Basically, the girl's eye is not very demanding in the right location and can also cope well with dry slopes. With the right care, you can get even more longevity and abundance of flowers from your “beautiful faces”.
How do I properly care for the girl's eyes?
In order to optimally care for the girl's eye, it should be watered regularly, repotted every 3-4 years, cut as needed and fertilized with compost or perennial fertilizer. Pests and diseases must be controlled and the plant needs a sunny location without waterlogging.
How often should the girl's eye be watered?
With a layer of mulch on the ground, soil drying out and thus the frequency of watering can be reduced. Although the girl's eye does not need a lot of water, it should be protected from drying out, especially in summer, because it prefers a sunny location. Potted plants need to be watered a little more regularly than outdoor plants, ideally in the early morning or evening with lime-free rainwater.
When and how can the girl's eye be repotted?
Perennials like the girl's eye can usually be transplanted easily in early spring if they have not yet sprouted new plants. Since the perennial varieties of the girl's eye tend to age after more than three or four years in the same location, they should be carefully dug up, divided and replanted every three to four years.
When and how should the girl's eye be cut?
Various cutting measures are basically conceivable for girls' eyes:
- cutting back last year's herbs in spring
- pruning after flowering in autumn
- cutting out wilted flowers
- cutting out and destroying leaf material that is affected by powdery mildew
In particular, subspecies of the girl's eye that are only partially hardy usually benefit from pruning after flowering, in which the plant is cut off just above the ground.
Which pests attack the girl's eye?
Young plants are susceptible to snail damage and therefore require special protection; adult perennials can occasionally be attacked by aphids.
Which measures are effective against diseases?
If the leaves of the girl's eye dry up after they have been covered by a mealy coating, it is usually powdery mildew. Infected plant parts should be cut out immediately and burned in a controlled manner. Brown spots on the leaves and a musty smell can be indications of root rot as a result of waterlogging.
Should the girl's eye be fertilized?
The girl's eye blooms particularly persistently if you regularly apply some seasoned compost to the perennial beds in spring and summer. Otherwise, special long-term and perennial fertilizers (€18.00 on Amazon) are suitable for ensuring an adequate supply of nutrients.
How is the girl's eye overwintered?
The following variants are possible when overwintering perennial Coreopsis species:
- overwintering with the wilted plant mass as winter protection
- pruning in autumn and covering with a layer of mulch
- when overwintering in a pot: wrap it in fleece and place it on the south side of a wall
Tip
The sun-loving girl's eye needs sufficient moisture for its full splendor during the flowering period, but cannot tolerate waterlogging. Therefore, clayey soil outdoors or a plant pot should be provided with an appropriate drainage layer to prevent root rot or mold formation.
