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Coreopsis question

14 years ago

Is coreopsis a short-lived perennial?

I have two varieties new to me this year: Creme Brulee and Moonbeam. Do these need to be divided periodically? The Creme Brulees are still pretty young plants, but the Moonbeam I bought is full-sized. I am wondering if I need to divide it this fall. Any thoughts?

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Comments (6)

lindac
14 years ago
You never need to divide them unless the clump gets too big for the space.
Linda C
conniemcghee
Original Author
14 years ago
That's exactly what I wanted to hear :) Thank you!
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I just came from the garden center where I purchased SEVEN one-gallon pots of coreopsis (I think Ive just found my favorite perennial).....LOL :-) I bought three Creme Brulee, two Heaven's Gate, and two Moonbeams. Im gonna wait until the sun starts to go down before I put them in my flower beds but it looks like the Moonbeam is gonna have to go in a corner by itself...its looking like it will probably grow to be too big for my small 4x12 bed to handle. As a matter of fact, even the itty bitty Creme Brulee looks gigantor in my little "piece" of a garden (especially compared to gottagarden's oasis). I'll take pics tomorrow and post them so you all can tell me what you think :-)
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I never had a problem in my flower beds but never did try to grow them in the meadows. They can take over in a flower bed even near the coastal area. They got long and sprawled all over my flower bed with lots of blooms all summer long. In rich soil they even grew quite tall with a thick trunk. That was in the Freeport area so that is as far south as you are. It might be you got the wrong variety. I stopped saving seeds as back then I did not know how many people would enjoy flower seeds of so many types.
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ostrich
14 years ago
connietn, while you do not need to divide them, let me tell you that I divided my Zagreb last year, just to create two clumps, and in no time, they grew back to the original size!!! So now rather than having just one clump I have two big clumps of Zagreb! So you may consider doing so if you want more and more of you lovely coreopsis! :-)
prairie-rose
14 years ago
I have Moonbeam and am trying Zagreb this year. I do divide my Moonbeam every two years, because the clumps get pretty large and sprawly. The thread-leaf varieties of coreopsis (verticillata) are not considered short-lived, but other types of coreopsis are, if I'm remembering correctly. My Moonbeams are in their sixth year.
spazzycat_1
14 years ago
In warmer climates (zone 7 and higher), C. 'Moonbeam' tends to lose some of its blooming vigor unless it is divided every 3 years or so.
conniemcghee
Original Author
14 years ago
Ah, OK. Maybe this is what I had read and was remembering. I am in Z7.

The Moonbeam I got this year is pretty darn big! The Creme Brulees were quite a bit smaller, and there are three of them. So, maybe what I will do is divide the Moonbeam this fall into three, and I'll have three of each :) It's good to know they will rebound quickly!

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