Coreopsis Moonbeam
Soft lemon rather than the hard yellow most coreopsis offer is what has kept 'Moonbeam' in gardens since the 1980s. Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' produces hundreds of small pale flowers over a low mound of thread-fine, deeply divided green foliage that looks good even before the first bud opens. The display runs from December through to April, longer than most perennials manage.
That pale colour is easy to place, which is the practical advantage. It links stronger colours in a mixed border, softens a hot planting of reds and oranges, and carries a long season in a gravel garden or a wide container. Coreopsis suits cottage borders, meadow-style schemes and the front of a sunny bed, and bees work the flowers all summer.
Plant in full sun in free-draining soil of average fertility. Lean ground gives the sturdiest plants, while rich beds produce growth that opens out and leans. Space around 40 cm apart. The clump creeps gently outward from short underground stems rather than running, and stays strongest if lifted and divided every two or three years.
Makes a mound about 0.5 m tall and 0.3 to 0.5 m across.
Trimming: Shear the whole plant back by about a third in midsummer when the first wave of flower starts to thin. It rebuilds quickly and carries a second flush into autumn. Cut down to the base in late autumn or winter.
Deadheading: Constant deadheading is impractical on flowers this small, and the midsummer shear does the same job in one pass. Removing seed heads does keep the plant flowering longer.
Fertilising: Feed sparingly or not at all. A light general fertiliser in early spring suits average soil, and anything heavier costs you flowers and gives you floppy stems.
Watering: Water through the first summer, then only in extended dry weather. Coreopsis is drought tolerant once settled, but it is intolerant of heavy soil that stays wet through winter, which is the usual reason a clump disappears.
Pest Control: Aphids can build up on the fine growth in spring. Slugs and snails graze new shoots, particularly on plants cut back in midsummer.
Disease Management: Powdery mildew and crown rot are the two to watch, and both follow poor drainage or crowding. Divide regularly, keep the plant open, and water the soil rather than the foliage.
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