How to Grow and Care for the Twinies Plant
Learn to cultivate the vibrant Twinies plant. This guide covers its ideal growing conditions, creative uses, and how to manage its vigorous, spreading nature.
The “Twinies” plant is the brand name for Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’, a low-growing perennial more commonly known as Golden Creeping Jenny. Gardeners favor this plant for its dense mat of vibrant, coin-shaped leaves. The foliage presents in shades of bright chartreuse or brilliant gold.
Care and Growing Conditions
Golden Creeping Jenny’s foliage color is directly influenced by its exposure to sunlight. In areas with more sun, the leaves develop a golden-yellow hue, while in shadier spots, the foliage will be a softer lime green or chartreuse. This plant performs best in partial shade, especially in regions with hot summers where intense sun can bleach the leaves.
This plant thrives in consistently moist soil and does not tolerate dry conditions well. It is adaptable to a variety of soil types, but it flourishes in rich, well-draining soil that stays damp. For gardeners in the United States, it is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9, tolerating cold winters.
Creative Uses in the Garden
The plant’s trailing growth habit makes it a “spiller” in container arrangements. It cascades over the edges of hanging baskets, window boxes, and large planters, creating a soft, flowing effect. This trailing quality provides contrast in texture and color when paired with taller, upright plants in a mixed container.
Its fast-spreading nature makes it a useful ground cover. It quickly fills in bare patches of soil, forming a dense carpet of foliage that can help suppress weeds. The cascading stems are also ideal for softening the hard edges of rock walls or for planting along the moist banks of ponds and streams. It can grow in shallow water at the edge of a water feature.
Managing Growth and Invasiveness
The same vigorous growth that makes Golden Creeping Jenny a useful ground cover can also be its primary drawback. Its tendency to spread quickly via rooting stems means it can become aggressive in garden beds, potentially overwhelming less robust neighboring plants. This spreading habit has led to it being considered invasive in some regions.
To keep the plant within desired bounds, regularly trim its wandering stems. Planting it within containers is another way to control its spread. For in-ground plantings where spread is a concern, installing underground root barriers can help contain its growth.