Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'
Coreopsis auriculata 'Nana' · Asteraceae
A low mat of rounded, dark leaves with golden-orange daisies on short stems in late spring. A dwarf selection of a southeastern native.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early May to mid June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'
The planner designed this bed around mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 16, yellow
- 2 Winter heath × 7, pink
- 3 Garden phlox 'David' × 3, white
- 4 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 5, pink
- 5 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 6 Gloriosa daisy × 3, yellow
- 7 Star of Persia × 3, purple
- 8 Camassia × 2, blue
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- Under the taller plants. It runs back between them as living mulch: there its job is to cover the soil, not to be looked at.
- 16 plants in 4 groups (5, 5, 3 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From early May to mid June.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by turtlehead 'Hot Lips' and garden phlox 'David', the tallest plants on the plan. The front edge is finished with silver sage, winter heath and mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' goes in a border
At 8 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
The earliest and lowest coreopsis, and one of the few that likes some shade and moisture. It makes a neat edge that flowers with the late tulips.
- Edging in sun or part shade
- Native groundcover
- Rock gardens
What to plant with mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Woodland phlox: blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for three weeks; happy in the same moist soil.
- Bluestar 'Blue Ice': blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for five weeks; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it.
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'
Does mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' need sun or shade?
Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to mid June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Mid May to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early May to mid June |
| Zone 6 | Early May to mid June |
| Zone 7 | Late April to early June |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to early June |
| Zone 9 | Mid April to late May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' be planted?
10 in (25 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 12 in (30 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' plants do I need?
At 10 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 17 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 13 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 55 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used 16 in four groups.
Is mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'?
Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' is over by mid June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Creeping thyme: from early June to mid July, 3 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.
What does mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' look like in winter?
Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' good for bees and butterflies?
Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.
It is native to the United States (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Coreopsis
- Coreopsis 'Full Moon' Coreopsis 'Full Moon'
- Coreopsis 'Jethro Tull' Coreopsis 'Jethro Tull'
- Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising' Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising'
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata
- Pink tickseed Coreopsis rosea
- Prairie coreopsis Coreopsis palmata
- Tall coreopsis Coreopsis tripteris
- Threadleaf coreopsis 'Moonbeam' Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'
- Threadleaf coreopsis 'Zagreb' Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb'
- Tickseed 'Early Sunrise' Coreopsis grandiflora 'Early Sunrise'
- Tickseed 'Sunray' Coreopsis grandiflora 'Sunray'
In these guides
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Low plants for the front of a border
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 10 in (25 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early May to mid June; daisies; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- VA & KY, s. to GA & LA, east of Mississippi River
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Drought, heat, humidity
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.