How to Grow Lunaria the Money Plant

Lunaria Money Plant

About Growing Lunaria Plants in Your Home Flower Garden

Lunaria flowers, or Honesty flowers, are also commonly called “Money Plants” because their prolific seed pods resemble coins. They are popular in home gardens and flowerbeds. Once you start growing Lunaria biennials in your garden, they will spread readily around the garden from seeds contained inside the coin-like seed pods. 

The visual display of seed pods turns from green to golden brown. After the seed pods and stems have turned golden and dried, they can be used in dried floral arrangements and last for extended periods.

Lunaria, or Honesty plants, have large green leaves and is a biennial. Plant them in year one, and they will bloom the following year.

If you want a low-maintenance flower, you have come to the right plant. They are very easy to grow and experience few problems.

Honestly, kids love the “money plant”.

What is a biennial plant? A biennial is a classification of plants that describes its life cycle.  An annual plant lives one year. And a perennial plant lives three or more years. A biennial plant lives two years. In the first season, the new plant sprouts, develops a root systema nd grow leaves and sems. In the second year, the plant continues to grow. Then, it produces, flowers, seeds, and sometimes fruit. At the end of the second season, the plant dies.

Lunaria Flower Plant Specifications

Flower Colors: Pink and Purple

Flowers Bloom: Late Spring to Summer.

Plant Height: Two to three feet tall.

Ideal Soil pH: 6.1 – 7.8.

Light Requirement: Full sun to partial shade.

Hardiness Zones: 4 – 8

Is Lunaria Toxic? No

Deer Resistant? Yes

Number of Species: 3

Native To: Asia, Europe.

Plant Type: Biennial

Botanical Name: Lunaria

Other Names: Honesty, Money plant, Silver Dollar Plant, Moonwort.

Light Requirements

Grow Lunaria plants in full sun or partial shade. The plants grow best with six to eight hours of bright, direct sunlight. 

In hotter areas of the country, plant them where they will get partial afternoon shade to protect the from the hot rays of the sun.

Lunaria Flower Plant. How to Grow Money Plants.

Are Lunaria Plants Edible?

YES!!

The entire Money plant is edible. The leaves have a pungent flavor, tasting a little like mustard and cabbage. Use them in recipes raw or cooked. The flowers add color to salads. And, the seeds are edible, too. They have a mustard-like flavor.

Medicinal Applications for Lunaria Flowers

Eating all parts of the Lunaria plant is good for your health.

Consumption of this plant offers a variety of health benefits to the cardiovascular system, the digestive system, eye muscles, and the respiratory systems.

Biennal Lunaria Plant Propagation

Lunaria is grown from seeds. Sow Lunaria seeds (or Honesty seeds) early in the season, and cover lightly with soil. They germinate easily and will grow large green leaves in the first year.

Select a location in your garden where they can grow undisturbed for years and years. After blooming, they will drop seeds and regenerate year after year.

Garden Tip: Because Lunaria is biennials, if you want flowers every year, you have to plant them two years in a row.

Days to Germination: 10 -16 days.

How to Grow Lunaria Flower Plants

Lunaria is easy to grow and requires little to no attention. They can be grown in almost any soil and thrive in partial and shady areas. They should have at least four to six hours of sunshine. The stem and branches bend easily. So, select a location where biennial lunaria are protected from strong wind.

Once your Lunaria is started, you can largely leave it to itself. Water them only during droughts when the soil has dried out. You can also add a general-purpose fertilizer once a month if the growth seems slow and especially in very poor soils.

Add mulch around the plants for appearance and to keep weeds down.

Flowers grow on long, sturdy stalks. After the small flowers have bloomed in early summer, flat green pods develop and the seed is inside. Over the summer months, the pods and stalks will dry and turn a golden brown color. For dried flower arrangements, cut the stalks low to the ground. Work carefully so you do not break the pods off the stalks. When putting the arrangement together, trim the stalks to the desired length.

To harvest the seeds, take them out of the dry, crumbly seed pods.

Lunaria Flower Plant 04

Growing Money Plants in Containers

when we think about flowers to grow in containers, Lunaria flowers do not often come to mind. But, in the right setting, they can look good on your balcony or patio. Like any container-grown plant, they need a little more care and attention. 

In addition to normal plant care, here’s how to grow Lunaria flowers in containers:

  • It is important to have a drain hole to allow excess water to drain from the pot. 
  • Keep an eye on the moisture level. Check the plants every day or two, especially in extended periods of hot, dry weather.
  • Keep the soil moist, but not wet. It is okay to let the top of the soil begin to dry between watering.
  • When watering the plants, thoroughly wet the soil. Excess water will drain through the hole in the bottom of the flowerpot.
  • Nutrients in a flowerpot are limited. So, use fertilizer spikes to feed the plants. Or, apply a light solution of liquid fertilizer once a month.  
  • Select a sunny to partly sunny location on your deck. 

Pruning Lunaria Plants

Money plants require little or no pruning.

Wind can bend or break a branch. Remove them with a clean scissors or garden snippers. You can remove any dead leaves by hand. Take them off where the leaf stem meets the stem.

Important: The stems and branches bend and break easily. So, be gentle when pruning these plants.

Insects and Plant Disease

You should experience few insect and disease problems with Lunaria plants.

However, if problems arise, apply insecticide or fungicide, only as needed.

Also see: Plant Problems – Identify the causes and find the cures.

Related Articles

Also, people who read this article will like:

Lunaria Picture Gallery

How to Grow Honesty Flowers,  the Money Plant– by Garden Hobbies

How to Grow Just about any Flower

 

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