Coreopsis auriculata Nana

Coreopsis auriculata 'Nana' is a small, compact, hardy, and very floriferous perennial. It has shiny dark green foliage and an abundance of small amber-yellow to orange heads throughout the summer, except during periods of high temperatures. Its lifespan is fairly short, but it spreads and regenerates due to a stoloniferous stump. This is a generous and undemanding groundcover plant, which will easily naturalise in a rock garden or on a slope, in well-drained soil and full sun.

Coreopsis auriculata, is a short-lived perennial belonging to the Asteraceae family, like sunflowers and asters. It gets its name due to the shape of its leaves, with lobes resembling ears at the base. This hardy plant is native to the southeastern and central-eastern United States, from eastern Louisiana to Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, and West Virginia. Its origins mean that it copes well in humid heat and drought.

The 'Nana' variety distinguishes itself with a very compact habit and a smaller size that will not exceed 15 cm (6in) in height. This coreopsis blooms abundantly from early summer, but the flowering slows down during period of high temperatures and prolonged drought, only to start again in September with the return of rain or a thorough watering. It offers wide ligulate flowers of approximately 4 cm (2in), with a warm and bright hue, yellow-orange with a more amber centre. The foliage consists of shiny dark green lanceolate leaves, gathered in basal clumps. After flowering, this plant develops short non-trailing stoloniferous stems that allow it to spread in large groups, thanks to nodes that root upon contact with the ground.

Perennial coreopsis dreads winter humidity and heavy soils. These plants require full sun, even scorching sun, to flower well. They thrive in a light, porous, gravelly, or sandy soil that is always well-drained. They require little maintenance. Coreopsis auriculata 'Nana' is a small perennial with multiple uses. It will thrive in a rock garden, on a slope with wallflowers, love-in-a-mist, and wild flax, or in an herbaceous border alongside Teucrium chamaedrys or x lucidrys, thyme, and santolines. For a beautiful summer display, in the ground or in a large pot, with very little water, it can be paired with Calamintha glandulosa and Nepeta 'Dawn to Dusk'. This groundcover will effectively and elegantly edge a pathway, and keep weeds away, reducing weeding in the garden.