How to Grow Honesty Mixed
Lunaria annua from Seed
Two harvests from one sowing -- fragrant purple and white spring flowers (cut-and-come-again from April to June) followed by the iconic translucent silver coin seed pod membranes revealed by gentle rubbing in August; a Hardy Biennial H7 to -20°C that self-seeds generously, thrives in clay and partial shade, and supports the Orange Tip butterfly as both larval food plant and spring nectar source
Lunaria annua -- Honesty, Money Plant, Moonwort, Silver Dollar -- is the cottage garden biennial that offers two entirely distinct and equally valuable harvests from a single sowing. The first harvest is the flowers: in April, May, and June of year two, the branching 75-100cm stems produce loose clusters of four-petalled flowers in the 'Mixed' form in both rich purple-violet and pure white, fragrant with a sweet, honeyish scent that intensifies in the evening. The stems are excellent cut flowers -- genuinely cut-and-come-again, sending out new flowering lateral branches when the main stem is cut to above a leaf or side shoot. This spring flower harvest alone would make Honesty worth growing in any cottage garden.
But the second harvest is arguably the more famous and more unique: the silver coins. As the flowers finish and the seed pods develop through June and July, they ripen from fresh green to papery brown. At this stage, the outer skins of each pod can be gently rubbed away between finger and thumb to reveal the central membrane -- a translucent, iridescent disc the colour and texture of fine tissue paper, with a pearlescent silver gleam that is unlike anything else naturally produced in the plant world. These silver coin stems, whether cut fresh-green or fully dried, provide one of the most beautiful of all dried flower materials -- architectural, unusual, and genuinely persistent in dried arrangements for many months.
Quick Facts at a Glance
Plant Type
Hardy Biennial H7 -- sow yr1, flower yr2; to -20°C; prolific self-seeder
Flowers
Purple and white scented four-petalled clusters; April-June; followed by silver coins
Height
75-100cm; branching; excellent cut flower -- cut-and-come-again
Silver coins
Translucent silver seed pod membranes; a distinct second harvest after flowering
Pollinator
Orange Tip butterfly larval food plant; critical spring nectar source
Difficulty
1 out of 5 -- sow directly, move in autumn, wait for the silver
Understanding the Plant
The Silver Coin Secret -- How to Reveal the Membranes
The famous silver "coins" are the central membranes of the seed pods -- sandwiched between two outer brown papery skins, each containing the actual seeds. To reveal the silver, wait until the stems are fully dry and the pods are papery and brittle -- this is typically August-September. Then, holding a pod between finger and thumb, gently rub the outer skin in a circular motion; the brown skin separates and flakes away from the central membrane, releasing the seeds and exposing the shimmering translucent disc. Work from the outside edges inward. The revealed membranes are fragile -- handle with care and display in a position without draughts that might damage the delicate discs.
The Orange Tip Butterfly Connection
Honesty (Lunaria annua) is one of the primary larval food plants of the Orange Tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines) in the UK -- a butterfly listed in the Brassicaceae family, which Honesty belongs to. Orange Tip females lay their pale orange-tipped eggs singly on the flower buds and developing seed pods of Honesty plants in May and June; the caterpillars feed on the seeds within the pods and on the foliage. The distinctive almost triangular pupae remain on the plant stems through winter, and the butterflies emerge in mid-spring as Honesty comes into flower again. Growing Honesty provides critical support for this beautiful and increasingly pressured UK butterfly species.
The Mixed Form -- Purple and White Together
The 'Mixed' variety provides both the rich violet-purple and the pure white form of Lunaria annua in a single packet. In the garden, the two colours together create a more naturalistic, varied display than either alone -- purple providing the dominant warmth and the white providing lightening contrast. In the vase, cut sprays of purple and white Honesty together make the classic spring arrangement that has been used in English cottages since the plant was first brought into gardens from its native southeastern European woodlands in the 16th century.
Sowing & Growing On
Sow May-July Directly Outdoors -- Transplant to Final Position in Autumn
Sow large, flat seeds directly outdoors May-July onto finely raked soil, 5mm deep, germination in 14-21 days. Move young plants to their final flowering position in September-October. Honesty develops a taproot and dislikes being moved once established -- transplant while still small, in autumn, before the taproot has extended significantly.
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Sow directly outdoors May-July onto finely raked soil, 5mm deep. Germination in 14-21 days. The large, flat seeds are easy to handle and space. Alternatively, sow in trays indoors and transplant to the final position in September while still small (before the taproot develops significantly).
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Thin to 30cm apart when seedlings are 5-8cm tall. Honesty plants grow large (75-100cm) and need adequate space for air circulation -- overcrowded plants are more prone to mildew and produce fewer cutting stems. The thinned seedlings can be transplanted if handled while very young.
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Move to final flowering position in September-October. Partial shade or full sun; clay-tolerant but prefers moist, reasonably fertile soil. Under deciduous trees or along shaded borders are ideal positions. Space 30cm apart. Very hardy -- overwinters as leafy rosettes without protection.
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Cut flowers cut-and-come-again; leave seed pods to ripen for silver coin harvest. Cut flowering stems to just above a leaf or side shoot for further flowering. Leave some stems fully to ripen -- pods turn papery and brown by August-September, when silver membranes can be revealed by gentle rubbing.
Growing On & Care
As a Cut Flower -- Cut-and-Come-Again
Honesty is one of the most rewarding cut-and-come-again spring cut flowers available. Cut the main flowering stem to just above a leaf or lateral shoot (never right to the ground) and the plant responds by producing multiple new flowering laterals from lower nodes. A single well-established Honesty plant cut in this way can produce cutting stems for 6-8 weeks through April, May, and early June. Vase life is good -- 7-10 days in fresh water. The flowers carry a sweet fragrance that fills the vase area pleasantly. Strip foliage below the waterline.
Woodland Edge Conditions
Honesty is a natural woodland edge plant -- native to the damp, shaded, humus-rich margins of European deciduous forest. In the cottage garden, this means it performs particularly well in the partially shaded positions under deciduous trees, along north-facing fences, and in the shadier sections of mixed borders where many other flowers struggle. It tolerates clay soils better than most decorative plants and does not require the perfect, well-drained conditions that more demanding cottage garden species need.
The Silver Coin Harvest
Cut silver coin stems after the outer pods have dried and turned brown -- this can be done before or after revealing the membranes. For displayed stems with intact pods (before rubbing), the stems look attractive in dried arrangements as brown papery discs. For the classic silver display, reveal the membranes by gentle rubbing, then cut or display in a dry, draught-free environment. Silver coin stems last many months in dried arrangements and are particularly beautiful in winter, when the pale luminosity of the membranes provides warmth and interest that few other dried materials can match.
Self-Seeding Colony Management
Honesty self-seeds prolifically and reliably -- a single plant that is allowed to shed its seeds in a suitable position will produce a self-renewing colony that perpetuates indefinitely. Allow some plants to complete their full life cycle (flowers, then seed pods, then seeds shed) each year. Self-sown seedlings appear in late summer and autumn and are identifiable by their large, rounded, slightly toothed leaves. These can be left where they fall or carefully transplanted while small. In a smaller garden, deadhead most flowering stems and allow only 2-3 to seed to control the colony size.
Butterfly and Pollinator Value
Beyond the Orange Tip relationship, Honesty provides early-season nectar for bumblebees, honeybees, and hoverflies from April through June -- the period when many other spring flowers are still developing. The RHS Plants for Pollinators designation reflects this multi-species value. The scented flowers attract beetles and moths as well, particularly in the evening when the fragrance strengthens. Once the flowers finish, the seed pods provide food for finches and other seed-eating birds who pierce the pod membranes to access the seeds within.
Design Companions
Honesty is the classic companion for foxgloves -- the two biennials that together define the English cottage garden in late spring. Honesty flowers in April-May just as foxgloves are beginning to rise from their rosettes; the purple and white Honesty clouds provide the ground-level colour that foxgloves cannot, while the foxgloves provide the architectural height that Honesty lacks. The pairing creates the layered spring woodland-edge picture that generations of cottage gardeners have recognised as the quintessential combination. The silver coins that follow in summer are then the perfect companion for the foxglove side-shoot production.
Biennial Cycle Calendar
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| Flowers (Apr-Jun) |
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| Silver coins (Aug-Sep) |
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Common Problems & Solutions
| Problem | Likely Cause | What to Do |
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| Seeds not germinating | Buried too deep; dry conditions | Honesty seeds are large and germinate reliably when sown 5mm deep in moist soil. Ensure the seedbed is consistently moist until germination (14-21 days). Very deep sowing (over 1cm) or dry conditions during germination are the primary causes of failure. |
| Mildew on leaves after flowering | Normal end-of-season behaviour | Powdery mildew often appears on Honesty leaves as the plants finish flowering and begin to set seed in June-July. This is normal end-of-life behaviour and does not require treatment. Allow the plants to ripen their seed pods and then remove them -- the mildew disappears with the plants. |
| Self-seeding excessive | Inadequate deadheading | Honesty self-seeds prolifically. For controlled spread, deadhead most flowering stems before seed pods ripen, leaving only 2-3 stems per plant to set seed. Self-sown seedlings in unwanted areas are easy to remove while young -- large taproot makes older plants more difficult to remove. |
| Silver coins shattering or damaged | Handled too roughly; draughts | The silver membranes are genuinely fragile. Handle revealed membranes with great care and display in a draught-free position. Dry in a dark, still environment. Stems that have been damaged physically cannot be repaired -- simply remove affected discs. |
Plant Specifications
Fragrant spring flowers then glowing silver coins -- the biennial that gives twice
Sow directly outdoors May-July, 5mm deep. Move young plants to a shaded woodland-edge position in September-October. Cut the fragrant purple and white flowers cut-and-come-again from April. Leave some seed pods to ripen brown and papery by August, then gently rub the outer skins away to reveal the shimmering silver membranes within. Leave some seeds to fall for a self-renewing colony.
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