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Bidens
Bidens ferulifolia
Bidens blooms from May through October.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Bidens
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 8–11. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 1.3 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year.
When to plant Bidens
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Bidens into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring. Planted then, it flowers from May to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 9 in February.
Comes in 4 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Bidens
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
The 'beggarticks' name comes from the wild relatives' barbed seeds that cling to fur and clothing; this ornamental shares the name but is a well-behaved garden plant. per NC State
Ignore its wetland cousins
Wild beggarticks grow in ditches, marshes and wet meadows, but this ornamental descends from an arid Arizona species. Give it well-drained soil and only moderate water, never soggy. per NC State and Wildflower Center
How tall it gets
Illinois Extension lists 0.25 to 0.38 m for the bedding annual; the Wildflower Center gives 0.46 to 0.91 m for fuller wild forms. As a garden plant it stays low. per University of Illinois and Wildflower Center
Not toxic to pets
Not classified as toxic. No Bidens appears on the ASPCA plant lists, and the related B. pilosa is recognized as safe and eaten as food. per ASPCA and PubMed Central
Feeds bees and butterflies
The open daisies draw bees and butterflies all season, and the genus supports a specialist bee, Dieunomia heteropoda; the seed also feeds songbirds. per NC State and Iowa State
Grow it as an annual
Grow it as a tender annual: frost kills it, so set plants out only after the last spring frost. It returns as a perennial only where winters are nearly frost-free. per University of Illinois and Wildflower Center
What pairs well with Bidens
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Globe Thistle
Shares full sun and low water; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Blazing Star
Shares full sun and low water; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; purple against yellow, for contrast.
Rock Cress
Shares full sun and low water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both offer pollinator forage.
Rosemary
Shares full sun and low water; opens in early spring and overlaps into this one's season; both are strong pollinator plants; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Grape Hyacinth
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 8 in, for the front of the border.
Lavender
Shares full sun and low water; both are strong pollinator plants; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; purple against yellow, for contrast.
Crocus
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 4 in, for the front of the border.
Hyacinth
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 10 in, for the front of the border.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.