Designing a Moonlight Garden: Evening Magic

The Magic of Evening Gardens

Moonlight gardens are designed to be enjoyed after dark. White and pale flowers glow in low light, silver foliage reflects moonbeams, and fragrant blooms release their perfume into the cool evening air.

White and Pale Flowers

• White roses: Especially fragrant varieties
• White peonies: Luminous and fragrant
• White cosmos: Airy and abundant
• Nicotiana: Evening-fragrant tobacco flowers
• Moonflowers: Night-blooming morning glory relatives
• White datura: Dramatic trumpet flowers (note: toxic if ingested)
• White lilies: Oriental types are especially fragrant

Silver and Gray Foliage

Foliage plants extend the effect beyond bloom time:

• Lamb's ear—soft, fuzzy silver leaves
• Artemisia—feathery silver mounds
• Dusty miller—deeply cut silver foliage
• Russian sage—silver-gray stems and leaves
• White-variegated hostas—light up shady areas

Evening-Fragrant Plants

Many flowers save their fragrance for evening:

• Night-blooming jasmine—intensely fragrant
• Evening primrose—opens at dusk
• Four o'clocks—open in late afternoon
• Night phlox—sweet honey scent
• Tuberose—powerful, heady fragrance

Design Considerations

• Position seating to enjoy the garden
• Plant fragrant flowers near sitting areas and paths
• Use pale stone or gravel paths that reflect light
• Consider subtle lighting to enhance the effect
• Include some day-blooming plants for daytime interest

Creating Atmosphere

• Add a water feature—sounds and reflections enchant at night
• Use tall white flowers as focal points
• Plant silver groundcovers along path edges
• Include white-flowering vines on arbors