19/03/2026
Annual Honesty; £3 per pot
Synopsis – Benefits of Annual honesty (Money plant / Silver dollar)
Annual honesty is a traditional cottage-garden plant valued not only for its beauty but also for its historical, culinary, and potential medicinal uses. It belongs to the cabbage family (Brassicaceae), which includes many useful food and medicinal plants, and it has been grown in Europe for centuries.
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🌿 Main benefits
1. Decorative and symbolic value
• Famous for its translucent silver seed pods, often used in dried flower arrangements.
• A classic feature of traditional English gardens and cottage gardens.
• Associated with symbolism of honesty, prosperity, and the moon, which is why it is sometimes called moonwort or money plant.
This makes it especially suited to naturalistic, heritage, and biodynamic gardens.
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2. Traditional food use
Historically, the plant had small but interesting uses:
• Seeds were once boiled to make a sweet syrup, used before refined sugar became common.
• Dried, hulled seeds were eaten and described as having a nutty flavour.
• As a member of the mustard family, it contains similar compounds to other edible brassicas, though it is not a common modern food crop.
This suggests it had folk or survival-type culinary use, rather than being a staple crop.
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3. Potential medicinal / antimicrobial properties
The oils in the plant have shown antibacterial activity in studies, meaning the plant may contain natural compounds that inhibit microbes.
Traditionally, plants in the mustard family have been used for:
• cleansing remedies
• digestive stimulation
• antimicrobial preparations
Annual honesty has not been widely used medicinally, but its chemistry fits within that tradition.
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4. Ecological and garden benefits
• Easy to grow and self-seeds naturally
• Good for pollinators when flowering
• Suitable for wildlife-friendly and biodynamic gardens
• Tolerates poorer soils and semi-shade
It is a very good plant for a low-intervention, traditional garden style, which fits well with your approach.
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🌿 Is it a traditional plant?
Yes — very much so.
Annual honesty is a traditional European garden plant, especially in:
• English cottage gardens
• monastery gardens
• old herbal gardens
• country house borders
It has been grown since at least the 16th century in Europe, mainly for ornament and curiosity, but also with small folk uses.
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🌿 Overall
Annual honesty is not a major medicinal herb, but it is a heritage plant with decorative, symbolic, ecological, and minor traditional uses, making it well suited to:
• cottage gardens
• biodynamic gardens
• traditional herb gardens
• spiritual / symbolic planting schemes
