Plant a Moon Garden and Pamper all 5 of Your Senses

Vampires, zombies, and werewolves are all the rage these days on the big screen and TV. You don’t have to be a shape-shifter to admire the moon; create a moon garden to relax while enjoying the night sky.

Your garden is the perfect place to bask in the moon’s glow while listening to the peaceful tune of the frogs and crickets and breathing in the enchanting scent of night-blooming flowers. You’re missing out if you only enjoy your garden during the day!

These plants are excellent choices for making a luminous moon garden that will delight all 5 of your senses while your worries float away on the night air.

Feast Your Eyes: Moonflowers

Moonflowers (Ipomoea alba; see photo) are a type of morning glory with luminescent white flowers that bloom from dusk until dawn. These gorgeous blooms seem to glow in the moonlight and add visual delight to any moon garden.

Moonflowers bloom from early summer to early fall. Other eye-pleasing options for your moon garden include white tulips or creamy daffodils (spring), white bellflower and baby’s breath (summer), and Shasta daisy and boltonia (fall). Choose flowers that bloom at different times of the year to get the most out of your moon garden.

Plants with foliage that is silvery or variegated in color are also eye-catching in the moonlight. Consider artemisia, century plant, or desert candle.

Remember to check the USDA hardiness zone for any plant before you add it to your garden.

Sensuous Scent: Jasmine

Night-blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum), also called Lady of the Night, releases an intoxicating scent that will float through the night air in your moon garden. Blooming tobacco or summer sweet will also add lovely scents to your moon garden.

Arrange scented plants in different areas of your garden to avoid an overwhelming olfactory mixture.

Tickle Your Eardrums: Rustling Grasses

Gold-striped Hakone grass has light-colored stripes that will catch your eye in the moonlight and makes a pleasant rustling sound when a breeze blows. A water feature will also bring soothing “music” to your moon garden.

Flavor for Your Garden: Lavender

English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) produces tall stalks of gorgeous purple blooms that smell wonderful and make lovely sachets, soaps, and dried-flower wreaths–they also add delicious flavor to a wide variety of recipes. Enjoy a soothing cup of lavender-infused tea or toast with lavender jam while relaxing in your moon garden.

Lavender’s silvery foliage is also eye-catching in the moonlight.

Note: Never consume lavender you’ve bought from a florist because it has been sprayed with toxic chemicals. If you plan to harvest your lavender for cooking, plant an edible, non-toxic variety such as Lavendula angustufolia. Do not spray insecticide or other chemicals on or around the lavender you plan to harvest for your kitchen.

Touch: Comfy Seating

While planning your moon garden, don’t forget to include comfortable spots for enjoying its sights, sounds, and fragrances. Arrange comfortable lawn furniture, preferably with cushions, in spots facing the prettiest blooms, where the scents from your garden can waft to you in the breeze.

And remember–Wet & Forget will take care of any mold, mildew, or algae that may grow on your outdoor furniture.

Enjoy your moon garden!

Interested in sun-loving flowers? Click Here

Photo courtesy of Eran Finkle.