Q: I was given a bag full of silver dollar money plant seeds but don’t know anything about them. When is the best time to plant them and how?

A: Money plant is lots of fun to grow. The silvery seed can be used by kids to purchase all manner of “pretend” goods from each other. The purple flower are attractive in spring.

Plant the seed in spring or summer but do save a few and plant them this fall as well. The reason for the staggered planting is that money plant is a biennial. The seeds germinate and the plant grows during one year but the flowers and “money pods” don’t come until the next year. Some of the seed you plant at the first of summer may sprout and have enough time to flower this year.

Germination is reputed to be better when the seeds are kept cold for a few months, hence the reason for planting some of them this fall, for next year. Once you have even one healthy plant to produce the pretty purple flowers in spring, you won’t need to worry about having plants again. It re-seeds readily and you can give away your excess wealth each autumn.