Description
Lunaria – Honesty –
There are 3 species of erect, branching annuals, biennial and perennials, in this genus. They occur on disturbed ground and in cultivated fields in Europe and Western Asia. They have alternate, ovate to triangular-heart shaped, toothed leaves, and bear tall, open, terminal racemes of many 4 petalled, cross shaped, violet-blue to white flowers in late spring and summer. Valued for their flowers, they may be naturalized in a shrub border, in woodland, or in a wild garden, where they self seed. L. annua and L. rediviva have translucent seed pods that excellent for dried flower arrangements, pick for dried arrangements when seed pods turn brown, hang in a cool, dry place, and let valves and seed fall naturally.
Grow in fertile, moist but well drained soil in full sun or partial shade.
Prone to clubroot, white blister, viruses, and leaf spots.
L. rediviva – Perennial honesty – This clump forming perennial from Europe and Russia grows 24-36″’ tall and 12″ wide. From hairy stems it carries heart shaped, finely toothed, dark green leaves, to 8″ long. In late spring and early summer it bears loose racemes, to 7″ long, of fragrant, pale violet flowers, 1″ across, followed by flat, elliptic seed pods, to 2-3″ long, ripening to beige.
Zones 6-9
