Almost 100 species belong to this genus, most of which are native to America and Africa. The very grateful and easy-care flower, which many hobby gardeners only know with its yellow color, is a true permanent bloomer and a popular cut flower. Both the annual Coreopsis species bloom just as beautifully as the perennial species and like to serve as a pasture for bees. Depending on the variety, the girl’s eyes grow loosely upright, dense and bushy and can be between 50 and 160 cm high.
Table of Contents
leaves
Some varieties have lanceolate leaves, such as Coreopsis grandiflora (large-flowered girl’s eye) or Coreopsis lanceolata (lancet-leaved girl’s eye). Others have finely pinnate leaves that are reminiscent of conifers, such as Coreopsis verticillata (needle-leaved girl’s eye). The leaf color is green in each case.
blossoms
The daisy flowers of girls’ eyes are usually yellow in color, which can appear in all nuances from lemon yellow to golden yellow. The flowers of the Coreopsis tinctoria (dyer’s girl’s eye) also have red-brown spots in the middle. Sometimes they can also be completely red-brown in color. There are also double-flowering varieties or pink, red and white flowers in new hybrid varieties.
Beautiful varieties of the Coreopsis
- Coreopsis tripteris Pierre Bennerup
- Coreopsis grandiflora Badengold
- Coreopsis grandiflora Early Sunrise
- Coreopsis lanceolata Goldfink
- Coreopsis grandiflora Sunray
- Coreopsis grandiflora Sonnenkind
- Coreopsis lanceolata Baby Gold
- Coreopsis lanceolata Rotkehlchen
- Coreopsis grandiflora Goldtaler
- Coreopsis grandiflora Domino
- Coreopsis grandiflora Schnittgold
- Coreopsis verticillata Rosea
- Coreopsis verticillata Moonbeam
- Coreopsis rosea Sweet Dreams
- Coreopsis major
location
The Coreopsis needs a humus-rich, well-drained and nutrient-rich soil as well as as much sun as possible in order to bloom throughout summer and into autumn. The soil should always be moderately moist and not too dry. Well-ingrown plants can tolerate drought in certain “problem areas” in the garden, but this should not last too long. Girls eyes do not tolerate waterlogging or compacted soils. Shadow is also undesirable. You can mix heavy soils with gravel or coarse sand. This increases their permeability.
plant
When replanting in a garden bed, it is always advisable to add some nutrient-rich compost to the soil. For plants that are planted in window boxes or pots, normal potting soil is sufficient. In the spring, coarse compost is introduced into the existing plant population and distributed as mulch between the individual specimens. Chopped material or bark mulch is also suitable. The mulch layer keeps the moisture in the soil, so that watering is unnecessary or does not have to be done as often. Depending on the garden, a layer of gravel or chippings is also possible, which achieves the same effect.
Fertilize
Even if some varieties of the girl’s eye seem very undemanding, they all enjoy a good supply of nutrients, especially in the flowering period. Mature compost, which is worked into the soil regularly in spring and during flowering, has proven itself as an organic fertilizer. Long-term fertilizers are also suitable for fertilizing the beautiful daisy family, and you must always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for their use. Too much fertilizer can damage the plants.
pour
As with all garden and container plants, water from the rain barrel is ideal for watering. Under no circumstances should you use hard tap water. Always make sure that there is no waterlogging, as this promotes the formation of mold in the soil. Regardless of whether it is in the bed, balcony box or in the bucket, mold can form anywhere. If there is a layer of mulch on the beds, it does not have to be watered very often. Nevertheless, check every now and then how moist the soil is under the mulch layer. Watering may be necessary in hot summers.
To cut
Wilted and faded items are cut off to encourage abundant flowering. Constant cleaning, as the cutting off of dead leaves and flowers is called, also prevents the plants from exhausting themselves. A hand-high, continuous cut is made after the last flowering or in early spring when the plant sprouts between the beginning of February and the end of March.
Ecological: If you don’t cut the plant until spring, for example, new seedlings will often have grown nearby that you can dig up and transplant. Small animals and especially the birds in your garden will also enjoy the edible seeds in winter. Beneficial insects also find a good wintering opportunity in the perennial bushes.
Overwinter
Some of the perennial varieties of the girl’s eye are winter-proof and others in our latitudes are only partially frost-hardy. Mostly these are new breeds from America. A good cover with brushwood usually helps to protect the frost-sensitive varieties in winter if they are to remain in the garden soil. In addition, any well-drained soil is good winter protection. If you want to be absolutely sure, dig them up after they have been cut back, plant them in pots and bring them into the house. Anyone who has planted Coreopsis in pots and window boxes also puts them in the house to overwinter. Perennial plants are often falsely sold as annuals because they are not frost hardy in our climatic zone. Trying to hibernate them can be just as successful.
Multiply
All subspecies and their varieties can be easily propagated by sowing them in spring. Propagation by cuttings or division of the root ball is also possible. The perennial plants are rejuvenated at the same time by dividing them. They will then thrive again better and will also be more willing to bloom again.
Propagation by sowing
The seeds of the girl’s eye are not distributed too closely on very fine-grained soil or special seed compost in seed trays. Then they are covered with a thin layer of seed compost, which may not be as thick as the seeds themselves. Then the seed trays are given a place with constant humidity and a temperature between 16 and 18 ° C. Direct sunlight should be avoided. After germination has taken place, the vessels are placed approx. 3 ° C cooler and pricked out after two to three days. To do this, the seedlings are carefully removed from the soil with a prick stick and planted in a second container filled with loose soil. The cotyledons should not be planted, but always lie on the plant substrate. Then the plants are lightly watered. When the plants have grown well, rooted and become stronger after a few weeks, they are planted in the garden or placed in buckets, pots or window boxes. However, this should only be done in the frost-free period.
Important: Please do not use tweezers to prick out! This could crush or injure the very sensitive plants.
Propagation by division
If perennials of the Coreopsis have grown too big, they can be dug up and divided into two or more pieces. If the plants are a little younger, the bare roots, which have a dense network of rhizomes, can be carefully pulled apart. With older plants, it is advisable to use a spade or a sharp knife to divide it. The individual parts can then find a different place on the same bed so that the plants form a beautiful sea of flowers or can be planted on a new perennial bed.
Propagation by cuttings
Girl’s eye perennials can also be propagated by stretchers with a little patience. It is best when the pruning takes place anyway. To do this, the tips of the non-blooming parts of the plant are cut off. So many leaves are removed from these shoot tips until only three are left. The cuttings are then placed in potting soil, but not deeper than 3 cm. Don’t forget to pour on! A plastic hood or foil is placed over the planter to prevent evaporation. With small pots, small foil bags that are loosely put over them are sufficient. The cuttings should not come into contact with the foil. In a place with optimal temperatures of 16 to 18 ° C, roots will form after several weeks. Then the plants can be planted in individual pots. When the frost is over
Suitability with other plants
All types of girl’s eye are well suited for cottage gardens, near-natural gardens, Mediterranean gardens, colorful shrub beds or cottage gardens. The following plants make a wonderful combination with the girl’s eye:
- Rudbeckia
- Kokardenblumen
- Echinacea
- Indianernessel
- Yarrow
- Catnip
- Astern
- Grasses
- Honorary award
- delphinium
- Ornamental sage
Diseases and pests
- With good care, the girl’s eye is hardly affected by diseases or pests.
- If there is waterlogging, root rot can occur.
- Snails like to eat young coreopsis plants.
- Aphids and powdery mildew can occur in an unfavorable location.
Root rot
If the girl’s eye is too wet, a musty smell develops in the soil, which is a sure sign of waterlogging. The leaves also get brown spots. Then the plant should be dug up immediately and the rotten parts of the roots and rhizomes removed. If the waterlogging was too long and the rootstock was completely rotten, then the plant can unfortunately no longer be saved. So always make sure that the soil is well drained and that the water cannot accumulate!
Powdery mildew Powdery mildew
forms a mealy coating on the leaves, which causes the leaves to dry out after a while. The infected leaves must be removed and burned so that no further plants can be infected. A preventive measure is horsetail manure or horsetail tea, with which the ground is watered several times at intervals of three weeks in autumn and spring. This makes the Coreospis resilient and keeps them healthy. Certain commercially available fungicides help with acute infestation.
Snails
Snails are simply collected regularly or fought with biodegradable slug pellets. Hedgehogs in the garden are just as ecological and environmentally friendly, as they can tolerate a few servings of snails every day.
Aphids
The best known of all plant pests are the aphids, which feed on plant sap. These sucking insects are found in almost every garden and have a green, red-brown or black-brown color, depending on the species. The girl’s eye can also be affected. A sign of an infestation are the sticky excretions of the aphids, which are also known as so-called honeydew. Overly infected plants show stunted leaves and shoots. Effective ecological methods are the use of lacewings or ladybirds, which are natural predators of aphids. Regular spraying with a soap solution also helps, preferably soft soap. A brew made from cigarette butts or tobacco scraps is also helpful. You can buy yellow tablets in stores,
Conclusion
The bright yellow flowers of some types of girl’s eye look like small sunflowers, while others can be pink, red-brown or even white. The annuals and the many perennial species of the Coreopsis form beautiful borders and bloom all summer. As a cut flower, the girl’s eye literally brings sun into many bouquets and makes a wonderful combination with lavender, delphinium and echinacea.
