Dyer’s Coreopsis, ‘Coreopsis Tinctoria’, is also known as Plains coreopsis, tickseed, calliopsis. It is native to North America and can give you a bright orange to reddish brown colorfast dye.
Dyer’s Coreopsis is an annual that can re-seed itself, but you may find that it doesn’t willingly re-seed itself and that you will have to re-plant it. Plants prefer full sun and regular garden soil. Plant the seeds very shallowly after danger of frost is past.
The flowers are the main dyestuff. My Plains Coreopsis had petals that curled and were very narrow, and when I purchased the seed, I had thought that that was what I had seen on the market, as being what Plains Coreopsis flowers looked like, and that’s the way mine grew. This year, I keep seeing Plains Coreopsis seeds being sold with broader, petals, like the perennial ornamental varieties of coreopsis sold in garden centers. I am curious about this and will sample different types in the future.
If you are ever unhappy with seed or any other product you receive from me, please let me know. Especially with seed, I feel that if the seed should not produce well, the waste of the growing season is the biggest shame and a refund unfortunately cannot make up for that loss of time.