Nature at night
By Christa TerryWhen I think of gardens, the first image that springs to mind is clusters of colorful flowers, bright greenery, stone pathways, and possibly a fountain or two. The greenspace that exists fully formed in my thoughts is meant to be enjoyed actively…it’s the domain of walkers and sniffers and pollinators and diggers. Take a slice out of your nearest arboretum or botanical garden, and you get the idea.
But there are other gardens out there meant to be savored in different ways. My college, for instance, had a small garden created specifically for the blind to enjoy. I’d close my eyes and walk through it, smelling the various fragrances that wafted my way and feeling the leaves and flowers of plants chosen for their tactile pleasantness.
Another sort of garden, the moon garden, is meant to be enjoyed at night, usually from the comfort of a bench or porch swing. White and light-colored blossoms glow in the moonlight, and the sounds of nature seem amplified when darkness is all around you.

Creating your own moon garden is simply a matter of populating a patch of earth with flora that fulfills its true potential when the sun goes down. There are no right or wrong planting schemes, though consider limiting the number of fragrant plants you include so you can appreciate the nuances of one fragrant blossom or shrub.
Plants that look radiant at night:
- lamb’s ears
- sombreuil roses
- artemisia
- maiden grass
- gayfeather
- abelia
- evening primrose
Plants that bloom at night:
- moonflower
- four o’clocks
- some tropical water lilies
- angel’s trumpet
Plants that make beautiful music in the breeze:
- thick grasses
- bamboo
- pines
Plants that delight the nose at dusk:
- blooming jasmine
- flowering tobacco
- sweet autumn clematis
- summersweet
If you haven’t already guessed, moon gardens are amazingly relaxing. When you draw up your plans, don’t forget to include a spot for a chair or bench so you can recline comfortably and revel in the unexpected loveliness all around you…preferably with a nice cocktail and a favorite person or two!
May 16th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
ZOMG, bamboo?! Plant bamboo responsibly. We lived in a place where a prior tenant had planted some as a privacy screen around the back deck – a little 4′ run of bamboo. It spread – my goodness, did it spread. Under the deck. Out the other side. Threatening to crack the asphalt of the driveway with bamboo shoots! We had bamboo in our central air conditioning vents. (It was a trailer, okay? The bamboo got under the trailer, started pushing out through the skirting, and got its stalks into the A/C vents. There was a shoot coming up through the intake vent in the kitchen!)
I am convinced that bamboo is one of the psycho slasher/stalkers of the plant world. It just keeps growing and nothing will stop it! We hacked down every shoot we could reach, poured salt water on it, covered it with black tarps – and still had to pull up new shoots regularly, because the runners were deep underground and would not die.
I have seen some people maintain groves of bamboo. I think it takes unending vigilance, and (for preference) a natural boundary like a stream or cliff on as many sides as possible. Beware!
May 16th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I don’t know why, TeleriB, but the idea of a plant coming through one of my home’s vents freaks me the heck out. It would give me the creeps!
May 16th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Seymore, FEED ME!!!!
May 17th, 2008 at 12:32 am
For real, be careful with bamboo! I love it and have had it in all my gardens, but it really does require a lot of maintenance. If you want bamboo, make sure to pull up the shoots when they fist begin to appear. Try walking around the area with barefeet and you can feel them before you can see them. They’re super tasty in stir-fries and stuff.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:08 am
You can eat bamboo shoots? I guess I’ve probably had them in stir fries before, but when I first read your comment I was downright amazed…
May 19th, 2008 at 6:02 am
There’s more than one kind of bamboo – plant the stuff that doesn’t spread. Fargesia robusta is a “clumping” type that grows from rhizomes. The kind you don’t want is the “running” type. That kind will take over the world eventually…
May 19th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Kudzu, wisteria, and bamboo have taken over the south! Find any ravine off the interstate and this is what you will see.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Mexican primrose and lamb’s ear are two others that spread.
May 19th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I also echo the bamboo warning, but as Carol said, there are a number of lovely clumping varieties that will not spread aggressively. Make sure to ask a good nursery for suggestions.
As for a moon garden, my personal suggestion is a beautiful (and non-aggressive) perennial called lamium. It has a very soft purple flower and a light green, heart-shaped leaf with a white blush. It is so beautiful at night!
May 23rd, 2009 at 5:42 am
I love spending time in my garden at night, even though none of my plants are visible without light. The smells alone make it beautiful, but I’d still love to put in some sombreuil roses.
October 13th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
my hubby always love small gardens and zen gardens, but i’m going to tell him about these. he’ll love the idea of enjoying outdoors at nighttimwe.