Popular among amateur gardeners, seed packs of coreopsis 'was sure to be included in his first purchase of garden seeds, along with the Virginia stock, ten-week stock, sweetpea and mignonette' - all seeds which could be scattered directly where they were to grow, and be assured of actually growing.

Short of digging them up every two or three days to see how they were going, coreopsis could be guaranteed to endure almost all kinds of mistreatment.

The name comes from the Latin koris, or bug, or possibly korus, helmet.

Coreopsis were also known as Calliopsis, or 'beautiful flower' or 'lovely eye'.