Plains coreopsis is anything but plain: the flowers’ deep red centers give it more dramatic flair than other flowers in the tickseed family. This plant shakes off heat and drought, preferring dryer soils as it originates from the western United States. Maybe that’s why Coreopsis tinctoria has naturalized along sunny roadsides and in sandy fields in most of the country. It has been helped along by the garden centers that carry it and the gardeners, bees and butterflies that love it.
Plains coreopsis is an annual that reseeds for me every year without running rampant. The needle-like foliage is spindly and tends to flop, but in a mass the flowers look amazing. And you don’t have to look hard to find it – even the big box stores carry it.