Convallaria

Corydalis

Crocosmia

Cuphea

Coreopsis

Cosmos

Crocus

 

Convallaria majalis - Lily-of-the-Valley

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

white

6" - 12"

midspring

few

ground cover, cut flowers

division

Performance - Lily-of-the-Valley is a reliable perennial in Kentucky gardens and grows best in full to partial shade with moist, organic soil. Apply organic matter each year to benefit growth.

Comments - Division is usually not necessary due to the naturally spreading pips (shoots that appear on the rhizomes). Occasionally, red berries will form in the fall. They are extremely poisonous and should be removed if children or pets are present.

Coreopsis - Tickseed

Coreopsis plants are reliable perennials in Kentucky gardens. The bright to soft yellow colors are a dramatic addition to the summer garden. All species are native to Kentucky; cultivars have been selected over time.

Coreopsis grandiflora - Tickseed

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

yellow

12"- 24"

early summer

few

border, cut

seed, division

Performance - Old, dead flowers must be removed to keep this plant in good condition. The plants produce many blooms but require heavy maintenance.

Comments - 'Early Sunrise' requires less maintenance. This one will bloom the first season, but it still performs better the second or third season.

Varieties - 'Domino', 'Early Sunrise', 'Sunburst', 'Sunray', and ‘Tequila Sunrise’ (variegated foliage, limited flowers). ‘Domino’, ‘Early Sunrise’ and ‘Tequila Sunrise’ have done well in trials at the UK Horticulture Research Farm from 2002 to 2006.

Coreopsis lanceolata - Lanceleaf Coreopsis

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

yellow

12"- 24"

early summer

few

border, cut

seed, division

Performance – These plants grow and look similar to C. grandiflora.

Varieties - 'Baby Sun', 'Brown Eyes', 'Goldfink', and 'Simdancer'. ‘Baby Sun’ has performed well in trials at the UK Horticulture Research Farm from 2002 to 2006.

Coreopsis rosea - Pink Coreopsis

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

rose pink

10"- 20"

summer

few

border

division

Performance – Pink coreopsis performs reasonably well in Kentucky gardens. Be sure to plant them in well drained gardens soil in full sun. Plants can spread aggressively in the garden.

Varieties – ‘American Dream’ has done reasonably well in trials at the UK Horticulture Research Farm, but ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘Limerock Ruby’ (dark red flowers) did not survive their first winter.

Coreopsis tripteris - Tall Coreopsis, Atlantic Coreopsis

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

yellow

60"- 96"

late summer

few

wildflower garden

seed

Performance – Tall coreopsis is a large native tickseed that can be used in the garden background. It has not been invasive in trials at the UK Horticulture Research Farm from 2003 to 2006.

Coreopsis verticillata - Threadleaf Coreopsis

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

yellow

15"- 24"

all summer

few

border, specimen

division


Performance - Thread leaf coreopsis is a reliable and outstanding perennial in Kentucky gardens. Landscapers have learned of the great performance of this plant so it is used in many commercial and residential landscapes. Threadleaf coreopsis should be planted in full sun in typical garden soils. Although it will tolerate drought, flowering will decrease. Regular irrigation will keep these plants flowering for 3 or more months in summer.

Varieties - 'Golden Showers'. 'Moonbeam' (Perennial Plant of the Year in 1992) and 'Zagreb' have had outstanding performance in trials at the UK Horticulture Research Farm from 1999 to 2006.

‘Sunray’

‘Tequila Sunrise’

Coreopsis tripteris

‘Moonbeam’

‘Moonbeam’ in landscape trials

‘Zagreb’

Corydalis lutea - Yellow Corydalis

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

yellow

9" - 15"

late spring to fall

            few 

rock gardens, unattended areas of garden

        seeds

Performance - Yellow Corydalis performs relatively well as a perennial in shady moist gardens in Kentucky. Yellow Corydalis will find itself in neglected areas and its long bloom time gives its pleasant appeal in the garden.

Comments - This plant is not widely available. Seeds are difficult to germinate and transplant, but the plant is an excellent self seeder.

Cosmos - Cosmos

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

yellow, orange, red, pink, lavender, white

18" - 60"

summer

aphids, Japanese beetles

background, cut flower, wildflower or naturalized beds

seed


Performance - Cosmos are reliable annuals for Kentucky gardens. These plants tolerate our summer conditions well and grow best in full sun in dry, porous soils. Do not over fertilize, it will promote foliage more than flowers and cause the plants to topple.

Comments - These plants will often reseed during good growing seasons.

Varieties -
Cosmos bipinnatus - Cosmos - generally taller, better for cut flowers - 'Sea Shells' mix, 'Sensation' mix, 'Sonata' series, 'Versailles' series.
Cosmos sulphureus - Yellow Cosmos, Klondike Cosmos, Orange Cosmos - better for mass display - 'Cosmic' series, 'Ladybird' series, and ‘Sunny’ series.

‘Sonata Pink’

‘Sonata White’

‘Ladybird Yellow’

 

Crocosmia

Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora - Crocosmia, Montbretia

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

yellow, orange, red

18"- 36"

mid to late summer

spider mites

border, cut flower

division

Performance - Crocosmia is a reliable perennial in Kentucky gardens. It should be grown in full sun gardens in well drained garden soils.

Comments - Division should be done every 2-3 years to promote flowering. The corms can also be divided from the mother plant for propagation. The bright flower colors are excellent as a cut flower in arrangements.

Varieties - 'Bressingham Beacon', 'Emily McKenzie', 'Lucifer', 'Venus', 'Vulcan'.

Crocus vernus - Dutch Crocus

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

white, blue, lavender, yellow

4"- 6"

early spring

few

mass planting, edging

bulb offsets

Performance - Dutch crocus are common and reliable perennials in Kentucky gardens. They can be planted in sunny gardens or in areas that will beneath deciduous trees in summer. They will grow well in most Kentucky soils and can remain in the landscape for generations.

Comments - Crocus are one of the few spring flowering bulbs that can be planted directly into the lawn. They flower early enough that the first early grass mowing won't harm their performance.

Varieties - 'Enchantress', 'Flower Record', 'Jeanne d'Arc', 'Peter Pan', 'Pickwick', 'Remembrance', 'Yellow Mammoth'

C. flavus ‘Large Yellow’

C. vernus ‘Jeanne d’Arc’

C. vernus ‘Remembrance’

Cuphea – Cigar Flower

Cupheas are small tropical shrubs that tolerate Kentucky’s summer climate very well. They have small flowers but they produce many of them.

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

lavender, white, red

6" - 18"`

summer

few

containers, edging, mass planting

seed, cuttings

Cuphea hyssopifolia – Mexican heather, False Heather. Mexican heather is an excellent annual for Kentucky gardens. It grows best in full sun in a well drained soil and does very well during hot summers.

Cuphea ignea – Cigar Flower. Cigar flower is quite unique due to the many tubular red flowers borne above the foliage during the summer.

Cuphea llavea – Red Cuphea. The cultivar ‘Tiny Mice’ has performed very well in the Master Gardener Flower Trials across the state of Kentucky.

Mexican heather

Cigar flower

‘Tiny Mice’

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Department of Horticulture

College of
Agriculture