Moon gardens brighten the evening
As a current gardening trend, the moon or twilight garden provides us with a special site (and sight) in our landscaping where on a warm summer evening, the scents of night-blooming plants and the reflection of moonlight on flowers and foliage are ours in which to take pleasure.
What exactly is a moon garden? A moon garden contains plants visible in the moonlight and that offer fragrance in the evening. Varieties of plants with flowers or foliage that are white, light-colored, or variegated with pale stripes or patterns that reflect light make a moon garden a statement piece. At least some of the plants in a moon garden should be fragrant.
Locate the moon garden near your house, porch, patio, or part of an outside seating area where you can enjoy its beauty on a warm summer evening. Care should be taken to site the garden so that it receives the maximum amount of moonlight and is free of shadows from large trees and shrubs. You may need to spend a few nights in your yard to determine where the moonlight is strongest.
Plants that work exceptionally well for moon gardens include annuals, perennials, and even shrubs. A few are suggested here; however, you can choose almost any plant that is available in a white or light-colored variety.
Moonflower vine (Ipomoea alba) is a night-blooming member of the morning glory genus. A native of the tropics, moonflower grows 10-12 feet as an annual in our area and requires support such as a trellis. The 6-inch white blooms are sweetly scented.
Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris) and jasmine tobacco (Nicotiana alata) (there is a cultivar of jasmine tobacco Nicotiana alata “Grandiflora”) are annuals that perform double duty as they attract nocturnal pollinators like moths with their evening perfume.
Build on your moon garden with cultivars of annuals such as cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) “Apricot Lemonade” or “Psyche White” and white varieties of nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus ‘Milkmaid’), four o’clocks (Mirabilis jalapa ‘Alba'), and sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima). Their sweet scents and white blooms are appreciated by pollinators and people alike.
To add light reflective foliage, consider dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima), lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina), and caladium (Caladium bicolor), all of which have silvery foliage that reflects moonlight. Caladium would be particularly effective in a container with several of the scented annuals mentioned.
Datura spp. and Brugmansia spp. are closely related tropical plants with a complicated taxonomy, commonly referred to as Angel’s trumpets. The flower trumpets face upward for Datura spp., rather than hanging down as they do for Brugmansia. The flowers of Datura last only one night. Brugmansia flowers last for several days. Angel’s trumpets are ideal for a moon garden offering fragrance and pale, tubular blossoms all summer. In our area, they are grown as annuals but may be grown in containers and overwintered. They can reach 3-4 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Both of these genera are highly poisonous; therefore, use care when installing them if children and pets are likely to visit the moon garden.
Perennials for a moon garden include white varieties of phlox (Phlox paniculata), coneflower (Echinacea spp.), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum), with its tall, white spikes of tiny flowers, would make a dramatic addition to a moon garden. As native plants, these four species are also pollinator-friendly by day or night.
Although not native, any of the white cultivars of astilbe (Astilbe chinensis), such as “Vision in White,” also add texture with its white plumes. Astilbe has the added benefit of being deer and rabbit tolerant.
Hostas (Hosta spp.) with variegated leaves such as “Fire and Ice” and “Pandora’s Box” and Siberian bugloss (Brunnera microphylla ‘Jack Frost’) provide foliage with moonlight reflecting details.
Shrubs appropriate for a moon garden include panicle hydrangea “Annabelle” (Hydrangea arborescens), any of the white roses (Rosa spp.), mock orange (Philadelphus spp.), and the native summersweet (Clethra alnifolia).
If creating another garden isn’t the endeavor you wish to focus on this season, consider adding a border of white or light-colored plants near the house or along the front of an existing garden. Several large containers planted with white, fragrant flowers can be enjoyed on a patio or deck. Window boxes planted with fragrant white flowers will be appreciated through open windows on a summer evening.
If you opt for a moon garden in your landscape, whether small or large, respond to its invitation to sit outside in the evening to relax and take in the glow of foliage and the scent of blooms. The experience can be further enhanced by adding a bench or seating area, a few candles or diffuse lights, and perhaps a water feature.
If you have gardening-related questions, call the Garden Hotline of Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in Butler County at 724-287 4761, ext. 7, or email them at butlermg@psu.edu.
Mary Alice Koeneke is a Penn State Extension Master Gardener of Butler County.
