Exposure Full-sun to partial shade
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Lunaria annua. Brought to America by Puritans, this old heirloom is also known by such colourful names as Judas' Penny and Moonwort. Plant Honesty Lunaria seeds in spring in sun or partial shade and enjoy mauve flowers, followed by distinctive papery seedpods. These start out flat, circular, and green, but become silvery white and paper-like as they mature, making excellent dried displays. The seeds are easy to harvest from within each pod for seed saving and sharing. Lunaria grows to about 90cm (35") tall, and makes a good mate for Foxgloves in shady areas of the garden.
Started early enough indoors, Honesty will flower in the first year, hence "annual." Sown later, it will not flower in the first year and behave as a biennial. It is a good example of plants that do not follow the conventional "rules" we attribute to gardening.
Annual
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Latin
Latin
Lunaria annua
Family: Brassicaceae
Difficulty
Difficulty
Easy
Season & Zone
Season & Zone
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Zone: Hardy to Zone 4
Timing
Timing
Direct sow in early spring, when there is still some risk of frost—mid to late March on the coast. Or sow in the fall where winters are mild.
Starting
Starting
Sow seeds a couple of millimetres (1/8″) deep, and space plants 30-45cm (12-18″) apart.
Growing
Growing
Mulch well before the first winter. Transplanting does not work well with this variety. Plant in any reasonably fertile soil, and pull up plants after flowering if you want to prevent self-sowing. This variety dies back after its decorative seed pods form.
West Coast Seeds is a family-owned company that embraces an organic lifestyle. A group of imagination catalysts and passionate educators, dedicated to producing products and services that better the environment. As part of our mission to repair the earth, we aim to inspire and empower people to take responsibility for the state of the planet. For us, organic is about much more than saying no to chemicals, it is about saying yes to building a healthy soil for the future.
For over 35 years, we have upheld our strong reputation as a leading seed supplier, seeking out the highest quality untreated seeds for organic growing and putting them through rigorous independent testing. We built our company on the exchange of generational wisdom in a masterclass community of newbies and masters alike. Our world may have changed, but our commitment to our people, our customers, and our planet has not.
We’re a values-based business that has blossomed into a lifestyle ethos, with products that support seeders, feeders, keepers, and the tiniest of creepers. Our mission? To mobilize the next generation of gardeners with products that nourish soil and grow vigorous, sustainable gardens. We believe all plants should be grown without the use of chemicals, and that the seeds we supply are an important component of regenerative gardening.
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At West Coast Seeds we believe in the power of small and that little can be large. Like the tiniest seed germinates to evoke incremental change with massive potential, so to can our community of gardeners and growers together. Gardeners are the earth’s stewards, planting seeds of creative declaration. The soil provides the canvas, we provide the seeds.
Direct sow in early spring, when there is still some risk of frost—mid to late March on the coast. Or sow in the fall where winters are mild.
Sow seeds a couple of millimetres (1/8″) deep, and space plants 30-45cm (12-18″) apart.
Mulch well before the first winter. Transplanting does not work well with this variety. Plant in any reasonably fertile soil, and pull up plants after flowering if you want to prevent self-sowing. This variety dies back after its decorative seed pods form.
