Tropical Sage + Coreopsis = A Very Happy Pot of Blooms!

Though most of our gardens are fairly informal at MOSI Outside, reflecting our commitment to Florida-Friendly wildlife gardening, we do have a few areas we try to maintain in a more "groomed" manner. One of these areas is the front walkway leading up to the BioWorks Butterfly Flight Encounter exhibit, which is accented by a very large pot that we change seasonally. Currently, that pot is one of the most cheerful sights around, filled with the happy blooms of Tropical Sage and Coreopsis. (Pictures just don't do it justice!)

This isn't the first time we've written of our love for Salvia coccinea, and it won't be the last. Butterflies and other pollinators simply love it, and it couldn't be easier to grow. This champion native wildflower blooms year-round, re-seeds at the drop of a hat, and can stand both drought and crushing humidity without even flinching. 

Coreopsis as a genus is Florida's state wildflower, and probably the most recognized is Coreopsis leavenworthii, also known as Leavenworth's Tickseed. Another native wildflower, Coreopsis also blooms year-round. It's considered an annual or short-lived perennial, but it re-seeds readily, so once it's established in an area, it will return year after year. It's another great draw for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

These wildflowers are a wonderful pair. Once established in their pot, they have needed very little supplemental watering, even during fall's dry season. Though most guides note that C. leavenworthii requires moist soils to thrive, ours has done extremely well in this sunny pot with one good watering about every ten days or so. To prolong the blooms of both plants, we dead-head the spent flowers each week, scattering the seeds in nearby garden beds.

Both of these native wildflowers are readily available at native plant nurseries (and it's a shame that they aren't easier to find in more big-box nurseries as well). You can also start them from seed - find seeds for purchase online from places like the Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative.