Lysimachia nummularia Goldilocks

Lysimachia nummularia Goldilocks, known as creeping Jenny or moneywort, is a small trailing perennial that lights up even the darkest of corners.

The cultivar ‘Goldilocks’ is especially radiant: its round, coin-shaped leaves glow with a golden hue that brightens the damp corners of gardens and the edges of ponds.

The plant trails gracefully along the ground, rooting as it goes, forming soft carpets that glimmer in morning light.

The leaves are round and golden, trailing down from baskets or across moist soils to form a ground cover.

The flowers are little and yellow and cup shaped.

In summer, it adds delicate yellow flowers that blend almost seamlessly with the foliage, a quiet continuation of its golden theme.

👨‍🌾GARDENING TIPS👨‍🌾: Lysimachia nummularia Goldilocks

• • 🚫 Drought Tolerance: Lysimachia nummularia Goldilocks has a low drought tolerance but a high tolerance for humidity – sometimes the future is not dry, it is very very damp. It depends where your garden is!
  • For drought-tolerant groundcovers > you might consider something like Sedum or Thyme varieties instead

The Tale & The Botany : Lysimachia nummularia Goldilocks

The name Lysimachia reaches back to ancient Greece.

It’s said that King Lysimachus of Thrace, a companion of Alexander the Great, first discovered the calming powers of a plant from this genus.

When a bull grew wild and uncontrollable, he used the herb to pacify it—hence the name meaning “loosening strife” or “ending conflict.” From this legend came the belief that Lysimachia could soothe anger and bring peace, both to animals and to people.

The second part of its name, nummularia, comes from the Latin nummus, meaning “coin,” a reference to the plant’s round, shining leaves.

Since then, it has long been linked with prosperity and good fortune.

Folk gardeners once planted moneywort near doorways or wells, believing it would draw abundance into the home and calm troubled hearts.

In stables, it was said to quiet restless horses and oxen—living up to its name as “loose-strife.”

Myths and Legends

Lysimachia nummularia Goldilocks, with its vivid golden tones, naturally invites more recent associations.

Its name recalls the fairy-tale heroine who found things “just right,” and gardeners often find this plant much the same: resilient but gentle, bright yet soothing.

In some modern gardens, people call it the “fairy’s gold carpet,” a nod to how it glows in twilight, as though enchanted.

‘Goldilocks’ is a cultivar that features particularly round, golden-yellow leaves.

Ecology