Learn How to Grow Creeping Jenny (Moneywort)

Lysimachia nummularia

A pretty, semi-evergreen in the primrose family, creeping Jenny is a low-growing, fast spreading perennial widely used as a ground cover.

The bright green, coin-shaped foliage and cupped yellow flowers form dense, luxurious mats in areas with wet soils such as creek beds, pond edges, riverbanks, and wet woodlands.

The plants provide good erosion control for wet, loose soil on hills and slopes.

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They thrive in full sun to part shade and grow only a few inches in height, spreading quickly and endlessly.

They spread primarily by stem rooting where leaf nodes touch moist soil, creating lush carpets with bright yellow flowers all summer long.

In ideal conditions, the vigorous growth can become aggressive, but planting in drier sites helps to check their range and there are cultivars with a more manageable spread.

They also make charming container plants, providing a handsome green and yellow base or as a spiller, with fabulous long tendrils that give a tropical look!

And these easy-care plants are also cold hardy with good resistance to foragers like deer and rabbits.

So, do you have a bank, bed, or basket in need of lush foliage and bright flowers? Then let’s dig into the easy steps of how to grow creeping Jenny.

Here’s what you’ll find ahead:

Native to Europe and temperate Asia, creeping Jenny, Lysimachia nummularia, is also known by the common names of moneywort and herb twopence.

These money monikers refer to the roundish foliage that gives the species its name – nummularia is Latin for coin-like.

An herbaceous semi-evergreen typically associated with moist or wet areas, plants grow up to six inches tall and spread as much as 24 inches.

From late spring through summer, small cup-shaped flowers in bright yellow bloom along the stems, and often so prolifically that they hide the foliage.

Fast growing, these lush plants reach mature size in just a couple of months and make a handsome choice for wet locations like rain and water gardens.

However, creeping Jenny is considered an invasive wetlands plant in parts of eastern and northwestern North America.

As a groundcover, it should only be planted where invasive spread isn’t a concern.

To help manage its spread, choose varieties with a less aggressive habit, plant in areas with dry or controlled moisture, root prune regularly, or use them only in containers and hanging baskets.

How to Grow

Useful as a ground cover in moist, riparian areas, creeping Jenny also makes a valuable addition to containers of all shapes and sizes.

When planting, loosen the soil to a depth of six inches.

Amend the soil with a trowelful of organic materials for each plant, using materials like compost, leafmold, well-rotted manure, or worm castings.

Set plants in place at the same depth as in nursery pots or with the crown at soil level.

Backfill with soil and gently firm in place.

Water thoroughly to moisten the soil and settle plants.

For large areas, space plants at least 12 inches apart – their fast spread quickly fills gaps.

Light

Creeping Jenny is adaptable to a range of lighting conditions from full sun to partial shade – and the amount of direct sunlight plants receive impacts the leaf color.

Plants grown in dappled light or morning light with afternoon shade develop vibrant, saturated colors.

But full sun locations can cause a slight blanching of the leaves, producing lighter, less intense coloration.

Soil

Adaptable to soils with clay or sand, moneywort does best in moist, humus-rich soil of average fertility with a slightly acidic to slightly alkaline pH of 6.0 to 8.0.

If needed, enrich the soil with organic matter to improve fertility.

Water

L. nummularia flourishes in wet conditions and should be watered regularly to keep the soil moist.

One or two inches per week is typically sufficient although container plants usually need more frequent applications to maintain moisture levels.

If you’re trying to control the spread, reduce watering frequency and apply only when the top inch or two of soil is dry.

Although they’re moisture loving plants, creeping Jenny grows well in drier conditions, which helps to check the vigorous growth.

Temperature and Humidity

Fertilizer

Light feeders, creeping Jenny requires little additional fertilizing when planted in moderately rich soil.

If desired, apply a slow-release, balanced feed, such as 5-5-5 NPK in early spring.

Burpee Enhanced All-Purpose Plant Food

I use Burpee’s Enhanced All-Purpose Plant Food. You can find it available for purchase at Burpee.

Containers

Containers can be any shape or size and should have one or more drainage holes to prevent waterlogged soil at the bottom of the pot.

Use a fertile soil mix and amend with one part of moisture retentive materials to help keep the soil moist.

Materials such as compost, coir, peat moss, or vermiculite are good choices for holding water. 

Water as needed to maintain moist soil and fertilize in early spring and again in early summer with a balanced, slow-release formula such as 5-5-5 NPK, mentioned above.

If you prefer to use a liquid or water-based fertilizer, feed container plants every month.

Cultivars to Select

Cultivar selection is limited, but the “golden” varieties that feature yellow-toned foliage are less invasive than species plants.

Species plants have foliage colors in a range of green tones plus chartreuse or gold, with a height of up to six inches and spread of 12 to 24 inches.

A beautiful choice for cascading from planters and hanging baskets, ground covers, and erosion control on wet banks or slopes.

Creeping Jenny

Plants in one-gallon containers are available through Walmart.

A couple of cultivars worth looking out for include:

Aurea

Vibrantly colored in kiwi green to chartreuse, ‘Aurea’ grows three to six inches tall with a spread of 12 to 24 inches.

‘Aurea’

Flowering from late spring to midsummer, it works well as a ground cover, container plant, or in rain and water gardens.

Plants in #1 containers are available at Nature Hills.

Goldilocks

A compact variety, ‘Goldilocks’ is luminous with gold to acid green foliage that’s ideal for brightening pond fringes, shade gardens, hanging baskets, or window boxes.

‘Goldilocks’

Plants have a moderate spread of 12 inches and height of up to four inches.

Four-packs of plants are available at Burpee.

Maintenance

To keep plants from encroaching where they’re not wanted, trim stems and root prune in early summer and again in fall, ensuring all roots are removed from the soil.

To prevent self-seeding, deadhead after flowering by shearing the top inch or two with clean, sharp garden shears.

In fall, cut back stems to reduce spread, reshape, and resize. Remove dead or damaged growth at this time as well.

Every three or four years, divide large, dense clusters to encourage new growth and prevent overcrowding.

Propagation

Creeping Jenny is easily multiplied by division and stem cuttings.

Sowing seeds is also an option, but those collected from cultivars may not produce plants identical to the parent and invasive growth can result.

By Division

Division provides the quickest and easiest route to vibrant new plants.

To propagate by division, use a clean, sharp trowel or small spade to dig up a section from an existing patch.

Use the tip to cut through the foliage and stems, then insert the blade three or four inches to lift a section with the root ball intact.

Cut large sections into smaller pieces, ensuring each section has healthy roots and stems. 

Transplant to prepared sites, backfill with soil, and gently firm in place.

Water lightly to settle plants. Keep the soil lightly moist until established.

Stem Cuttings

If you don’t have an established patch of your own for cuttings, pinch a few stems from neighbors or friends.

Use clean, sharp scissors to take two-inch nonflowering cuttings, snipping below leaf nodes.

To start stem cuttings in water, place them in a clear glass or jar of filtered water.

Place the jar in bright, indirect light – like a windowsill – and change the water daily.

Roots should form within two weeks. Once the roots develop, pot up in moist soil.

Place in bright, indirect light and cover with a clear cloche to retain moisture and warmth until roots form, typically within two or three weeks.

Remove the cloche when new growth develops. Plant out stem cuttings in spring or summer.

Pests and Disease

Creeping Jenny is typically pest-free although when grown in wet conditions, there are a few issues to watch for.

Slugs and snails can lurk in the dense foliage to dine on the abundant leaves.

In the evening, pick by hand and dispose of – other methods can be found in our guide to protecting your garden from slugs and snails.

Plants grown in wet areas can develop fungal issues such as leaf spot and rust.

Trim back foliage to remove diseased areas and treat with liquid copper fungicide.

Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide

I like Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide which treats a range of foliar fungal problems. It’s available at Arbico Organics.

Lush and Fast Growing

Lush and fast growing, creeping Jenny requires little care from the gardener.

For ground cover, grow where invasiveness won’t be a problem and keep the soil moist for the most abundant growth.

To manage the spread, withhold water and allow the top inch or two of soil to dry out between applications.

Or you can use the plants in containers and allow the lovely, lush stems to spill over the edges in verdant cascades!

How do you plan to use creeping Jenny in the garden, as a rampant spreader, controlled ground cover, or a potted spiller? Let us know in the comments section below!

And for more ground cover ideas, add these guides to your reading list next.

• How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Lamb’s Ear
• How to Grow and Care for Creeping Avens (Geum Reptans)
• 15 of the Best Flowering Ground Covers for Your Landscape