among more substantial plantings.  There are entirely too many blooms to methodically deadhead, so I just shear the entire plant once in midsummer to remove spent flowers and encourage more blooms.

My biggest problem with the flowers is that the area where I planted them doesn't get enough sun (why, oh why, didn't I pay attention to the directions?)   Moonbeam Coreopsis prefers FULL sun, therefore, the only plants that came up were the ones that got the most sun.  The others simply didn't sprout at all.   I plan on keeping the flowers that did grow, and finding a different flower for the shadier spots.  

I do recommend Moonbeam Coreopsis as a lovely accent plant if you have the right growing conditions.  There is also a pink variety if you prefer a different color.