Lunaria annua Alba - Annual Honesty seeds

Lunaria annua var. 'Alba' or White Honesty is highly prized in gardens for the beauty of its seed capsules, which are a stunning pearly white. It stands out from the classic species with its abundant white flowering in early spring. With its slender silhouette, it is a must-have in gardens inspired by romance or nature. Its transparent fruits, which reveal the seeds, add a touch of elegance and lightness to the landscape, even during winter. The seed capsules bring a unique touch to floral compositions. Easy to grow, this biennial plant can thrive in both sunny and partially shaded flower beds. It adapts to different types of ordinary soils.

Lunaria, often called Honesty or Money Plant, belongs to the Brassicaceae family, just like cabbage. It naturally grows in meadows, wastelands, and fallow fields in Europe and Asia. Honesty is appreciated for its bright flowering, but it is even more prized for its original decorative seed capsules that remain on the plant during winter. The flowers transform into silvery coin-shaped capsules, containing brown seeds. When these capsules open, the seeds are dispersed and naturally reseed. The shape of these parchment-like 'coins' is what gave the plant its vernacular name "Money Plant" or "Honesty".

The 'Alba' variety is biennial, meaning it flowers in its second year. It forms a rosette of dark green triangular basal leaves in the first year. It is only from the second year onwards that a flower stem, reaching a height of 70 to 80 cm (28 to 32in), develops and offers an abundant cluster of white flowers with four cross-shaped petals at the top. These highly nectar-rich flowers brighten the early spring from March to May and are followed by abundant flat and round seed heads called siliques, measuring approximately 4 to 5 cm (2in) in diameter. These siliques consist of 3 translucent membranes that reveal large brown seeds. Once the seeds have been dispersed, the stems can be used to create beautiful dried bouquets.

White Honesty is a hardy, to -15°C (5°F), and easy-to-grow plant that prefers rich, moist, deep soils. It thrives in partial shade, making it a good choice for shaded areas of the garden, especially under large trees or in shady flower beds. It harmonises well with bulbous plants such as hyacinths, daffodils, or grape hyacinths. If you want to keep it in your garden, you can let the plant naturally reseed itself or sow the seeds yourself in flower beds.

Once dried, the flower stems with their magnificent translucent medallions, are simply spectacular in dry bouquets where they last a long time. If you leave them standing in your garden, they will provide a decorative touch during the dormant season, and attract birds that love their seeds.