Do you ever feel like you’ve missed out on the best of your garden by the time you get home from work in the evening? Why not enjoy your garden by moonlight! Creating a moon garden is a wonderful way to to enjoy your garden after the sun goes down, which is often when we finally have the time to relax.
While white blooming plants don’t always provide the best show against more colorful blooming plants on a sunny day, they really come to life once the sun goes down. White flowers can glow gloriously once they catch the moonlight, or lighting we place in our garden. The key is to choose plants that will either open in the evening or hold their blooms open through the night. These plants will also attract night-time pollinators to enjoy.
Oakleaf hydrangea are an excellent choice for a moon garden because they hold large clusters of white blooms that both brighten a shade garden and shine in the moonlight. Shasta daisy produce masses of strong white flowers with yellow centers that put on a show from spring through mid-summer. White Four o’ Clocks ‘Alba’, are perfect for an evening garden because blooms open in late afternoon and remain open through the night. For a tall striking specimen try white flowering tobacco, Nicotiana alata, which produces long tubular white blooms. Of course, what moon garden would be complete with out Moonflowers? Ipomea alba is a vine that can be grown from seeds or transplants that produces huge trumpet shape white blooms that come to life at night and provides excellent foliage contrast to green-leafed varieties.
Here are few more excellent moon garden plants:
- Sweet Autumn Clematis
- Coneflower ‘White Swan’
- Zinnia linnearis
- White Datura
- White Autumn Sage
- White Daffodils, such as ‘Thalia’
- Periwinkle, Vinca white varieties
- Magnolias
- White Azaleas
Plants with silver foliage also “light up” when the moon rises. Mixing silver plants into your borders or patio containers will brighten the space in the evening. Lamb’s ear, with its large furry leaves, creates a mound of foliage to reflect the moonlight. Artemesias such as ‘Powis Castle’ do the same. Texas Sage will give you some height and volume in a sunny location; and if you plant white flowering varieties such as ‘White Cloud’ then you have the perfect moon garden plant! Centaurea ‘Colchester White’ looks nearly fluorescent in nighttime light.
Don’t forget fragrance when planting your moon garden. There’s nothing more enjoyable than relaxing after a long day than taking in wonderful fragrances from the garden. Sweet Olives produce tiny white blooms that pack a powerfully sweet fragrance. They are especially fragrant in the evening. Roses such as ‘Iceberg’, ‘Lady Banks White’ or ‘Lace Cascade’ offer fragrant white blooms perfect for growing on an arbor, trellis or fence. White Butterfly Ginger sports large beautiful blooms that produce the most luxurious scent; it’s a must have next to any patio! Star Jasmine can be grown to cover a fence or awning and drips with highly fragrant small white blooms in spring and summer. And how can we forget Gardenia? There is nothing more intoxicating than the fragrance of Gardenia, which can be planted throughout your garden or in pots on your patio.
Strategically placed garden elements, such as white glazed pottery, gazing balls, water features and artificial lighting can also help bring your moon garden to life.
There are many, many more beautiful white blooming plants to choose from so be sure to stop by and talk to our garden staff about all your moon gardening options. Availability on featured plants changes daily so be sure to give us a call to confirm we have what you’re looking for. See you soon!
