SOWING INSTRUCTIONS
Depth:
Surface sow to light cover, 1/8".
Starting Indoors:
Sow in pots 6-8 weeks before last frost and cover with a light sprinkling of vermiculite to retain moisture until germination occurs. Keep at 70°F.
Starting Outdoors:
Direct sow early to mid summer for blooms the following year.
PLACEMENT & CULTIVATION
Grown since the time of Chaucer in medieval England and known by many names such as Moonwort, Money Plant, and Honesty, the botanical name Lunaria comes from the Latin luna–the moon. The biennial Lunaria is often grown as a dried flower, its seeds enclosed between two thin sheets covering the opalescent disks so prized in winter bouquets. It is lovely with early summer foxgloves in the dappled shade of woodland edges–for it enjoys some afternoon shade. Thin your sowings so they have room to develop large, many-branched plants filled with fragrant blooms, succeeded by round flat seedpods. Cut as they change color and hang upside down in a warm, airy location, and rub the papery coverings off when dry to reveal the pearly gleam within.
Soil pH:
Does well in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soils.
Fertilizer:
Mix in 1-2" of compost before planting.
Diseases & Pests:
Avoid leaf and crown disease by planting in well-drained soils in airy locations. Treat aphids with insecticidal soap sprays.
When to Cut for Bouquets:
Cut when seed pods start to dry and turn light brown.