PlantFiles: Money Plant, Honesty, Bolbonac, Moonwort, Silver Dollar
Lunaria annua

This plant's common name comes from the dried fruit, called silicles. When dried, the green outer covering peels off to reveal the silvery translucent "silver dollars."

Technically a biennial, it may live for 2-3 years; can become weedy.

This plant grows extremely well here in NJ (near Philadelphia) -- zone 6/7a. I enjoy seeing it's bright lavender phlox-like flowers first thing each spring. It always comes back annually, and is super easy to grow.

It was planted in a perennial border garden a year ago in early summer and did not bloom. It returned this year and provided some nice early color and foliage. It is establishing nicely in partial shade. I did not harvest the seed pods, because I liked how the silver contrasts against the taller perennials.

I wouldn't be without this plant--it's the only plant of decent height blooming in April in my garden. The more I have the better! Plus I love the seed pods for decoration. I don't find that they last very well or look attractive in the garden, so I go ahead and cut down the dried stems and pods.

I recently found out about this plant, when my sister (a plant fanatic) went for a walk down her street and came home with a cutting of this plant. We didn't know what it was but I wanted it real bad, so she gave it to me...hehe.

I just love it and I wanted more. To our surprise, the woman across the street from her is growing many Silver dollar plants. She was sweet enough to give me some seeds and a few cuttings, but didnt want to part with anymore... She showed me how the leaves come apart to reveal a beautiful silk like coin. Her hubby came walking up in front of me with a bouquet of Silver Dollars already peeled - WOWWWWWW...BEAUTFUL!

One of my favorite plants. Unfortunately, between my garden phlox crowding it out and hungry chipmunks, I have gone from a small bed of money plants to just one lone survivor :-(
I'm definitely thinning out the garden phlox AND collecting the money plant seed this year. The chipmunks are going to have to look elsewhere for lunch!

Reliable re-seeder for zone 7b. Tough as nails here in north Georgia. Have witnessed plants growing in cracks in my grandmothers brick patio. Just toss a handful of seed in a corner of the garden and watch them go!

Planted seeds last spring and had nice plants, this year they bloomed in early spring. So pretty! I live in Iowa which is Zone 4

Extremely hardy plant in both my shade and sunny gardens here in Atlanta. In fact, it's about to take over in some places. Lovely flourescent blooms at sunset. I recommend these plants for those spots where nothing else wants to grow.

Edgewood, Wa
The Money Plant or Honesty is a plant that has excaped from the flower beds into the wilds. It is found here in small to large plantings along the road or the edge of the woods. It is very hardy, has a wonderful purple-blue flower and is followed by the seed pods. Once the seeds have dried and the husks are slid off you have the thin transparent "money". Looks fantastic as a dried plant in arrangements. It is very attractive to butterflies and humming birds.

The first year I got some purple seeds from a friend, only a few plants came up, but they were purple. The next year I opened the dried seed pods and cast the seeds, but every single plant but one was completely white! Since then I have bought 2 packages of "purple" seeds and they always come out white no matter what. They are prolific growers in my yard and even grow in the grass, but I want PURPLE ones.

they grow great in humboldt county. I have purple and white ones but have never seen yellow. Drying the pods thoroughly is the key to getting the silver dollars. My plants come back twice a summer and some do not die in the winter. They are definatly perennials here in the Bear Valley.

These were growing around my house already when I moved in some 13 years ago and, despite my crafts friends coming up to collect the seed pods, the plant continues on and comes up in random patches every year - very hardy and prolific! I had organized a planting in a prepared bed, they were doing very well until my sweet husband mowed them down. Still, I'll start over with seeds from all the plants in the woods. (Fencing is in order for next spring) Exceptional height, color and fragrance.

This is a plant that looks good at all stages . . . from being full of beautiful purple flowers to little "pods" that become "silver dollars." Even though this is a moisture loving plant, it didn't let the dry, sandy conditions of my sedum bed slow it down!

Last spring, I visited an elegant garden with one section that consisted of two matching flower borders facing each other across a wide grassy path and with trellises all along the backs of both sides with climbing roses and clematis not yet blooming. What was blooming were repeated clumps of the very double, blowsy, white Festiva Maxima peony paired with lilac flowers of lunaria - unforgettable.

My own garden has several adversarial issues, including limited space, a monster silver maple encroaching on my flowers, occasional droughts and dry spells - and critters - woodchucks, rabbits and occasional deer that manage to bust through the fence. The toughness and beauty of this plant triumphs over all.

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A friend of mine just asked me for advice on how to germinate Lunaria annua seeds, here's the combined experience of myself and the 2nd edition of Norman C. Deno's book, Seed Germination Theory and Practice mixed with my experience -

When I first bought the seed from [HYPERLINK@www.jlhudsonseeds.net] many years ago, I sowed it indoors 30 days before last frost around April 1 in cell packs which were covered in transparent Saran wrap (light is needed) and then put them outdoors as soon as they germinated - minus the plastic. I like to time that technique so that seedlings can go right outdoors around the time of last frost (in mid-April) or later for the extra aeration they need to avoid damp-off fungus.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, according to Deno, one reason my seeds successfully germinated might have been the fact that dry-storing Lunaria annua seeds for 6 months enables them to germinate better at both 70*F and 40*F. So, when Hudson sent the seeds to me that winter, I also could have wintersown them (see [HYPERLINK@www.wintersown.org] or visit the Wintersowing Forum on DG) or direct sown them the following fall. Both of these techniques are much more fool-proof against damping-off fungus problems with germinating seeds than the 1st technique.

A couple of notes regarding the above:

-- When sowing seeds in pots under plastic, do it indoors under cool types of fluorescents or gro-lites, because direct sun or other types of lights will cook the seeds under the plastic.

-- According to [HYPERLINK@www.hillgardens.com] , Lunaria annua seed can be viable for 2 - 3 years when stored under optimum conditions.

-- If all fails, find someone on DG who is already growing this plant, and around July, ask them if they'll send you a branch or some pods after they completely ripened and turned brown (as Buzzy said above). Seed collected while still partially green doesn't germinate as well.

In working the Lunaria bed today, it reminded
me to make a post about it.

I have Lunaria self sowing in a shady spot under
a huge black walnut tree, so it is obviously not
bothered by the tree's toxins or the shade produced
by such a grand tree.

The only thing I did notice worth mentioning today is
that it seems the Lunaria don't really have much
of a foothold on the soil when they are young. They
are sort of floppy and not very secure in the soil, so
I felt the need to dig a deeper hole and transplant
a few of the babies. They have been performing,
blooming and reproducing just fine without my help
all this time, I guess I'm just being fussy.

Indeed gorgeous in bloom, amazing when the the
pods develop and as a bonus, the dried stems make
a wonderful everlasting arrangement when the thin
layers are peeled from the seed pods, revealing the
shiny pearl-like surface beneath the skin and seeds.

I'll always have a place for Lunaria in my gardens.

Edit 03-30-2007. First blooms today!

This is one of my very favorite flowers. It self-sows, even in dry shade, obligingly but not thuggishly. It also does the favor of fading into the background shortly after its bloom, except for those beautiful seed heads.

I like it in early bouquets with blue scilla and daylily leaves.

This plant is the early beacon for the hummers and honey bees in spring. It is a great naturalizer. I have a white blooming variety.

Hi, I have these silver dollar plants taking over in my front yard in Lackawanna, NY, an outskirt of Buffalo. My question is- can I transplant some of the babies that are going to bloom next year? I want to put them in the back of my front garden and have them as a nice back drop to a bunch of spring bulbs I purchased just recently. When they seeded, they must have blown against my pave stones because they are taking over the front part of my garden, but they are so tall, they will block everything else I want in there. If I can, should I do it in the fall or spring? I don't want to take the chance of killing them. Thanks for your input! I am new to the board and thanks for having me! Mary Beth

Very pretty here in South Jersey. I had much better luck letting plants self-sow than trying to germinate packets indoors. I feel that they look a little ratty after blooming and take a long time for seeds to mature. Next year, I think I'll pull them after bloom, go buy some packets and sprinkle them outdoors.

Mine are strictly annuals (unless they are secretly regenerating from the roots). The flowers are a deep purple (sorry pungo!) If you didn't already know, Bluespiral, the seeds germinate very well when you simply scatter them on the ground in zone 7b. I don't have much else to add. Ask me if you have any questions.