When planning a new garden, we usually think about the amount of sunlight available to plants in a particular location at different times of the day, and perhaps how the plants will face the sun at certain times of the day. But have you ever wondered how your garden or houseplants will look in the moonlight? If this idea intrigues you, you should consider planting a moon garden this spring.
The Gardener: How is Columbus' warmer-than-usual weather affecting your lawn and garden?
A moon garden is a garden with white flowering plants, plants with brightly colored or variegated leaves and flowers that bloom at night. And what could be more relaxing than sitting in the garden on a dark summer evening listening to the crickets chirping, watching the lightning strike the grass and admiring the moonlit trees?
© Photo courtesy of Mike HoganWhite, a light color is ideal for lunar gardens.
Plants with white or other light flowers are ideal choices for moon gardens. Consider flowering plants such as shasta daisy ( Leucanthemum superbum), four o'clock daisy ( Mirabillis jalapa), sweet alyssum ( Lobularia maritima), yarrow ( Achillea milliefolium), foxglove (Digitalis), petunias, New Guinea impatiens ( Impatiens hawker) . and geraniums ( Pelargonium).
Early spring flowers such as lilies of the valley ( Convalaria majalis), daffodils ( Narcissus) and azaleas ( Rhododendron spp.) will shine under April pink, while autumn species such as mums and clematis ( Clematis turniflora) will extend the season and shine brightly. Under the Full Moon in September and the Hunter's Moon in October.
White-flowered hydrangea varieties such as Annabelle, Incredible, Snow Queen, Little Lamb and even the popular Limelight varieties make great backdrops for your moon garden. White flowering plants, such as dogwoods and magnolias, can be included in a moon garden. Trees with light-colored bark, such as birch, can add visual interest to a moon garden.
Gardener: What is the secret of healthy soil? earthworm
Shiny leaves reflect moonlight
Plants with glossy or variegated leaves will also reflect moonlight in a lunar garden. Consider shrubs such as variegated dogwood ( Cornus alba ), variegated euonymus ( Unimus fortunei) and false Japanese cypress ( Chamycyparis ). Herbaceous perennials with light-colored leaves that are good candidates for inclusion in the moon garden include sheep's ear ( Stachys byzantine), silver wormwood ( Artemisia schmidtiana) and variegated hosta ( Hosta plantagina). And don't forget to include annuals like powdery gorse ( Jacobaea maritima) and white cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus).
© North Carolina State University Night-blooming primroses bloom each evening at sunset and close the next morning.Beautiful night flowers in the background.
Years ago, while visiting my wife's grandmother, I noticed that before sunset, many of her neighbors would gather on the street and sit in lawn chairs on the central grass path that ran through her driveway, in the middle of her house. It seems the neighbors are anticipating a street march. However, I soon learned that the neighbors had gathered to enjoy the night view provided by the rows of primroses growing in the central grass. The fragrant yellow flowers of evening primrose ( Oenothera biennis ) bloom each afternoon at sunset and close at noon. These plants make a great backdrop for a moon garden.
Other night blooming plants include moonflower ( Ipomoea alba) and angel's trumpet ( Brugmansia) .
Additions and highlights for environment.
Along with white flowers, light-colored garden and garden details will reflect the moonlight and add to the atmosphere of a moon garden. Marble chips or crushed limestone garden paths will reflect the moonlight, as will white or light garden accents such as a limestone obelisk, a statue or a birdbath. A whitewashed garden bench, fence or trellis can also be incorporated into a moon garden.
Decorative low-voltage garden lights that shine directly onto the ground can be added to moon gardens to supplement the often dim natural light from the moon. A string of solar-powered lights hanging from small trees or wooden ornaments like hydrangeas can also provide a soft glow to a moon garden.
Planting a moon garden allows you to enjoy plants and flowers at night without flooding the landscape with excessive overhead lighting.
Mike Hogan is an extension officer, agricultural and natural resources educator, and professor at Ohio State University Extension.
hogan.1@osu.edu
This article originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch: Tips and Tricks for Growing a Bright Moon Garden
