honesty
There are some annuals you only have to plant once. They will never leave your garden, whether you like it or not, so plan your plantings accordingly. One of them, and frankly, one too pretty to pull with the weeds, is Lunaria Annua, the honesty plant.
Some call it money plant, because it displays its seeds in translucent pods that look very much like coins strewn along tall and graceful stems.
The flowers are pretty too, as you can see, and quite reliable bloomers. They thrive in bright light but don’t require full sun exposure, which makes them a must have if yours is a shade garden. Blossoms usually come in purple, but there is also a white sport, the one I happened upon.
As I said, it is a relentless self-seeder, not fussy about soil types or water levels either, so it is perfect for those dry shade locations where nothing seems to prosper.
Honesty is a decorator’s favorite because its dried seed pods make sophisticated and long lasting flower arrangements. They are stunning in the landscape too, as long as you are aware of the fact that when their little cellophane wrappers finally snap open, every one of those seeds will sprout.
On a completely unrelated note, old times lore imparted on honesty the power to influence metals, so much so that it could be used to unshoe horses and pick locks. Just saying.
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