How to Grow Honesty
Honesty is easy to grow in moist, organically rich soil and full sun or part shade. Sow seeds outdoors in spring as soon as the ground can be worked, then cover them lightly with soil. Honesty will produce green, leafy growth the first year then flowers and seeds the second year. It takes about 18 months to go from planting honesty seeds to cutting and drying a new crop of silver dollar-size seedpods. These aren’t any old plain brown seedspod, by the way. Honesty seedpods are shimmery, translucent, long-lasting additions to dried flower arrangements. To dry the seedpods, cut the stems close to the ground after they turn green, being careful not to knock off the seedpods. Tie 10 to 15 stems together and hang them upside down to dry in a dark, airy place for two to three weeks or until stems and seedpods turn golden brown. Gently rub off the brown husks from the sides of seedpods.
