I have subscribed to your newsletter for quite a while now and I love it. I have a question for you. I have recently been given some seeds for a very old plant called money plant. It produces paper-like flowers that look like silver dollars. I’m not sure how to plant these and would appreciate any help to grow these plants that I remember from my childhood. Thanks for your help.
I, too, am a big fan of money plant or Lunaria annua. Also known as honesty and silver dollar plant the seed pods have an oval shape and translucent quality that gives the appearance of miniature full moons hanging from the stems, hence the name lunaria. These disks are prized by floral arrangers for using in dried bouquets and wreaths.
Sow lunaria seeds in spring after the last frost date in your area. They should be planted about 2 inches apart and covered with a thin layer of soil, about 1/4 inch. Lunaria will thrive in both sunny and partially shaded locations. They prefer fertile, moist but well-drained soil.
Lunaria is a biennial so don’t expect much the first year. However in the following year the plants will take off producing sweet smelling, purple blooms in the early summer followed by their illuminated seed pods in fall. Be sure to leave a few of the seed pods on the plants and you will discover that lunaria will reseed itself freely in your garden.