Plant library · Groundcovers
Lysimachia nummularia
Creeping Jenny is a low, chartreuse perennial groundcover that quickly makes a bright, continuous layer in moist planting areas. At only about 3 inches tall, it belongs at the front edge of a bed or beneath taller plants rather than where it could conceal smaller specimens. Its trailing habit also lets it soften a container rim or the edge of a pond-side planting.
Use Creeping Jenny where a spreading ground layer can be allowed to occupy its own defined zone: along a moist bed edge, beside a pond, or in a generously sized container. Keep it back from narrow mixed borders, lawn edges, and small plants that need open soil around their crowns. A hard border, path, wall, or container edge gives the planting a visible stopping point and makes routine editing easier.[1][2]
Set plants 12 inches apart, center to center, for a linked groundcover planting. Each plant can spread about 18 inches wide, so neighboring plants will overlap as the mat fills in; reserve the full area rather than treating each start as a small clump. For a strip beside a path, hold the planting behind a firm edging line and leave path clearance outside the eventual spread.
Place it in partial sun with consistently moist soil, especially where ordinary groundcovers struggle to stay lush. Pond margins, rain-garden edges, and other damp zones suit its high water needs. Avoid assigning it to a dry pocket simply because it is low-growing; the planting plan should keep it within reach of dependable moisture.
Late spring into summer brings yellow flowers along the low stems, adding seasonal detail without changing the plant’s role as a ground layer. Keep the footprint available through the growing season rather than filling gaps with short-lived bedding plants. Its low canopy remains most effective when taller seasonal plants are positioned behind it, not within its spread.
This is a vigorous spreader whose stems can root where they contact soil, allowing it to move beyond the original planting area. Treat containment as part of the design, not an afterthought: use a bounded bed, inspect the edges regularly, and avoid siting it where escape into adjacent natural or water-connected areas is possible. Check local guidance before planting in-ground.[1][2]
Editorial content updated 2026-07-20.