Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) is a popular ground cover frequently used for its bright foliage and trailing habit. It creates a dense, low-growing mat of color, making it a favorite for filling spaces or cascading from containers. A common question regarding its year-round appearance is whether Creeping Jenny is truly evergreen. The answer is nuanced and depends heavily on the specific environmental conditions where the plant is grown.
Defining Creeping Jenny’s Evergreen Status
Creeping Jenny is most accurately defined as a semi-evergreen perennial, meaning its ability to retain foliage is conditional rather than absolute. True evergreen plants maintain leaves year-round, while deciduous plants shed all their leaves annually. The classification of Lysimachia nummularia shifts between these categories based on local climate severity, particularly the minimum winter temperatures it experiences.
In milder climates, generally within USDA Hardiness Zones 8 and warmer, Creeping Jenny behaves as a fully evergreen plant, keeping its bright foliage through the winter months. While its roots and crown survive the cold, the leaves are sensitive to hard freezes. When temperatures consistently drop below freezing, such as in Zones 4 through 7, the plant will lose its top growth and the leaves will die back, functionally becoming deciduous until spring.
Identifying Characteristics and Growth Habit
Creeping Jenny is easily identified by its distinctive physical traits. The leaves are small, round, and flat, often described as coin-shaped, which is reflected in the species name nummularia. Many gardeners prefer the ‘Aurea’ cultivar, which features chartreuse or golden-yellow foliage that brightens partially shaded areas. The coloration is often more intense when the plant receives more sun exposure.
This plant is known for its prostrate growth habit, forming a dense mat only a few inches high. Its thin, trailing stems root readily at the leaf nodes wherever they touch the soil, allowing it to spread quickly and colonize large areas. In summer, small, cup-shaped, bright yellow flowers may appear along the stems, though the plant is primarily cultivated for its foliage.
Winter Survival and Cold Climate Care
Creeping Jenny is hardy, capable of surviving year-round in USDA Zones 4 through 9, even if its foliage does not. In colder regions where the top growth dies back, the underground roots and rhizomes remain alive, ready to push out new growth in early spring.
Preparing for Winter
Maintaining adequate soil moisture right up until the ground freezes is beneficial for survival. While mulching offers some insulation, a layer of natural snow cover provides superior protection by insulating the soil from extreme temperature fluctuations. Stopping fertilization in the late fall is important, as this encourages the plant to enter winter dormancy rather than promoting tender new growth vulnerable to frost.
Spring Cleanup
Gardeners in colder climates should wait until late winter or early spring to trim away any dead, brown foliage. This helps tidy the area and makes way for fresh shoots.