It was named after the noted English plant collector, Ellen Wilmott, 1858-1934, who apparently had a particular devotion to this prickly plant. To spread her passion, she would do a secretive Johnny Appleseed on all the gardens she visited around England by scattering the seeds of her beloved tall ghostly silvery leaved plant. She would be pleased to know that this plant was finally given Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit in 1993. It is a short lived biennial, but I suspect it reseeds itself in the garden, though hopefully does so politely. Regardless, I am game to grow it for its height of around 4 to 5 feet and for its marbled heart shaped foliage with pale greenish white cones surrounded by silver bracts. I think this drama queen would make a bold statement in my garden.
All the new Coreopsis are begining to bloom and they're terrific. They enclude C. 'Redshift', C. vert. 'Sunbeam', C. x 'Cosmic Evolution' and C. x 'Star Cluster'. Don't judge them too harshly by the way they look in the pots. Instead, check them out where we've planted them in our borders and discover just what strong garden performers they really are.
I keep learning from Patti. You are an incredibly smart and interesting woman and I'm so glad you are my friend Patti!!!! 
