Purple or violet flowers open in spring, and by summer’s end each seed pod has faded to a translucent, moon-shaped coin prized for dried bouquets. Honesty (Lunaria annua) is among the easiest plants to keep, since it self-sows; give it rich soil that is never too dry nor too wet, and it will bloom its heart out.
| Name | Lunaria annua |
|---|---|
| Family | Brassicaceae |
| Type | Biennial |
| Height | 20 to 31.5 inches (50 to 80 cm) |
| Exposure | Sunny to partial shade |
| Soil | Rich, well-drained |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
| Blooming | Spring |
If you bought your silver-dollar in a pot, plant it in the spring or at summer’s end.
For sowing, prefer a sowing in a nursery in the spring and transplant at summer’s end or the following spring. You can directly sow in the ground from June to September.
Gather the seeds of this plant when seed capsules become transparent. Simply store them in an envelope and sow them the next year.
Honesty can be bought as a plant, sown under cover, sown straight into the ground, raised from seed you saved yourself, or simply left to sow itself. The table below sets each route beside its season.
| Starting method | When | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Pot-grown plant | Spring or late summer | Set out in rich, well-drained soil in a partially shaded spot |
| Sowing in a nursery bed | Sow in spring, transplant in late summer or the following spring | The preferred route for raising your own plants |
| Direct sowing in the ground | Early summer to early autumn | Seed goes straight where the plants are to flower |
| Seed you saved | Gather when the capsules turn transparent, sow the following year | Store the seed in a simple envelope until sowing time |
| Self-sowing | Autumn, left to itself | Leave some of the coins standing and the plant does the work |
Whichever route you take, weed progressively and keep the soil slightly moist while the seedlings establish.
Honesty is so easy to maintain, it demands so little attention that you might forget about it if it didn’t catch your eye with its lovely blooming and its pearly iridiscent coins.
If you truly wish to pamper it, remove faded flowers gradually.
In fall, leave some coins in place for the plant to self-sow.
This is one of the easiest plants to maintain thanks to its ability to self-sow. Its purple or violet flowers enchant our gardens in the spring and display lovely translucent medallions at the end of summer. It adapts perfectly to wild gardens and flower beds and also to the creation of dried flower bouquets at the end of summer.
Its Latin name Lunaria annua translates literally as annual moon, likely due to its lovely moon-shaped pearly coins. It is also often found under the name of coin-plant.
Note that there is also another variety of honesty called Lunaria rediviva.
→ To go further: Lunaria: its fruits are dazzling
For successful sowing, it’s key to weed progressively and water to maintain a certain level of humidity.
