Coreopsis Early Sunrise

A perennial that flowers in its first summer from seed, which is unusual enough to be the main reason to grow it. Semi-double ruffled golden daisies on bushy 45cm plants from June through to the frosts, out of a spring sowing.

It holds both a Fleuroselect Gold Medal and an All-America Selections award, which between them are about as close as a seed strain gets to a guarantee of performance. In practice that means uniform plants, a long season and no sulking. It is drought-tolerant once away and it draws bees, butterflies and hoverflies in numbers.

The honest part is the lifespan. It is a short-lived perennial and most of its energy goes into that first generous season. Expect two or three years before the clump thins and the flowering drops off, and treat it as a high-performing annual that sometimes comes back rather than a permanent fixture. Sow a fresh short row every couple of years and you will always have good plants. It cuts reasonably well, though the stems are shortish and it is more of a border plant than a cutting-patch one.