Native annual prairie wildflower of central North America with abundant small yellow-and-red daisy flowers. Long used by the prairie peoples for orange-to-red dyes and now a popular natural-dyer’s annual.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 2–11 | −45.6 °C to 10 °C | Zones where it can be grown as an annual — not a frost-tolerance rating |
| RHS hardiness rating | H3 | −5 °C to 1 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 2–9 | −40 °C and warmer | Zones where it can be grown as an annual — not a frost-tolerance rating |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 1–7 | −15 °C and warmer | Zones where it can be grown as an annual — not a frost-tolerance rating |
As a tender annual, Dyer’s coreopsis (Plains coreopsis) doesn't overwinter — the zone range shows where the growing season supports it. See the RHS rating for its actual cold tolerance.
Growing notes
- Orange-red dye extracted from the flowers — produces a range of warm tones from sunny yellow to deep brick-red depending on mordant
- Easy from direct-sown seed — flowers within 60 days of sowing, ideal for the natural-dye garden
- Self-seeds reliably — sow once, harvest for years
- Drought tolerant — adapted to prairie summers
Categories
Related plants
Cross-check Dyer’s coreopsis (Plains coreopsis) against your zones