May plant of the month is Coreopsis lanceolata, commonly known as lanceleaf coreopsis. These perennials grow to about 2’ tall with a spread of 1-2’ wide. They spread readily from seed and can also be propagated from divisions. Lanceleaf coreopsis can take full sun, even in the afternoon. It grows best in well drained soils with medium moisture. Great for mixed grass and wildflower meadow plantings.
Grows from Maryland south to northern Florida, west to Texas and north to Wisconsin. Common in the SC coastal plain and midlands. Less common in the mountains.
Lanceleaf coreopsis is in the Asteraceae, or the Aster family. What looks like a single flower is actually many many flowers made of what are called disc and ray flowers.
Many species in the genus Coreopsis are referred to as tickseeds, due to a resemblance of the seeds to ticks. Seed require 30 days cold moist stratification to germinate. The species name of lanceolata refers to the leaves being lance shaped. Some leaves are singular while others have lateral lobes.
Some cultivars are hybrids between Coreopsis lanceolata and Coreopsis grandiflora, another native species but more rare in SC.
