moonlight gardens
The idea behind this garden is to grow plants that can be experienced at night both through sight and smell. A moonlight or night garden contains primarily white or silver plants, as these colors reflect the most light and will glow in the light of the moon. Fragrant plants add to the allure, mystery, and enjoyment of these romantic gardens. Moonlight gardens are excellent ideas if you entertain in evenings, if you work by day so have little time then in the garden, or just want a space for meditation or relaxation.
Although this may be a recent trend, the concept is not. Centuries ago, white sand and pond moonlight meditation gardens were common in China. In 1639 the “Mahtab Bagh” (which means moonlight garden) was created for Shah Jahan in India. Moonlight or moon gardens became popular in America in nineteenth century New England.
When designing a moonlight garden, one of the first and perhaps most important considerations is location. Your garden needs to be placed where the moonlight will strike it. Walk around on a moonlit night to scout out possible sites. You need to avoid places where the trees will cast moon shadows. Think about where you plan to sit to enjoy your garden, whether it’s outdoors on the patio, or from your favorite armchair indoors, and choose a location where you can view it comfortably.
Something else to consider is indirect lighting for the nights when there is no moon. You might want to pick a spot where light from a house window or porch light will shine. Also you can install night lighting to illuminate your yard on cloudy nights. Inexpensive kits are readily available in many home and hardware stores, or you can find decorative ones in lighting stores.
Your garden spot also must get adequate sun, as most flowering plants require at least six hours of direct sunlight. For beds that will get less than five hours of sun, select shade-loving plants such as white impatiens, variegated hostas, white bleeding heart, and lungwort.