This is a plant that I deeply love, but have never been very successful with. Mine has developed a bit of a lean and has never blossomed. That said, the carrottop like foliage combined with the highly textured trunk gives this plant a whimsical, ‘Dr Seuss’ vibe that I absolutely adore. Grow Giant Coreopsis in a pot or as a background plant since it will go fully dormant in the summer (at which point, reduce watering significantly if it’s in a pot so you don’t rot it). Alternatively, let it go fully dormant and feature it and tell the world about the seasonality of of plants, both are absolutely fine options! California’s summer is Vermont’s Winter, and we need to stop assuming that all plants should be lush and green in the hardest part of their lifetime. Seems to take a year or two to really get going, but once it is, it puts on a significant amount of growth every winter.

Giant Coreopesis requires a good amount of sun in the winter and spring in order to put out flowers, so be sure to have a spot for it so it can make blooms for you. Mine rarely blooms along the west facing fence that it was positioned at.

Calscape