Creeping Jenny

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; give afternoon shade in hot climates. Golden-leaved forms colour best with some sun but scorch if allowed to dry out.

Water

Keep consistently moist. Established plants tolerate wet ground, but dry soil causes browning and dieback.

Soil

Moist, humus-rich soil; tolerates clay, poor drainage and a broad range of soil pH.

Height

0.2-0.3 ft (0.05-0.1 m)

Spread

1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m), spreading farther wherever stems can root

Flowers

Late spring to midsummer; small, cup-shaped yellow flowers.

Foliage

Evergreen. Opposite pairs of rounded, coin-like green leaves on creeping stems. The widely grown cultivar 'Aurea' has yellow to lime-green foliage.

Growth

Fast

Care needed

Medium

• Water before the soil dries out, especially in pots and hanging baskets.
• Mix compost into poor soil before planting; established plants usually need no additional feeding.
• Grow in containers where escape into borders or natural areas would be difficult to control.
• Lift stems that root beyond the intended edge and remove their rooted nodes.
• Divide congested container plants in spring and replace exhausted potting mix.

Pruning. Trim trailing stems during the growing season to keep them within bounds. Remove winter-damaged foliage in early spring, and collect every rooted fragment rather than leaving it on moist soil.

Early spring

Remove damaged foliage and check for stems that have rooted outside the planting area.

Spring

Plant or divide where cultivation is permitted; water thoroughly after planting.

Late spring

Check container drainage and begin regular moisture checks as temperatures rise.

Summer

Water during dry spells and trim spreading stems before they reach neighbouring beds.

Autumn

Remove escaped plants and dispose of rooted material through an appropriate local garden-waste service.

Winter

Keep containers from drying out completely; foliage may die back in cold regions.

• Trail golden-leaved forms over raised pots to contrast with upright ferns or hostas.
• Use as a bright foreground beneath moisture-loving plants in a contained courtyard bed.
• Soften the edge of a lined water feature, keeping stems away from natural waterways.
• Cover small patches of damp ground between stepping stones where foot traffic is light and spread can be monitored.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Woodland, Bog garden, Modern courtyard, Green on green and Small-space.

Plant it with: Hostas, Astilbes, Japanese painted ferns, Siberian irises, Japanese sedges and Primroses.

Wildlife: Flowers attract some bees and other small insects. Dense mats can displace more varied vegetation if allowed to escape into wet habitats.

• Uncontrolled spread: pull up creeping stems with all rooted nodes and inspect the area regularly for regrowth.
• Brown or scorched foliage: restore consistent moisture and provide afternoon shade in hot sites.
• Slug and snail damage: inspect young growth after dark, remove pests and use iron-phosphate bait according to its label if needed.
• Leaf spots in crowded growth: remove badly affected foliage, thin dense mats and water the soil rather than the leaves.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people; no particular part is recognised as poisonous. It is not a food plant, and eating plant material may still cause mild digestive upset.

Where it spreads. Spreads aggressively in moist ground by stems that root at their nodes. It is reported as invasive in parts of the northeastern and midwestern United States and is naturalised in parts of Canada, including southern Ontario and British Columbia. Check local restrictions before planting, and do not introduce it beside streams, wetlands or other natural areas.

• Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea)

  Has scalloped, kidney-shaped leaves, square stems and purple flowers; creeping Jenny has smooth-edged, rounded leaves and yellow flowers.

• Creeping yellowcress (Rorippa sylvestris)

  Has deeply divided leaves and clusters of tiny four-petalled yellow flowers, rather than round leaves and solitary cup-shaped flowers.

• Blue star creeper (Isotoma fluviatilis)

  Has much smaller leaves and pale blue, star-shaped flowers rather than yellow cups.

The epithet nummularia comes from the Latin for a small coin, referring to the rounded leaves, which also explain the name moneywort.

Propagation. Divide rooted sections in spring or autumn, or root stem cuttings containing several nodes in moist potting mix. Propagate only where planting is permitted.

Accepted botanical name

Lysimachia nummularia

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Altay, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Rus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East European Russia and France.

Measured

Soil pH 5.5 to 6.5. Average height 9 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.