Perennial Honesty - Lunaria rediviva - €9 per plant 

A tough perennial herb with a creeping rhizome and erect stem bearing beautiful flowers attractive to bees and lepidoptera. The Perennial Honesty is a protected plant in some countries and a rare native throughout Europe. Once established, the plant can tolerate drought and will self seed and spread via rhizomes making it suitable for areas in the garden that are problematic and require ground cover. The plant also makes a great addition to the wild meadow being very attractive to wildlife.    To order this plant please contact us [email protected].  

Context

  • native region: Europe
  • native habitat: Open mountain forests and in ravines, on screes, from foothills to mountains.
  • family: Brassicaceae

Predators

  • None known

Needs, tolerances 

  • Light: Semi-shade - Full sun
  • soil pH:  Acid, neutral -basic alkaline
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 3a - 9b  
  • It will tolerate damp soils.
  • Once established is drought tolerant 


Known hazards 

  • Some sources claim its poisonous


Overview

​​
  • Herbaceous perennial growing to 0.9 m by 0.7 m. 
  • It is in flower from May to July, and the seeds ripen from Jul to September. 
  • The flowers are hermaphrodite
  • Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
  • Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils.
  • Prefers moist, fertile, well-drained soils.

Characteristics

  • form: herbaceous perennial 
  • layer : Herb Layer
  • habit: clumping
  • height x width (m): 1 x 0.7
  • years to bearing yield: n/a 
  • productive life span: indefinite

Products 

  • Medicinal: There are vague references made to this plants medicinal value. 

Functions, behaviours

  • Siliqua fruit pods containing seeds open  in the autumn and can remain on the plant throughout the winter. 
  • Plants often self-sow.
  • Rhizomatous root system 
  • is attractive to bees and pollinating insects.
  • Being in the Brassicaacea familly it may provide a distracting  forage for crop pest.
If you would like this plant please send an email to [email protected] with your order. 
Balkan Ecology Project