The table calls it a tie: Coreopsis and Lantana share the crown at 95 and 95 of 100, a gap smaller than the data can honestly split.
Every flower here is scored by the same 5 published rules, using one open table of 85 flowers. No taste, no sponsors: tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made it.
The picks
The flowers that won The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
95 95 CO-WINNER CO-WINNER YFG INDEX Salt-spray tolerance: drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt · Sandy fast-draining soil: drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt · Documented drought proof: drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no vase data in the postharvest literature
Deer: rarely damaged (Rutgers A) Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Sandy fast-draining soil 20 / 20 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
95 95 CO-WINNER CO-WINNER YFG INDEX Salt-spray tolerance: drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil · Sandy fast-draining soil: drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil · Documented drought proof: drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
asks for some seasonal upkeep; toxic to cats
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B) Not for cat households
95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 20 / 20 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
Also great Close behind on points. Neither beats the winner overall, but each is the better answer in a garden the winner would not suit.
95 95 ALSO GREAT ALSO GREAT YFG INDEX Salt-spray tolerance: drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution · Sandy fast-draining soil: drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution · Documented drought proof: drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no vase data in the postharvest literature
Deer: rarely damaged (Rutgers A)
95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Sandy fast-draining soil 20 / 20 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Bloom window 20 / 20 5 months
90 90 ALSO GREAT ALSO GREAT YFG INDEX Salt-spray tolerance: drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil · Sandy fast-draining soil: drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil · Documented drought proof: drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no flaw on record
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B)
90 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 20 / 20 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Bloom window 15 / 20 3 months
The protocol
How the score is built 5 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Salt-spray tolerance 35 points a documented salt tag 35: the stressor that actually kills coastal beds Read from: stress tolerances.
Sandy fast-draining soil 20 points Read straight from stress tolerances.
Documented drought proof 15 points Read straight from stress tolerances.
Wind bonus 10 points Read straight from stress tolerances.
Bloom window 20 points Read straight from the months it is in bloom.
Not ranked here: neither salt nor sandy-soil tolerance documented. Scores are never sponsored
and never sold. The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten The 10 highest of 31 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
1 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Sandy fast-draining soil 20 / 20 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, clay soil, salt
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
1 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 20 / 20 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, heat, humidity, salt, poor soil, shallow rocky, sandy dry soil
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
1 95 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Sandy fast-draining soil 20 / 20 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, urban, poor soil, air pollution
Bloom window 20 / 20 5 months
4 90 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 20 / 20 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, heat, humidity, salt, clay soil, sandy dry soil, shallow rocky, poor soil
Bloom window 15 / 20 3 months
5 88 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, salt, black walnut, clay soil, wet soil, urban, wind
Sandy fast-draining soil 8 / 20 drought, heat, salt, black walnut, clay soil, wet soil, urban, wind
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, salt, black walnut, clay soil, wet soil, urban, wind
Wind bonus 10 / 10 drought, heat, salt, black walnut, clay soil, wet soil, urban, wind
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
6 83 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, clay soil, salt
Sandy fast-draining soil 8 / 20 drought, heat, clay soil, salt
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, clay soil, salt
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, heat, clay soil, salt
Bloom window 20 / 20 4 months
6 83 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, salt, wet soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 8 / 20 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, salt, wet soil
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, salt, wet soil
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, heat, humidity, poor soil, salt, wet soil
Bloom window 20 / 20 4 months
6 83 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, salt, heat, erosion, clay soil, poor soil, wet soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 8 / 20 drought, salt, heat, erosion, clay soil, poor soil, wet soil
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, salt, heat, erosion, clay soil, poor soil, wet soil
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, salt, heat, erosion, clay soil, poor soil, wet soil
Bloom window 20 / 20 5 months
6 83 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, humidity, salt, air pollution, urban
Sandy fast-draining soil 8 / 20 drought, heat, humidity, salt, air pollution, urban
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, humidity, salt, air pollution, urban
Wind bonus 5 / 10 drought, heat, humidity, salt, air pollution, urban
Bloom window 20 / 20 4 months
10 77 / 100 tap for the breakdown Salt-spray tolerance 35 / 35 drought, heat, salt, urban, wet soil, wind, clay soil
Sandy fast-draining soil 8 / 20 drought, heat, salt, urban, wet soil, wind, clay soil
Documented drought proof 15 / 15 drought, heat, salt, urban, wet soil, wind, clay soil
Wind bonus 10 / 10 drought, heat, salt, urban, wet soil, wind, clay soil
Bloom window 9 / 20 2 months
Considered, not chosen Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this job is not theirs.
neither salt nor sandy-soil tolerance documented Roses, Tulips, Peonies and 51 more
The winner's badge Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Coreopsis
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
95 95 SEASIDE CHAMPION SEASIDE CHAMPION YFG INDEX · WINNER How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit a job is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
named. Nothing here is sponsored, and no score can be bought. When the table changes, every
score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
