Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Creamy Calico Coreopsis: Butter-Yellow Bicolor for Lavender Beds
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Creamy Calico threadleaf coreopsis carries soft butter-yellow daisies with a wide, sharply drawn maroon ring at the center. The two colors stay neatly separated instead of bleeding into each other, so each flower looks crisp, and the whole plant sits on a cloud of needle-fine green foliage.
It is one of the easiest companions you can put next to lavender, because it asks for almost exactly the same treatment: sun, lean soil and a light hand with the hose.
Creamy Calico at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Anacis verticillata 'Creamy Calico' (also listed as Coreopsis verticillata) |
| Flowers | Soft yellow with a deep maroon eye, about 1.5 inches across |
| Foliage | Medium green, fine and threadlike, mildew resistant |
| Size | 16 to 18 inches tall, 24 to 28 inches wide |
| Bloom | Starts late June, peaks mid-July, waves of flowers into August |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 5 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun |
| Wildlife | Great for pollinators; deer resistant |
How it looks next to lavender
Yellow and purple sit across from each other on the color wheel, which is why this pairing reads as bright without feeling loud. The maroon eye ties back to the darker purple lavenders, while the butter-yellow petals lift the softer blue ones. Texture helps too: lavender is gray and spiky, Creamy Calico is green and feathery, so the two never blur together.
Its timing is useful. It opens in late June, right as English lavender is hitting its stride, and keeps going in waves after the first lavender harvest has been cut. Set it at the front of a bed or in small drifts between lavender groups, leaving air around each lavender mound. The Companion Plant Planner helps you test the layout first.
Planting and care
- Site: full sun with average to lean, well-drained soil. It is very heat tolerant.
- Water: steady through the first season; after that, only in long droughts when flowering slows.
- Feeding: skip it. Rich soil makes a floppy plant, just as it does with lavender.
- Midsummer trim: shear back by about a third after the first flush to tidy the mound and bring on more flowers.
- Winter: leave the stems standing and cut back in spring when new growth shows. Wet winter soil, not cold, is the usual cause of loss.
The fine foliage dries quickly after rain, but a crowded clump can still pick up mildew in still, muggy weather, so give it the same breathing room you give lavender.
Ordering as a plug tray
Creamy Calico is offered as a full 72-cell plug tray, a good fit for growers, landscapers and anyone planning a long edging or mass planting. See the product page for current availability, and the Wholesale Hub for more trays.
Frequently asked questions
Is it good for cutting?
It is fair as a cut flower and poor for drying. It earns its keep in the garden more than in the vase.
Does the maroon eye fade or streak?
The appeal of this variety is that the two colors stay cleanly separated, with no streaking into the yellow petals.
Will it grow in a container?
Yes. Its tidy mound suits containers, as long as the mix drains freely and the pot sits in full sun.
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