Description of Lysimachia nummularia (Creeping Jenny)

Lysimachia nummularia is creeping jenny, a fast ground cover for wet soil and pond edges. It’s perfect for trailing over rocks and basket rims, and it’s one of the easiest ways to hide liner edges in a bog garden.

Appearance

It makes creeping stems with round green leaves, forming a low mat. Yellow cup-shaped flowers appear in summer. It stays very low, usually under 5cm, but it can spread widely and root as it goes.

Care Guide

It likes constant moisture. In dry soil it thins and loses its lush look.

Sun: Sun to part shade.
Soil: Moist soil with organic matter, or aquatic compost in baskets.
Water: Keep damp to wet. It also grows in very shallow margins.
Control: Trim edges if it runs into other plants.
Trim: A summer trim keeps it thick and stops legginess.

If you want a neat edge, grow it in a shallow basket and let it trail over deliberately.

Suitability for Bog Garden

This suits bog gardens as a front-edge ground cover and liner hider. It also works as a filler around stepping stones and at the lip of raised bog planters.

In tiny bog gardens it can smother slow plants, so plan to trim it back a few times each season.

FAQ

Will Lysimachia nummularia spread?
Yes. It creeps quickly in damp soil and roots as it goes.

Does it flower?
Yes. It produces small yellow flowers in summer.

Can it grow in water?
It grows well in wet soil and very shallow margins, not deep water.

How do I keep it tidy?
Trim back runners and lift sections that root where you don’t want them.