Mouse-Eared Coreopsis 'Nana'

aka Dwarf Tickseed 

(This season at Painters, we have straight sps as well as nativar "Elfin Gold")

Add this great plant to your list of native groundcovers--whether you're just adding to your gardens or doing some restoration planting.  

A slow spreader to 2' wide per plant, it's a great naturalizer for areas with rocky or poor soils.  They do like some drainage, and prefer to have some supplemental watering (some other coreopsis are more drought tolerant, but these do want regular water while getting established and supplemental watering through drier/hotter periods).  Spreads via underground stems, allowing for transplant of 'babies' or off shoots to other spots if desired.  

Simply BEAUTIFUL spring color--a less commonly seen rich gold--and if you have the time to deadhead the spent blooms, you will continue to have sporadic blooms in summer and another smaller flush in fall (Pro tip: when mostly done with spring flush, just take sheers or a weedwhacker to the entire area as the bloom stalks rise above foliage and you can deadhead them without damaging leaves).  Good pollinator support--butterflies love them.  A wonderful edge/border plant, especially impactful planted en masse.  Even when not in bloom or sporadic flowering, the foliage forms a nice low mat of dense shiny leaves.  Stays partially green year-round, but more leaves flush in the growing season.

Check out these photos from a staff member's garden--year two, three, and year four!

(The photo is a little blurry, but you can see such a lovely progression!)