Early Sunrise Tickseed Plants

Coreopsis grandiflora Early Sunrise

Everyone has a problem patch in their garden and if yours is a hot, dry area with poor, stony soil, Coreopsis grandiflora Early Sunrise is the plant you need.

Commonly known as tickseed, from a mound of deep-green divided leathery foliage rises double egg-yolk yellow flowers with ruffled, fringed petals, which bob gently in the breeze, from July to October. 

Those cheery yellow blooms will brighten your life for months - simply cut plants back after the first flowers finish to encourage a second flush well into autumn. Early Sunrise has won both the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit and the Fleuroselect Gold Medal - a double validation of quality!

Browse all of our perennial plants.

Great In Your Garden...

To get the best out of Early Sunrise, remember it performs best in dry, sunny sites with poor soil, although it will tolerate a bit of partial shade as long as it get some sun. 'Treat it mean to keep it keen' is the phrase! Too much feeding or rich soil will lead to floppy, sprawling plants. This drought tolerance makes tickseed ideal for new-build gardens with little shade and loads of builders' rubble in the topsoil.

Place them at the front of a sunny border where they can catch the breeze, perhaps with the deeper pinks or whites of Dianthus, whose blue-green foliage and flower colours will provide a sharp contrast to the Coreopsis.

Naturally, they're good for large containers with other sun-lovers such as Achilleas (yarrows) - in either toning or clashing colours.

Add tickseed Early Sunrise to your wildlife garden - butterflies love them - with grasses, and single-flowered herbaceous perennials such as Echinacia along with annual poppies.

Features

• Colour: Deep yellow flowers.
• Flowering: July to October.
• Foliage: Dark green.
• Height: 45cm.
• Spread: 30cm.
• Spacing: 30cm.
• Position: Sun, tolerates some light shade.
• Soil: Loam, sandy, poor, rocky, moist but well-drained.
• Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.

Did You Know...

Coreopsis gets its common name tickseed because the seeds look like ticks, tiny spider-like creatures that live in woods and long grass. Previously classified as Coreopsis tinctoria.

Grow in well-drained poor soil in full sun at 30cm spacing. Keep crown just above soil level to avoid rot. Tolerates partial shade. Water well until established. Suitable for containers.

Drought-tolerant when established. Apply general fertiliser in spring. Deadhead and cut back after first flush to encourage more flowers. Cut back in autumn. Can be affected by slugs, snails and aphids. Powdery mildew and crown rot can be a problem in moist soils. Divide every 2-3 years in spring.