Honesty is a plant that works twice. In spring it lights up a border with violet flowers at a time when little else is open, and by late summer it has turned into stems of flat, coin-shaped seed pods. Peel off the outer skins and you are left with the silver, translucent discs that florists call moonpennies. Sow it once and it will usually look after itself for years.
This guide covers growing Lunaria annua from seed: why timing matters for a biennial, how to sow, where to plant, and how to harvest and clean the pods for drying. Honesty is one of the classics on our list of the best flowers for drying.
- Sow June–August, outdoors or in modules, 1 cm deep
- Plant out September–October, 30 cm apart, sun or light shade
- Flowers the following April–June; around 90 cm tall
- Seed pods cut when the stems turn brown in mid to late summer
Honesty is a biennial: plan a year ahead
Honesty grows leaves in its first year and flowers in its second. A packet sown this summer gives a clump of leafy plants by autumn, which sit through winter and flower the following spring. That is the reason most failed honesty is sown at the wrong time: sow it in spring alongside annuals and you will wait over a year for a flower.
The good news is that once you have flowered one batch, honesty seeds itself freely. Leave a few stems to drop their seed and new plants will appear around the old ones every year, so you only need to plan once. Our guide to sowing biennials explains the rhythm, and the biennial flower seeds collection has more plants that work the same way.
How to sow honesty seeds
- Sow between June and August Early summer sowings make the biggest plants before winter. Sow outdoors in a nursery row, direct where they are to flower, or in modules.
- Cover the large seeds 1 cm deep The flat seeds are easy to handle: space them 5 cm apart in a drill, or sow two per module and keep the strongest.
- Keep moist until they come up Seedlings usually appear within two to three weeks. Water in dry spells; summer sowings dry out fast.
- Thin or pot on Thin direct sowings to 30 cm apart. Module-grown plants can go into 9 cm pots and grow on outside.
- Plant out in early autumn Move plants to their flowering position in September or October, while the soil is still warm, so they root in before winter.
Where to grow honesty
Honesty is relaxed about conditions. It flowers well in full sun and copes with light or dappled shade, which makes it useful under deciduous shrubs, along a hedge or at a woodland edge. Any reasonable, well-drained soil will do. Its early flowers are valuable for bees and butterflies in April and May, when food is still scarce.
At around 90 cm, our violet honesty suits the middle or back of a border, or an informal cottage planting where it can mingle and self-seed. Plants that get too crowded produce fewer, smaller pods, so thin self-sown seedlings to 30 cm in their first autumn.
Harvesting and peeling the seed pods
Silver moons
The classic look: peeled, translucent and pearly.
- Cut stems when they have turned brown and dry
- Rub each pod gently between finger and thumb
- The two outer skins and the seeds fall away
Green or purple pods
Cut earlier for a coloured, more rustic look.
- Cut while the pods are flat and fully formed
- Hang upside down in a dark, airy place for 2–3 weeks
- Leave the skins on; they dry to soft green or bronze
For silver moons, wait until the stems and pods have turned beige to brown, usually from mid to late summer, and cut on a dry day before autumn rain spots the pods. Peeling works best when the pods are completely dry. Save the seeds that fall out: sow some straight away for next year's flowers and store the rest in a paper envelope. The stems last for years indoors and are a natural partner for poppy seed heads and ornamental grasses in a dried arrangement.
Common mistakes
- Sowing in spring. You will not see flowers until the year after next. Sow in summer instead.
- Planting out too late. Plants moved in November root poorly and can be lifted by frost.
- Cutting too soon for silver moons. Green pods will not peel cleanly. Wait until the stems are brown.
- Leaving pods out in the rain. Wet weather spots and tears the papery discs.
- Removing every seed head. Leave a few stems to self-seed and you will never need to sow again.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called honesty?
The name is usually explained by the translucent pods: you can see the seeds inside, so the plant hides nothing. Its other common names, moonwort and money plant, come from the coin-shaped discs.
Will honesty flower in its first year?
Not usually. It is a biennial: leaves in the first year, flowers and pods in the second.
Does honesty grow in shade?
It tolerates light and dappled shade well, though it flowers and pods most generously with a few hours of sun.
How long do dried honesty pods last?
Kept dry and away from bright sun, peeled stems last for years. They are fragile, so display them where they will not be knocked.
Sow honesty this summer and next spring brings flowers, next autumn brings silver. Order violet honesty seeds, browse more biennial flowers and everlasting flowers, see the full seed shop, or explore the rest of our growing guides.
