Creeping jenny is a ground cover. This plant is also called Moneywort and twopenny grass.
The plant forms a carpet on the ground with its lush lime green foliage. Thus, this plant is a nice addition to your garden.
Sometimes the plant runs into some issues.
Why is my Creeping Jenny wilting?
Creeping jenny is kept for its beautiful leaves. Sometimes the leaves may wilt. This does not look good at all.
Creeping jenny leaves wilt mainly due to sun stress. Try to keep the plant in shade in the afternoon hours when the climate is hot.
You may also grow this creeper in partial shade year-round. Cover the plant with a shade net or something similar to avoid wilting.
What is killing my Creeping Jenny?
Do you think some pest is killing your Creeping jenny? Did you see any bugs/insects crawling all over the creeper?
Then it’s probably infested with some pest. Let’s discuss what kind of pests infect the Creeping jenny.
Creeping Jenny Southern Blight
Southern blight is very common in southern soils. If you see webby stuff between leaves and stem and the soil.
This webby stuff is called hyphae. Hyphae are like the roots of a fungus. This fungus decomposes the stems of your Creeping Jenny.
This fungus attacks the plant when it is weakened by shade, excess moisture, or physical damage.
You’ll also see small brown beads scattered everywhere on your plant. These are called Sclerotia and help the fungus to stay alive during winter.
How to treat Southern Blight
There’s no fungicide that can effectively deal with Southern Blight. The best way is to prevent its growth in the first place.
Do not overwater the creeper. Keep the soil wet if needed but not soggy. Make sure the soil has good drainage properties.
Tip: If the soil is waterlogged, add some gritty sand or PermaTill to the soil.
If the plant is already infected, dispose of the dead creeper. Dig up the soil and bury the fungus and its remnants(Sclerotia).
You may add new soil to the affected area and grow plants again safely.
What is eating my Creeping Jenny?
Have you realized something is eating Creeping Jenny in your pots? The credit goes to the Sawfly larvae.
Sawfly larvae look like caterpillars with their 1-inch long body. They have grey spots on a white body.
They pretty much feast on leaves and before you act, you’ll only be left with stems.
How to get rid of Sawfly larvae on Creeping Jenny?
They may look like caterpillars but they are not. So, insecticides that work on caterpillars won’t work on these larvae.
Spraying the foliage with Carbaryl or Sevin will control the pests. Do not spray this during the blossom season as it can kill the pollinators like bees.
Other diseases
Creeping Jenny is hardy and doesn’t usually get diseases. Stem rot and Rhizoctonia Crown infection are two other common issues.
To prevent such diseases, you need to keep the garden clean, devoid of any dead leaves. Pick up infected leaves and cultivate the garden.
Remove the infected plants and replace the soil with fresh soil. Clean the tools thoroughly after you worked in the affected areas.
What is wrong with my creeping Jenny?
Some external factors affect the health and growth of the Creeping Jenny plant. Let’s discuss the signs of such disorders and how to fix them.
Overwatered Creeping Jenny
Overwatering harms plants. It can cause Southern blight which is deadly. Try to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
This plant can take a good amount of water, in fact, it’s recommended as a pond-side plant.
When to water Creeping Jenny?
A good rule of thumb is to water the plant when the top inch of the soil is dry. Check the soil with your fingers just to make sure.
Water the plant regularly and never let your flowers dry.
Sunlight
Sunlight can influence the creeper to a great extent. It has a direct impact on the color of the foliage.
Creeping jenny turning yellow
Are your Creeping Jenny’s leaves turning completely yellow? If the creeper has been in full sun, the foliage will turn yellow.
It is possible that this particular cultivar grows yellow foliage. Aurea variety of Creeping Jenny has yellow foliage.
Why does my creeping jenny turn dark green?
If your Creeping Jenny has been growing in shade, it’s probably the reason why it turned dark green.
The shadier the place, the greener the foliage will be. If you want lime green leaves try to provide more light to the plant.
Creeping Jenny Sunburn
The creeper’s leaves may get damaged if the foliage gets longer hours of direct sunlight. This happens especially in hotter conditions.
The leaves will have pale or bleached areas. Such areas will turn brown and brittle.
Does Creeping Jenny like sun or shade?
As we have discussed before, Creeping Jenny can survive in full sun or partial shade.
I planted mine in a place where it gets not-too-bright sunlight. So, I don’t need to worry about sun stress when the climate is hotter.
Now you know why your Creeping Jenny is dying. Care for the creeper accordingly!
Frequently Asked Questions
I get a lot of eMails and many of them ask the same questions repeatedly. So, I decided to write an FAQ section right here.
Will Creeping Jenny survive winter?
Yes, it will survive well in warmer zones. It may lose a little foliage if it gets too cold.
But in the USDA zone 7(colder areas), it will pretty much disappear.
Does Creeping Jenny attract bees?
Yes, having Creeping Jenny in your garden is a good way to attract bees.
Do you cut back Creeping Jenny?
Creeping Jenny doesn’t require maintenance. You may prune this creeper if you want to limit its horizontal growth.
Dividing this plant also helps to control the spread and increases air circulation.
How to winter over Creeping Jenny?
Trim back the flowers on the Creeper if you see any. Trim off any dead foliage, leaving only green foliage.
Spread the Creeping Jenny over other perennials if they are nearby.
Can I walk on Creeping Jenny?
Yes, you can. It works well to fill up space in between the stepping stones.
Will Creeping Jenny choke out other plants?
Creeping Jenny will probably choke out weeds in its way. You can control its spread by pruning.
You can choose the cultivar “Aurea”, it’s relatively a well-behaved Creeping Jenny.
Where to plant Creeping Jenny?
It spreads quickly, so space your plants out by 18 inches. If put in the shade, the foliage will be lime green. If put in the sun, the foliage is dark green.
So plant the creeper accordingly.