Lysimachia nummularia
Creeping Jenny
Common names: Moneywort, Creeping Loosestrife, Money-leaf Loosestrife
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Pot size
- from 5 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jun–Aug
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Water need
- High
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Kurt Stüber [1] · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Moneywort, botanically Lysimachia nummularia, is a native, low perennial that forms dense mats with creeping shoots. The round, opposite leaves resemble small coins, which gives the plant its name. The plant stays only 5 to 10 cm tall, and its shoots grow 20 to 50 cm long. From June to August, golden-yellow, cup-shaped flowers sit singly in the leaf axils. In nature it grows in damp meadows, along ditches and in riparian forests. In the garden, it is used as a ground cover at the pond edge, in the marginal zone, and in shallow water up to about 10 cm deep, as well as in moist beds and as trailing greenery in tubs and balcony boxes. The golden-leaved cultivar 'Aurea' is popular. Expect the plant to spread vigorously and overgrow weaker neighbors.
Care instructions
Plant moneywort in a bright to partially shaded spot with consistently moist soil, at the pond in the marginal zone or in shallow water up to about 10 cm deep. In full sun it thrives only if the soil never dries out, otherwise the leaves develop brown edges. The golden-leaved cultivar keeps its color in sun, while in shade it turns greenish. In a tub or balcony box, water regularly and do not let the soil dry out. Because it spreads with creeping shoots, keep it in check: cut off runners at the bed edge, plant it in a planting basket at the pond, and shorten overlong shoots in spring. In lawns it quickly becomes a nuisance, so keep it short with the lawn mower. Typical mistake: a dry site next to weakly growing perennials.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringJun–Aug
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, humus-rich, loamy, nutrient-rich
Creeping Jenny grows in permanently moist to wet, humus-rich loamy soil, which may well be nutrient-rich. In the shallows at the pond edge it roots in pond substrate or loam, in a bed in normal garden soil that you improve with humus. A pH between 5.5 and 7.5 suits it well. It does not like drying out: on free-draining sandy soil you need plenty of water or a thick layer of mulch.
Feeding
Light feeder
Creeping Jenny needs no fertiliser. At the pond it even does harm, because nutrients that get into the water encourage algae. In a moist bed, the humus-rich soil provides enough. If you plant it in a container or hanging basket, fresh, nutrient-rich potting compost and the occasional bit of mature compost on top are enough. You can do without liquid feed; the plant grows strongly anyway.
Overwintering
Creeping Jenny is fully hardy and stays outside in the bed and at the pond edge. In mild winters the shoots keep their leaves; in severe ones they partly die back and sprout again in spring. In a container, protect the pot in hard frost with horticultural fleece or leaves, or place it against a sheltered house wall so that the root ball does not freeze through. Water occasionally on frost-free days, because the root ball must not dry out completely even in winter.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Division
- Runners
The easiest way to propagate creeping Jenny is via its creeping shoots, which form roots of their own at the nodes. From spring to summer, separate a rooted piece and plant it in moist soil in a new spot, press it down firmly and keep it wet. Stem cuttings with 3 to 4 pairs of leaves also root reliably in moist soil or in a glass of water. Divide larger mats in spring or autumn with a spade. Creeping Jenny only rarely sets seed in Central Europe, so sowing is not worthwhile.
For your garden
Grow Creeping Jenny yourself
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