Buy Now, Plant Later! Spring Reservations Are Open

Free Shipping On Orders Over $199

Reserve Your Spring Garden Now

Growing Zone: | Garden in
Find your Growing Zone!

Li'L Bang™ Red Elf Coreopsis

Coreopsis x 'Red Elf'


Regular price $3453
In Stock

Unfortunately, this item cannot be shipped to your state.

Shipping to a different address?

Shipping to your area may be delayed due to weather conditions.

Shipping to a different address?

Enter your ZIP code to check shipping availability.

Find your Growing Zone
Plant Size

Plant Sentry™

Plant Sentry Protected

Plant Sentry™ Protected

Your order is protected by our compliance system that:

  • Prevents restricted plants from shipping to your state
  • Ensures plants meet your state's agricultural requirements
  • Protects gardens from invasive pests and diseases

Learn more about Plant Sentry™

Delivery and Shipping

Delivery and Shipping

Fast, Safe Plant Delivery
Ships in 3-4 business days • Tracking provided • Weather protected

Under $50 $9.99
$50 - $99.99 $14.99
$100 - $149.99 $16.99
$150 - $198.99 $24.99
$199+ FREE

✓ Zone-specific timing • ✓ Professional packaging • ✓ Health guarantee

Plant Profile & Growing Essentials

Cold hardy, Compact/Dwarf, Reblooming, Low Maintenance, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts pollinators, Heat Tolerant, Drought resistant, and Flowering

Specifications

  • Botanical Name
    Coreopsis x 'Red Elf'
  • Height
    1 ft
  • Width
    1-2 ft
  • Growing Zones
    5-9
  • Sunlight
    • Full sun
  • Growth Rate
    Moderate
  • Flower Color
    • Purple
    • Red
  • Leaf Color
    • Green
  • Fall Color
    Yellow
  • Pollinator Friendly
    Yes
  • Bloom Period
    Early Summer, Late Summer
  • Does Not Ship To
    AK, HI, ID, MT

Planting & Care

Where to Plant

  • Sunlight: This perennial thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6 to 8 hours of direct light daily to maintain its deep red color. While it can handle light afternoon shade in very hot climates, too much shade leads to leggy stems and fewer flower buds.
  • Soil: Aim for well drained soil that does not stay soggy after a rain. If you have heavy clay, plant it in a raised mound or add organic compost to improve drainage, as "wet feet" during winter is the most common cause of plant loss.

Watering Requirements

During the first growing season, water twice a week to help the roots dive deep into the soil. Once established, this Coreopsis is quite drought tolerant and only needs supplemental water during long dry spells. If the soil stays bone dry for too long, you will notice the flower production slow down and the foliage might start to crisp at the edges.

Pruning Tips

Since this variety blooms on new wood, you should shear the entire plant back by about half after the first heavy flush of flowers fades in midsummer. Think of it like a mid-season haircut that removes spent blooms and encourages a fresh wave of growth and flowers for autumn. This prevents the plant from putting energy into seed production and keeps the mound looking tidy and compact.

Fertilizer Needs

Apply a balanced, slow release fertilizer in early spring just as new green growth appears. Avoid using high nitrogen fertilizers late in the summer, as this forces soft growth that won't be hardy enough to survive the first hard frost. A light touch is better than overfeeding, as too much fertilizer can cause the plant to flop over.

Deep sultry blooms on tall stems, Li'L Bang™ Red Elf Tickseed (Coreopsis x 'Red Elf'), also known to many as Coreopsis, is a sunny, heat-loving native wildflower! The Li'L Bang series are long-blooming, drought tolerant and disease resistant, fearless little perennial! These easy-to-grow flowers are called Li'L Bang™ for good reason!

Dark, burgundy-red flowers with gleaming yellow centers call pollinators and butterflies from far and wide while soaking up the sun! Blooming in early summer, the daisy-like petals are pleated and lightly toothed. Each with a shimmery sheen. With a frosted touch of white towards the petal edges during the hottest part of the season.

Even when not in flower, they are a beautiful, healthy mound of green foliage. Finely cut leaves and long deep lobes emerge a bit later in the spring but last dauntlessly until hard frost. The fresh color and delicate foliage are the perfect backdrops for the bold blooms to follow.

Compact, rounded mounds valiantly tolerate sweltering sunny, hot dry garden beds. Coreopsis are truly North American natives, and as such, bloom with carefree abandon almost anywhere you plant them in the US. The more you cut, the more they bloom, so keep your vases full and your pollinators will be full too! They bloom from spring through summer and all the way into the fall.

Planting and Application:

These space-saving sun-loving gems fill your perennial beds and borders with long-stem blossoms, making them amazing for floral arrangements. Cutting borders and cottage gardens become bright beacons with the addition of these beauties.

Tickseed is Xeric (very drought tolerant) and works great in urban water-wise designs. Wildflower gardens are, of course, perfect sites for Red Elf Tickseed! Making themselves at home in rock gardens and prairies as well.

About a foot wide and a foot tall, these make fantastic container plants by adding a bright splash of bold color to sunny planters and window boxes, porches and patios alike. Plant en masse to fill hot dry areas with wine-red blooms and provide hardiness that won't back down from tough conditions. Naturally forming colonies along roadsides and in old fields by self-seeding, they naturalize prairie sites and sunny drifts with bold colors.

  • Deep Burgundy-Red Blooms & Fine Lacy Foliage
  • Compact Rounded Growth
  • Birds Love the Seeds
  • Long-Stems for Floral Arrangements & Container Ready Blooms
  • Butterfly and Pollinator Friendly

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Doing best in any kind of well-drained soil, Li'L Bang™ provides a big bang in the sun garden. Also successful in poor, sandy and average soils; they're really not particular as long as they don't sit in water. Once established, Tickseed is very drought tolerant and thrives in those hottest dry sites most plants do not tolerate. A hardy native, these thrive in USDA zones 5-9.

Easy care Li'L Bang™ Red Elf Tickseed loves full sun, however, appreciates some part shade in those warmer growing zones. A generous layer of mulch helps retain soil moisture as well as insulate the root system from heat and chill. Deadhead to encourage blooms or leave the dried seed-heads for the birds to feast on in the autumn!

  • Full Sun & Heat Tolerant
  • Tolerates Poor Sandy Soil & Low Moisture Once Established
  • Vibrant Version of the Hardy Native
  • Xeriscaping & Firescaping
  • Easy Care & Low Maintenance & Deer Resistant

Highly disease resistant, these tough natives endure the toughest locations! Li'L Bang™ Red Elf Tickseed will add some sultry color to your landscape while unflinchingly defying the sun's heat! Be sure to order yours from Nature Hills right away!

Find Your Garden's Growing Zone!

Your Current Growing Zone:

Zone

ZIP Code:

✓ Growing Zone Set Successfully!

Your zone has been saved and will be used throughout the site.

⚠ Unable to locate a growing zone for that ZIP code.

Please check your ZIP code and try again.

Looking up your growing zone...

When ordering a tree or plant, make sure to know your planting zone.

You can determine your garden's USDA hardiness zone by entering your Zip Code below.