by M.J. Holliday

Created on: December 10, 2010

The silver dollar plant (Lunaria) is also known as the money plant, moonwort or honesty plant. The silver dollar is easy to grow, and makes a striking addition to floral arrangements and centerpieces.

The delicate, papery seed pods of the silver dollar plant resemble the coin that gives the plant its name. When stripped of their brownish outer coating, the seed pods reveal an elegant pearly sheen. The name Lunaria comes from the Latin word for moon. The money plant can grow as an annual (Lunaria annua) or as a biennial (Lunaria biennis).

A mature silver dollar plant is about two to three feet tall. It thrives in full sunlight, with well-drained soil, but is not too particular. The money plant also does well in poor soil, partial shade or drought. In general the plant prefers a soil pH level slightly acidic to neutral (6.5 - 7), and uniformly moist soil.

The large leaves of the silver dollar plant are toothy and heart-shaped. In spring or summer, the silver dollar plant blooms with fragrant purple, pink or white flowers. Flower color may range from dainty pastels to a rich magenta. The large, showy blossoms are up to seven inches wide. Outdoors, the flowers attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

The silver dollar plant is naturally a biennial, with a life cycle of two years. The plant may bloom the first year. In the second year, it produces the characteristic seed pods. If allowed, the money plant reseeds itself, and new plants replace the old ones in the next growing season.

To grow biennial silver dollars from seeds, sow seeds outdoors in the fall. Cover the seeds with 1/4" of soil, and keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate in about two weeks. Thin out the plants if necessary. Each plant should be allowed one to two feet of growth space.

Pinch off some of the stems of young plants to encourage fullness as the money plant matures. Seeds sown in fall will grow into blossoming money plants the following summer.

Planted in spring, the silver dollar plant grows as an annual and dies in autumn (September-October). Plants grown as annuals aren't as big and showy as those planted as biennials, but they will self-seed to produce a new crop of money plants the next year. Plant spring seeds outdoors as soon as the soil warms (April-May). Seeds can be started indoors in early April, but the money plant grows just as well from direct outdoor seeding.

Silver dollar plants are hardy and resistant to insect pests and disease. An all-purpose fertilizer provides

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