Moon Garden

The Moon Garden

Do you find that you have the most time to enjoy your garden in the evening? Plant a moon garden! White flowers and light foliage will reflect available light well past sunset and make for a magical setting to relax or entertain guests in the after-hours. This guide will help you select plants and get inspired to create a lovely setting for your next evening get-together.

Tips for Planting a Moon Garden

Moon gardens can take on any size or shape. Try out the concept by widening an existing border and planting it with white flowering annuals the first year, then add in more permanent perennials and shrubs to pursue the theme further if it suits you.

Tip 1

Garden Layout

Before planting, spend some time in your outdoor space and consider what areas you’ll want to use in the evening and at night. Keep in mind how you and your guests will move through the space. For example, if your backyard has a walkway to an outdoor seating area, work on border plantings along the walkway and plantings to surround the seating area to create a cozy ambiance. The plants can act as natural guides and draw guests to specific areas.

Fall patio project

Tip 2

Plant Selection

The more white plants there are, the more light will suffuse the space. White flowers and silver or white variegated foliage exude a gorgeous glow from the subtle reflected light of the moon. Just be sure to site your moon garden in an open area where the moonlight can shine directly onto your plants to make them glimmer in the dark.

Below you will find a full list of the plants we used in our moon garden, from tried and true annuals to perennials and hearty shrubs.

Fall patio project

Tip 3

Lighting

Even though the plants in your moon garden will give off a magical glow as the day wanes, incorporating some warm lighting accents can add a lovely ambiance to an evening get-together. We used LED votive candles and covered them with small paper bags to soften their glow throughout the garden. You could also use strings of fairy lights to illuminate certain areas of the garden without overpowering the pleasant natural evening light.

Fall patio project

Tip 4

Night-Scented Plants

Some plants, like moonflowers and star jasmine, produce flowers that release their lovely scent as dusk falls to attract nocturnal pollinators. Incorporating night-scented plants into your moon garden will enrich your evening with a melange of sweet fragrances.

Here’s a list of a few night-scented plants to try in your moon garden: Angel’s Trumpet brugmansia, Moonflower (Ipomoea alba), petunia, wisteria, Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa), star jasmine, Regal Lily (Lilium regale), datura, honeysuckle, dianthus.

Night-scented Steady As She Goes^™ Gardenia

Supertunia Mini Vista^{^®} White Petunia

Star Jasmine
Trachelospermum jasminoides

ANNUALS PLANT LIST

Check out what we planted in our moon garden.
Click on any image to learn more about that variety.

PERENNIALS PLANT LIST

Click on any image to learn more about that variety.

SHRUBS PLANT LIST

Click on any image to learn more about that variety.

Dîner en Blanc

For three decades, in an event that originated in Paris and now spans 30 countries, Dîner en Blanc gatherings have been occurring around the world. Attendees dress head-to-toe in white to share a meal and good company outdoors. What a charming concept for a backyard dinner party, and where better to host one than in a moon garden!

Fall patio project