Coreopsis rosea

Sizes available: Landscape plug

Basics: zones 3-8, 1-2' x 1.5', full sun (to maybe high, light shade), charming pink ray petals around the yellow disk flowers appear in early summer and continue to bloom throughout the season, prefers consistent moisture (really does not want to dry out at all, unlike other Coreopsis) and acidic soil, but wants good drainage, so steer clear of clay.

Common names: Pink Tickseed, Rose Coreopsis

Family: Asteraceae

Origin/Distribution: This plant is a "restricted endemic", meaning it has a very limited native range: Nova Scotia to eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, out to Long Island and down into New Jersey. 

Habitat: sandy coastal plains (Go Botany: "...pond shores, swales, and boggy depressions"...)

More: This long-blooming perennial will spread by rhizome to form a densely matted, somewhat chaotic, but pretty ground cover that can either be deadheaded (tedious) or sheared back periodically through the season to rejuvenate and encourage continued bloom. The foliage is quite fine-textured. May self-seed if happy. This is thought by some to be a weedy species with no place in a garden setting. I disagree. It just needs thoughtful placement. Deer tolerant.

Nursery: Landscape plugs from New Moon

Image credit: First image courtesy of Mt. Cuba Center; illustration from Wikimedia Commons