Coreopsis

Pests & beneficial insects

🌼 Beneficial companion — draws Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

that help control Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Whitefly

Whitefly

Aleyrodidae

A puff of white when you brush the leaf, and stickiness underneath.

, Thrips

Thrips

Thysanoptera

Silvery streaking with black specks — the specks are how you tell them from mites.

, Spider mites

Spider mites

Tetranychidae

Fine pale stippling in hot, dusty, dry weather. Visible webbing means you are already late.

on neighbouring plants.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Coreopsis outdoors around your last frost date. Seeds usually come up in around 10 days. Grow in full sun, spaced about 30 cm apart. Expect the first blooms in roughly 60 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Alfalfa
  

  AlfalfaGreat pair

  • ❧Coreopsis attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Alfalfa
  • ❧Alfalfa fixes nitrogen in the soil that Coreopsis feeds on
  • ❧Coreopsis draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Common bean
  

  Common beanGreat pair

  • ❧Coreopsis attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Common bean
  • ❧Common bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Coreopsis feeds on
  • ❧Coreopsis draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both
• 
  Painted Lady Runner Bean
  

  Painted Lady Runner BeanGreat pair

  • ❧Coreopsis attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Painted Lady Runner Bean
  • ❧Painted Lady Runner Bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Coreopsis feeds on
  • ❧Coreopsis draws Bees and Bumblebees and more that improve pollination for both

How to grow Coreopsis

1. Sow0 weeks from frost
2. Germinates10 days
3. Space30 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~60 days

Water: Low · Height: 60 cm · Soil: Well-draining, poor to average — drought-tolerant