Lunaria annua - Money Plant

Lunaria annua is a great classic in the garden, cultivated for the beauty of its pearly white seed pods, it produces an abundance of equally decorative purple-violet flowers in early spring. Also known as money plant, moonwort and honesty, the Lunaria annua is not an annual as one might think, but a biennial.

The first year, it produces a basal rosette of dark green triangular leaves. It is only in the second year that a flowering stem, 1m (3.3 ft) in height, blooms and bears at its top a generous cluster of violet flowers with 4 cross-shaped petals. It blooms in early spring, from March to May. This is followed by abundant fruiting; the fruits called siliques, are flat and round, measuring 4-5cm (1.6 - 2 in) in diameter and consist of 3 translucent membranes with large brown seeds. Once the seeds are dispersed, the faded stems make beautiful dried bouquets.

Easy to grow, the money plant thrives in partial shade, in rich, moist and deep soils. Grow it under tall trees or in semi-shaded beds, along with bulbous plants, hyacinths, daffodils or grape hyacinths. Let it self-sow in the garden or manually disperse the seeds in your beds, so you can keep it from year to year.

Note: Attention, our young plug plants are professional products intended for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, transplant them as soon as possible, in pots, containers or directly in flower beds.