Hi ! I have 3 Coreopsis plants ( pink , yellow and a variegated
yellow)Their names escape me . Do I have to cut them back in fall or
spring ?? Thanks !
Rosie z5

Moonbeam? If so, do you mean cut off the dead stuff? I do so in early
Spring. I never cut my Moonbeams back otherwise.

Cheryl (Z5 as well)
"rosemarie face" wrote in message
...
Hi ! I have 3 Coreopsis plants ( pink , yellow and a variegated
yellow)Their names escape me . Do I have to cut them back in fall or
spring ?? Thanks !
Rosie z5

Sure, why not?

Its kind of late for spring, don't you think so?

Its more a choice of aesthetics than season.


rosemarie face wrote in message
...
Hi ! I have 3 Coreopsis plants ( pink , yellow and a variegated
yellow)Their names escape me . Do I have to cut them back in fall or
spring ?? Thanks !
Rosie z5

pink is Rosea, yellow could be either Zagreb, moonbeam (which is the thread
leaf variety like the Rosea) or Toto a miniature variety and the variegated
is Tequila Sunrise if it has a gathered flower with reddish center in the
throat. There are two varieties of coreopsis, the thread leaf kind and the
lance leaf larger variety which is also called "tick seed" because the seeds
look like seed ticks......there is a wild variety that is the tick seed and
it grows along side roads and reseeds with happy abandon. the more perennial
varieties are those I spoke of including two new introductions in the thread
leaf world called Sweet dreams which has huge flowers of pinkish edging and
dark burgandy eyes and Limrock Ruby which is all burgandy with huge flowers.
I have discovered the success of all these thread leaf varieties including
the Rosea, Moonbeam, Limrock and Sweet Dreams is excellent drainage. Even to
the point of putting pea gravel in with the soil to make good drainage. The
debate on Limrock and Sweet coming back as perennials depends on the
drainage as they HATE soggy feet in winter. (same as Rosea the parent cross
plant) The Moonbeam is hard as nails and loves heat, but all those thread
leaf varieties can be trimmed up in spring. Allen Armatage insists on it.
He said if you trim the Limrock Ruby, Sweet Dreams and other thread leaf
varieties in spring time after they break dormancy and get about a foot tall
you will have more flowers and a less floppy plant. The lance leaf larger
variety I wouldn't cut back, but allow in the late summer to drop those
spent seedheads to ensure return from daughters in case the plant melts
during winter. Deadheading helps with Tequila Sunrise to make more flowers
about 7 weeks after the first strong flush as it's totally different from
the others as it's varigated. I hope this helps. And before someone flames
me about the Limrock and Sweet and Tequila varieties, I speak from
experience. I HAVE ALL of these plants, lost the thread leaf ones before I
realized I had to give excellent drainage (they also hate rich soil unless
it's real compost), didn't have them return because of the drainage and too
rich soil thing, dead headed the tickseed ones and didn't give opportunity
to reseed, and didn't clean the Tequila one enough to get the second and
third bloom. The newer ones ARE perennial up to zone 4 if you follow the
drainage thing and cutting them back in spring after they're a foot
tall.............
madgardener up on the ridge, back in fairy holler, home from work due to
heat exhaustion and borderline heat stroke yesterday, overlooking English
Mountain in Eastern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36
"rosemarie face" wrote in message
...
Hi ! I have 3 Coreopsis plants ( pink , yellow and a variegated
yellow)Their names escape me . Do I have to cut them back in fall or
spring ?? Thanks !
Rosie z5

Thanks a lot everyone ! This really helps . I've been gardening for
about six years now (since I moved here from Germany), but still
consider myself a newbie . So much to learn ... but I love it !
Madgardener, I hope you have recuperated and are feeling better !!! I
really enjoy your posts !! If you don't mind I will ask you a few more
questions here and there . Do you have a homepage for your gardenpics? I
would really love to see your garden !
Rosie z5 IN

"rosemarie face" wrote in message
...
Thanks a lot everyone ! This really helps . I've been gardening for
about six years now (since I moved here from Germany), but still
consider myself a newbie . So much to learn ... but I love it !
Madgardener, I hope you have recuperated and are feeling better !!! I
really enjoy your posts !! If you don't mind I will ask you a few more
questions here and there . Do you have a homepage for your gardenpics? I
would really love to see your garden !
Rosie z5 IN


you can ask me as many questions as you need to sugar. I feel much better.
I couldn't go in to work yesterday I was so ill from the heat. I'm getting
too old to be out in this stuff (yeah, at the tender age of 50) but when the
heat is in the upper 90's and the humidity makes it feel like it's over
103o.........and you lose huge amounts of sweat, you're losing valuable
minerals and electrolites and potassium.....it kicked my butt......but
better today, and back out in the heat and humidity and on the concrete
today but I paced myself, went inside alot to cool off, soaked my head,
soaked my hat, hosed down my arms..... I don't have a homepage for my pics
but if you wanna holler my way I can send you two or three at a time and you
can delete them after you look at them. Thanks for the kind words,
Rosie....I appreciate every gardener who enjoys a good ramble and garden
tour. GBSEG my e-mail is the same as it appears here.........
madgardener up on the sticky and hot ridge, back in Fairy Holler,
overlooking a blue English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset
zone 36