Mercury Rising broke the coreopsis color barrier: wine-red daisies with a small gold button center, produced nonstop over a loose, airy mound about 18 inches tall from early summer to frost. The rich red reads deeper than most red-flowered perennials and pairs handsomely with golds and whites.

Plant it in full sun and well-drained soil. Once established it takes drought without fuss, and deer and rabbits leave it alone. No deadheading is required to keep it blooming, though a midsummer shear tidies the mound. Bees and butterflies visit steadily.