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What’s Blooming Now - June 23, 2009
The Old and the New
There are lots of Indiana native plants growing in White River Gardens. Many people like to grow native plants because they are adapted to Indiana’s soil and weather. Native plants are often the preferred food of our native animals, supporting butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and many small insects seldom noticed by gardeners. Three native plants attracted my attention recently.
Prairie coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata) has reappeared after a long absence (or perhaps it was just hiding under other plants). There are several coreopsis that grow well in Indiana. First to flower is lance-leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata). This has finished its first flush of flowering at White River Gardens. Threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata) is just starting to flower. ‘Moonbeam’ is probably the best known cultivar of this species.
Prairie coreopsis, one of the taller coreopsis, is also just starting to flower. It grows up to 30” high with an upright habit. Bright yellow flowers top the unbranched stems. Like all coreopsis it is tolerant of drier soils and prefers full sun. It will spread, both by rhizomes underground and by reseeding. Reseeding is common to almost all coreopsis. Deadheading will keep seeds from forming and may enco urage extra flowers. Consider leaving some of the seed heads to mature. These are a favorite food of goldfinches. Coreopsis as a group are quite hardy – to zone 4 and sometimes zone 3. The exception is threadleaf coreopsis, hardy only to zone 5.
New to the Gardens is ‘Coconut Lime’ purple coneflower (Echinacea). There are many new varieties and hybrids of purple coneflower. This is the first one with white double flowers. Because it is so new, there is not much information on how it performs. It is listed as blooming for 2-3 months. We’ll keep our eye on it and see. Hardy to zone 4.
 “Weed” is in the eye of the beholder and that is certainly true with our native daisy fleabane (Erigeron). The flowers are small but numerous, pure white or light pink, and make good cut flowers. Tolerant of many soils and preferring full sun, daisy fleabane blooms for many weeks, with rebloom possible if the plants are deadheaded. Let’s see – long blooming, easy care, hardy to zone 3. Certainly a weed you might make room for in your garden.
Mary Welch-Keesey
Consumer Horticulture Specialist
Purdue University
Dick Crum Resource Center
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