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My Garden Plants

Michael L McClain
St James, NY
Shelter Island, NY

Creeping Jenny
Moneywort

Lysimachia nummularia 'Goldilocks'

General Culture: Easily grown in average, medium to wet, well-drained soil in full sun to shade. Best yellow color in full sun. Foliage is lime green in shade. Prefers moist soils. Intolerant of dry soils.

Noteworthy Characteristics: Moneywort or creeping Jenny is a low-growing, creeping ground cover which forms a leafy mat only 2-4" tall. Roots where leaf nodes come in contact with the soil. Thrives in damp soils which will often kill off other types of ground covers. This cultivar features rounded, slightly ruffled, yellow leaves (to 3/4" diameter). Profuse, cup-shaped, bright yellow flowers (to 3/4" across) appear in early summer. Tolerates limited foot traffic.

Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Spreads by runners and can be a very aggressive spreader. Yellow foliage has been known to revert to the green color of the species.

Uses: Excellent ground cover for areas where it can be left alone to spread or naturalize, such as banks, woodland gardens, along paths, or in moist areas near water gardens or along streams, pools or ponds. Also can be planted to cover or spill over stone walls. Interesting selection for hanging baskets. Probably too aggressive a spreader for border fronts or areas adjacent to lawns. Yellow foliage provides excellent contrast and color for shade areas.

Missouri Botanical Gardens

May 9, 2018

I am happy to report that the sprouts I planted in November survived the winter and are starting to spread. I dug up several more clumps from St. James and planted them in the football garden, where they appear to be doing well. I plan to plant more next weekend.

December 22, 2017

A few years ago I transplanted creeping Jenny into the side garden in St. James, next to the back gate. It filled in completely and flourished for the past two summers, generating requests for diggings from neighbors. I transplanted it last spring into the "football" garden in the back yard of the Red House, hoping eventually to cover the entire surface of the garden. It did fairly well, though it is not yet as dense as I would like. I put in a few plants in November. We will see how they do in the spring.

July 23, 2011

We have bits of creeping Jenny in the front yard (in St. James) in full sun at the base of the climbing rose, behind the garage in full shade and near the back fence in partial shade. It seems to flourish wherever it is. The only problem is keeping the grass from getting into it.