Wildflower Wednesday~~Let's Be Honest About Honesty!

Lunaria annua Spring 2009
It's not a native wildflower!
It just acts like one in my garden.

"That's a lovely bunch of flowers!" said a neighbor I passed on the street a few months back.

It's an introduced species from the mustard family!

I looked at the 'bouquet' of lunaria annua seedpods that a neighboring gardener had given me and suppressed my urge to respond with anything other than a smile and thanks.

It's not invasive in Tennessee, but it does seed itself about a garden.
It looks lovely in a woodland setting or natural garden.

There was no way to explain that the lunaria seed heads were beautiful in my eyes. Seed heads of most plants have an unconventional charm and beauty that gardeners appreciate.

The early stage might be my favorite seed look.

The subtle tans, the deep browns and even the gray coloring just before the seeds are released are not dulled and dead flowers to us.

The flowers attract long tongued bees and butterflies.
Cabbage Whites feed on the foliage

We see a flower and a garden in every seed.

That's exactly what I envisioned walking home with my bouquet of brown and mildewed seedpods...A swath of white flowers in my

It blooms in early April just before PPPP

mostly pink and lavender spring garden. ...These seedheads were special.

They were from an all white garden~~A yearned for color. There was one white Honesty plant in my garden~~Only one each season, no matter how often I spread the plant's seeds about. Cross your fingers that the gifted seedpods may grow into beautiful white lunaria.

But, even if,

Lunaria is a biennial and is known as Money Plant and Honesty

the flowers are magenta

Happiest in hardiness zones 4a to 8b
Think Garden Of Benign Neglect to get the full picture!

There's nothing to complain about.

Honestly!

Gail

Honesty is the best policy. - Miguel de Cervantes