Overview

Introduce stunning color and robust beauty to your garden with this set of 2 Coreopsis Ruby Frost live plant plugs. These vibrant perennials, also known as Tickseed, are celebrated for their charming, daisy-like flowers that bring continuous cheer throughout the growing season. The ‘Ruby Frost’ variety is particularly prized for its unique ruby-red petals with striking white tips, creating a captivating display. Each plug is a well-rooted starter plant, ready to establish quickly in your garden, offering a foundation for a spectacular floral show. Coreopsis is a popular choice for gardeners seeking reliable, long-blooming plants that require minimal fuss.

Coreopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to North and South America. The name ‘Coreopsis’ comes from the Greek words ‘koris’ (bug) and ‘opsis’ (like), referring to the shape of the seeds, which resemble tiny insects. These adaptable plants are perfect for borders, rock gardens, containers, or mass plantings, providing a brilliant splash of color and attracting pollinators like butterflies and bees to your outdoor space. Get ready to transform your landscape with these delightful and resilient plants.

Key Benefits

Adding the Coreopsis Ruby Frost live plant to your garden offers a multitude of advantages that make it a gardener’s favorite. These benefits extend beyond just their aesthetic appeal, contributing to a thriving and vibrant outdoor environment.

• Continuous Vibrant Blooms: Enjoy a prolonged season of eye-catching ruby-red and white flowers from early summer into fall. The prolific blooming nature ensures your garden remains colorful and lively for months, providing consistent visual interest.
• Attracts Pollinators: The cheerful flowers are a magnet for beneficial insects such as butterflies and bees, helping to support local ecosystems and improve pollination for other plants in your garden. This contributes to a healthier and more productive garden environment.
• Frost-Tolerant Perennial: As a frost-tolerant Coreopsis, this plant is hardy in USDA zones 5–9, meaning it will return year after year, even after experiencing mild frosts. This makes it a dependable and long-lasting addition to your landscape without the need for annual replanting.
• Low Maintenance & Easy Care: This Coreopsis variety is known for its resilience and adaptability. It thrives with minimal attention once established, making it an excellent choice for both novice and experienced gardeners seeking an easy-care Coreopsis that delivers impressive results.
• Versatile Garden Use: Its compact size and vibrant blooms make it suitable for a wide range of garden applications. Plant it in perennial borders, rock gardens, mass plantings, or even in containers to add a pop of color wherever needed, enhancing any garden design.
• Drought Tolerant: Once established, Coreopsis Ruby Frost exhibits good drought tolerance, reducing the need for frequent watering. This makes it a water-wise choice for regions with drier climates or for gardeners looking to conserve water.
• Deer Resistant: Generally, Coreopsis is not a preferred food source for deer, offering a natural deterrent to keep your garden looking its best without damage from browsing.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Coreopsis Ruby Frost live plant is straightforward, ensuring a bountiful display of flowers. These plants thrive with specific conditions that mimic their natural habitat, leading to robust growth and prolific blooming. Understanding these requirements will help you cultivate healthy and vibrant plants.

Sunlight: Coreopsis Ruby Frost absolutely thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight per day to achieve its best flowering potential. Insufficient light can lead to leggy growth and fewer blooms. For optimal results, choose a location in your garden that receives ample sun throughout the day. Watering: When newly planted, keep the soil consistently moist but never soggy. Once established, Coreopsis is relatively drought-tolerant and prefers the topsoil to dry out between waterings. Overwatering can lead to root rot, so ensure good drainage. Soil: These plants prefer well-drained, sandy or loamy soil. While they can tolerate poor soil conditions, they do not do well in heavy clay soils that retain too much moisture. An ideal soil pH range is 6.0–7.0. Incorporating organic matter can improve soil structure and drainage. Temperature: Hardy in USDA zones 5–9, Coreopsis Ruby Frost tolerates both heat and mild frost. It performs well in a wide range of temperatures, making it a versatile choice for many climates. Fertilization: Feed lightly with a balanced fertilizer (like a 10-10-10 formula) in early spring as new growth emerges. Be cautious not to over-fertilize, as this can lead to excessive foliage growth at the expense of flower production. Pruning: Deadhead regularly by removing spent blooms to encourage continuous flowering throughout the season. After the first major flush of blooms, cut back the plant by about one-third to promote a second wave of flowers. In late fall or early spring, you can trim the plant back to ground level to prepare for the next growing season.

Size & Details

This offering includes a set of 2 Coreopsis Ruby Frost plugs, which are young, live starter plants. Each plug typically measures between 1 to 3 inches tall upon arrival, featuring a well-established root system in soil, ensuring a strong start in your garden. These are not mature plants and will not have flowers at the time of shipping, allowing you the satisfaction of watching them grow and develop into their full blooming glory. Coreopsis Ruby Frost typically grows to a mature height of 18-24 inches and spreads about 18-24 inches wide, forming a tidy, mounded habit. They have a moderate growth rate, usually reaching mature size and blooming profusely within their first growing season after planting. These perennials are shipped in compact, secure packaging designed to protect them during transit, ensuring they arrive healthy and ready for immediate planting in your desired location.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Coreopsis Ruby Frost live plant get? A: At maturity, the Coreopsis Ruby Frost live plant typically reaches a height of 18-24 inches and spreads a similar width. The plugs you receive are young starter plants, about 1-3 inches tall, ready to grow into their full size in your garden.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Coreopsis Ruby Frost is primarily an outdoor perennial plant. It thrives in full sun conditions in garden beds, borders, or outdoor containers, and is hardy in USDA zones 5-9.
• Q: How much sunlight does the Coreopsis perennial flower need? A: This Coreopsis perennial flower requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Adequate sunlight is crucial for abundant blooming.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, Coreopsis Ruby Frost is considered an easy-care Coreopsis. Once established, it is relatively low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, and does not require extensive attention beyond basic watering and deadheading.
• Q: What condition will the Ruby Frost plugs arrive in? A: You will receive well-rooted, young starter plant plugs, 1-3 inches tall, securely packaged. They will be alive and healthy, ready for planting, but will not have flowers at the time of arrival.
• Q: When is the best time to plant Coreopsis Ruby Frost? A: The best time to plant these Ruby Frost plugs is in spring after the last danger of frost has passed, or in early fall. This allows the plants to establish their root systems before extreme weather.
• Q: Will this frost-tolerant Coreopsis survive winter in my zone? A: This frost-tolerant Coreopsis is hardy in USDA zones 5-9. If you are in these zones, it should reliably return each spring. In colder zones, it may be grown as an annual or require winter protection.
• Q: What kind of soil does this plant prefer? A: Coreopsis Ruby Frost prefers well-drained, sandy or loamy soil with a pH between 6.0-7.0. Good drainage is essential to prevent root issues.
• Q: Do I need to fertilize my Coreopsis? A: A light feeding with a balanced fertilizer in early spring is generally sufficient. Avoid over-fertilizing, as it can lead to more foliage and fewer blooms.
• Q: Are these plants good for attracting pollinators? A: Absolutely! Coreopsis flowers are known to attract beneficial pollinators like butterflies and bees, making them a great addition to a pollinator-friendly garden.