Moonbeam Coreopsis

Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'

flower

Moonbeam (Coreopsis verticillata) earned Perennial Plant of the Year in 1992 and has been a border staple ever since. It builds an airy, ferny mound of fine threadlike foliage studded all summer with masses of soft, creamy butter-yellow daisies. The muted color blends with everything, the plant is tough and drought-tolerant, and the long nonstop bloom makes it a dependable bee and butterfly feeder. A sterile selection, it pours its energy into flowering rather than seed, blooming for months with a midsummer shearing.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• May Night Salvia: Violet spikes contrast the yellow daisies and the two bloom together for weeks
• Walker's Low Catmint: Lavender haze under the yellow froth, doubling the bee appeal
• Black-Eyed Susan: Bolder gold daisies that pick up where Moonbeam mingles in the sunny border
• Purple Coneflower: Adds height and a different flower form while sharing the lean, sunny site

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts. Tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Crown rot →

  The main risk - plant in sharply drained soil and never let the crown sit in wet ground, especially over winter

• Aphids →

  Hose the occasional colony off the fine foliage; predators usually keep them in check

• Slugs and snails →

  Can nibble new spring growth in damp spots - use grit or traps until plants are established

🌸 Blooms & cutting

Moonbeam is a charming filler in summer bouquets - cut stems with several open flowers in the cool morning. In the garden, the simplest care is a single shear: once the first heavy flush winds down in midsummer, cut the whole plant back by about a third to spark fresh growth and a long second bloom into fall. Regular deadheading does the same on a smaller scale and keeps pollinators coming.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Threadleaf coreopsis is an excellent and long-lasting pollinator plant - its summer-long daisies feed bees, butterflies, and many small beneficial insects, and Coreopsis as a genus supports dozens of insect species. The seed of the species forms feeds finches, though the sterile Moonbeam channels its energy into an exceptionally long bloom that keeps nectar available for months.