The annual silver leaf (Lunaria annua) is known above all for the conspicuous seed pods, which are often cut off and brought into the house for decorative purposes due to their parchment-like structure. The living plants, on the other hand, do not need to be brought indoors, as they can cope well with wintry temperatures.

Minus temperatures do not bother the Silberblatt

Various plants with the name Silverleaf

Hobby gardeners occasionally come across the so-called white felted groundsel under the name Silberblatt, which is sold in specialist shops under the Latin names Jacobaea maritima and Senecio bicolor. This plant is not frost hardy and can only be overwintered indoors in Europe. However, the effort of overwintering the groundsel is only worthwhile to a limited extent. The annual silver leaf of the genus Lunaria (Lunaria annua), on the other hand, is unproblematically frost hardy, after all it also occurs in nature in numerous places without human intervention.

Misconceptions about silver leaf lifespan and hardiness

With Lunaria annua there are three factors that contribute to the uncertainty of many gardeners about the lifespan and frost resistance of this plant:

  • the plant name
  • the actual lifespan
  • the inconspicuous appearance of the plant in the first year

The so-called annual silver leaf is actually not annual at all, but biennial. Therefore, after sowing the seeds, you will only be able to look forward to flowers and seed pods in the second year. After flowering, the plant dies by itself, which some gardeners mistakenly interpret as a lack of winter hardiness. Some specimens of the silver leaf also fall victim to weeding in the bed because the plants only look inconspicuous in the first year and are then sometimes uprooted during the "spring cleaning".

Tips for successfully growing silver leaf

In order for your silver leaf in the garden to get through the winter well, you should not cover it with mulch (€239.00) or leaves. You could otherwise damage the hardy plants through mold growth and waterlogging. Only in very dry winters with cold frosts should it be watered moderately so that the plants do not dry out. Every year, take care of the propagation of the silver leaf by sowing the seeds in suitable locations in order to regularly obtain flowers and seeds from the biennial plant.

tips

So that the poisonous seeds of the Lunaria annua, which can even be used in food with its leaves, cannot accidentally cause damage, they should be kept in a clearly labeled screw-top jar out of the reach of children. Accordingly, special caution applies to the decoration with the seeds in the house when children or pets are present.

Category:

Herbs