Coreopsis Limerock Ruby..NOT a perennial!!!!

Marclay, I'm convinced if there is seed in all this chaff it's way too small for this old girl to see. Even with a magnifying glass!!!!

Thanks Rose

All my Coreopsis come back & I'm in Zone 5--plus unprotected against the winds that sweep against the house.

MY LR stood 25 degree weather the other night and came thru without any change at all.

I put in some new pink Coreopsis this year up in the unprotected portion of the yard. Let's see if it makes it....

My Sweet Dreams came back after this past winter of 7 degrees at one point here in zone 7. I don't have the Limerock Ruby.

I bought Limerock Ruby late in the season, as a perennial, probably in what some nurseries here refer to as the 'hobby' section. That means if you give it winter protection it might make it, but don't bring it back for a refund if it doesn't. When I read some of the earlier comments I decided to pot it in a larger pot and bring it in for the winter. It's been under lights and I'm losing it to mildew anyway. I think I wasted good money. Quite pricey for an annual in mid summer.

This message was edited Nov 16, 2003 10:36 PM

Marclay, I too have several Limerock Rubies and we have had low twenties nights here a couple of times and I just noticed yesterday they are still alive. I am beginning to wonder if it isn't so much cold that gets them but just burn out. They are prolific growers and bloomers and maybe they just put so much energy to growth and bloom they don't have enough oomph to go again. I have noticed this in the erysium Bowles Mauve. This plant just blooms an incredibly long time in the summer; starting in spring and going till fall. And they don't last a lot of seasons either. So that is just a theory I have; they burn out rather than freeze.

I like your theory, Lenjo. I love Bowles Mauve. I grew it several years ago and it bloomed and bloomed and bloomed all season long. It also survived winter just fine. And then in March or early April it died.

I bought another one this spring and it has been blooming like crazy and is still blooming. When I planted it this year I mulched the crown with pebbles just in case it died from crown rot last time.

Our springs are usually very wet and although I amend my soil it somehow manages to return to heavy clay!!??!!

I must say that this is one great plant, even if it doesn't come back next spring. I hope I collected seed, or at least I tried but so far can't tell what's seed and whats chaff. I kept cutting mine back after the flushes of bloom and it would be covered all over again in no time at all. We've had a couple of killer frost so far, and I cut it back again and mulched it heavily....so time will tell. Doesn't matter to me that it's an annual, so long as I can germinate the seeds, if I find them...but I do kinda hate paying perennial prices for an annual.

Lenjo, you bring up a point that I never thought of.....a Perennial that eventually dies out...........

I've always thougt of Annuals in that way...but I'm such a Newbie gardener, this is a new thing I have to think about.

Sue, there are definitely perenniels that are what they call short lived. The erysimums(wallflowers) are in that category.They are quite prolific bloomers too.

I Have seeds for alll the newer coreopsis and the seeds are like dust I just packed the whole heads to trade if folks have beeter sight then I do they may bew able to find them

Moss Rose, I am not sure if this plant would come back true from seed. Too bad I did not see this discussion sooner...I might have helped some of you. I bought one in May; it got huge, and the label said zones 4-9. However, I did hear that a lot of them were not winter hardy, so in September I took a cutting and rooted it just in case. I guess that is illegal since it is patented, but it is just to replace the plant if it dies...it rooted easily under a plastic bag.

Our new perrenial catalog now lists it as hardy in Zones 6-9. Also states it is best used as an annual. Still very high priced! We had some left over, so will let you know in the spring if they survive in winter storage.
Bernie

I don't know, Bernie, it never survives here ; so I don't think that is accurate yet.