East facing, north facing, south facing, west facing
Position in border:
Middle
Soil
Acidic / Chalky / Alkaline / Clay / Heavy / Moist / Well Drained / Light / Sandy
Common honesty, Lunaria annua, is an old-fashioned dual-purpose plant, grown partly for its fragrant purple or white flowers in spring and early summer, but also for its unique oval and translucent seedheads, popular with dried-flower arrangers. It's properly grown as a biennial, and makes large, well-branched plants in its second year, after which it will seed itself freely around the garden. However, smaller plants can be grown as hardy annuals from an early sowing, with a smaller flower display, but very good compact seed-heads.
Grow Lunaria annua in moist but well-drained soil in partial shade. Allow plants to self-seed and let the seedheads stand to add winter interest.
Plant calendar
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sow
yes
yes
Plant
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
Flowers
yes
yes
Lunaria and wildlife
Lunaria is known for attracting bees, beneficial insects, butterflies/moths and other pollinators. It is a caterpillar food plant and has nectar/pollen rich flowers.
