Tickseed 'Sunray'
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Sunray' · Asteraceae
Semi-double to double flowers of deep golden yellow, like small marigolds, on stiff stems that never flop.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early June to late August
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around tickseed 'Sunray'
The planner designed this bed around tickseed 'Sunray' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why tickseed 'Sunray' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Tickseed 'Sunray' × 8, yellow
- 2 Winter heath × 4, pink
- 3 Bloody cranesbill × 3, white
- 4 Showy goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 5 Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' × 3, tan
- 6 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 5, purple
- 8 Hyacinth × 10, blue
Why this plant
- The only daisies. The others are bells, open bowls, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- In the middle. At 20 in it is seen over silver sage (12 in) in front of it.
- A step in the back row. Next to little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' (3½ ft) and showy goldenrod (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for 12 weeks. From early June to late August.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 22 of the 22 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The back corners are held by little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' and showy goldenrod, the tallest plants on the plan. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 48% of the visual weight and the right half 52%.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 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 tickseed 'Sunray' goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A cheerful, easy plant that flowers in its first year from seed. It is short-lived, as all large-flowered tickseeds are, but replaces itself. Deadhead it to prolong both flowers and life.
- Easy colour for new gardens
- Cutting
- Butterflies
What to plant with tickseed 'Sunray'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Shasta daisy 'Becky': in flower together for eight weeks, from early July; tall enough (3½ ft) to stand behind it.
- Meadow sage: purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for six weeks; spires rising out of its mound.
- Blanket flower: in flower together for 11 weeks, from mid June.
Questions about tickseed 'Sunray'
Does tickseed 'Sunray' need sun or shade?
Tickseed 'Sunray' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does tickseed 'Sunray' 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 tickseed 'Sunray' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early June to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Mid June to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early June to late August |
| Zone 6 | Early June to late August |
| Zone 7 | Late May to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Late May to mid August |
| Zone 9 | Late May to early August |
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 tickseed 'Sunray' be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many tickseed 'Sunray' plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is tickseed 'Sunray' 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 tickseed 'Sunray'?
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.
Will tickseed 'Sunray' spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Short-lived, and self-seeds in open soil. Deadhead it to limit seedlings.
What flowers after tickseed 'Sunray'?
Tickseed 'Sunray' is over by late August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
- Autumn moor grass: from mid August to early October, 16 in tall.
What does tickseed 'Sunray' look like in winter?
Tickseed 'Sunray' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
Is tickseed 'Sunray' good for bees and butterflies?
Tickseed 'Sunray' is visited by pollinators, bees and butterflies.
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
- Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' Coreopsis auriculata 'Nana'
- 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'
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early June to late August; daisies; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Mounding, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Canada, U.S.A., NC
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies
Checked against NC State Extension, ASPCA poison lists and VASCAN (plants of Canada). 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.