Flowerful Meadow: Self-Seeding Calliopsis in Fort Collins

Bob and Bev Bacon's Fort Collins backyard resembles a sunny mountain meadow overflowing with wildflowers. Three years ago, they sowed a mixture of Coreopsis tinctoria (calliopsis), an easy-to-grow annual that has reseeded itself each year since. The 1-to-3-foot-tall plants bear abundant 2-inch star-shaped flowers in shades from yellow-and-burgundy bicolor to solid maroon.

How to Grow Your Own Meadow

• Sow after the last frost in well-drained soil; barely cover seeds or press lightly into soil.
• Keep moderately moist until germination (about 10 days).
• Thin seedlings to 8 inches apart when they reach 2 inches tall.
• Water established plants twice a week; deadhead to prolong bloom.
• Let some blooms set seed at season's end for next year's display.

SOURCES

Ed Hume Seeds sells packets of C. tinctoria mixture. Wildseed Farms (800/848-0078) sells Radiata Mix.