Top 12 Flowering Plants For Night Garden (Moon Garden)

What will be a better place than the moon garden to enjoy perfumed breezes, watch night flies, beetles & butterflies, and luminous flowering plants on a windy summer night? Planting a few night-blooming flowering species could relieve your stress and make you feel rejuvenated at night after a tiresome daytime. 

“Every Flower is a soul blossoming in nature”     – Gerard de Nerval

 

INTRODUCTION

The darkness of a long summer night offers dramatic opportunities to create a whole new landscape in the form of a night garden. With the commence of night time some specific night-blooming flower species become more prominent by reflecting the moonlight, adding color from its beauty for your guest to enjoy and spreading much more fragrant breezes that perfume night air as compared to their day blooming counter-parts. Many species only flower after dark and releases their perfumes to attracts pollinators.

But the selection of those specific flower species with hidden benefits and eye-soothing effects for your night garden is where most of the people fail.

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF NIGHT-BLOOMING FLOWERING PLANTS

  • Show 3 traits- white or light-colored blossoms, fragrance, and most summer flowers.
  • Almost all white blooms open at night.
  • Often open at twilight and close the next morning or next afternoon.
  • Strong sweet scents or flower aromas to attract pollinators such as moths, bats, beetles, butterflies, and so on.
  • Gardens with plants that primarily bloom in the evening and at night are sometimes called moon gardens too.

 

ADVANTAGES OF MOON GARDEN

  1. Relieve from stress and a long, hectic day.
  2. Flowers do not dry out or lose much nectar through evaporation at the night.
  3. Eye-soothing and pleasurable view of night bloom.
  4. Fewer pollinators may benefit pollinator-sensitive flower species.
  5. Refresh and enlighten your energy through flower aromas.

 

TOP 12 BEST FLOWERS RECOMMENDED FOR NIGHT GARDEN

To get you started, here are 12 best flowers recommended for a night garden or moonlit garden:

 

1. Orchid cactus flower (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) 

Night-blooming cereus or E. oxypetalum is also known as “Queen of the night”. This is a cool, semi-epiphytic plant with aerial roots and spectacular blooming capability belonging to the cactus family i.e. Cactaceae. This is a nocturnal white flowering species with a strong fragrance and evergreen foliage. 

It blooms at night and wilts in the morning. Due to its aesthetic beauty and aromatic fragrance, this is considered as one of the best flower species for moonlight garden.

 

2. White Hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens)

Hydrangeas blooms are huge i.e. of 8 to 12 inches which starts with green flowering at the beginning stage of its growth. Then, it turns into white as the summer season arrives.

Hydrangea’s impressive blooms are a real eye-catcher during night time. It is one of the eye-soothing species favorable to get relieved from stressful days. For learning more on how to grow   Hydrangea’s- https://youtu.be/OEGMLngmFj4   please check this link. 

 

3. Night-flowering Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum)

This flowering species has a tiny flower but with fragrance flowing at a top. They are intensely fragrant, particularly during the night time.

The plants usually bloom from spring through fall. The aroma of the flower is so acute that it could spread up to 20 feet away and attracts many pollinators.

 

4. Four O’ Clocks (Mirabilis jalapa)

These are multicolored flower species i.e. having pink, red, yellow, or white blossoms that open during the late afternoon till next morning but as soon as the temperature rises their flower wilt out.

On a cloudy day; they open earlier due to low temperature releasing their lemon spicy scent. Hence, these species are preferred for night garden due to their perfumes and aid in creating beautiful aesthetic landscapes.

 

5. Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

This species is native to Northern America and is prolific throughout the United States. Sweet yellow flower of this species is very decorative with sweet aromatic smell.

This wildflower blooms at night particularly during the months of May to July and is believed to possess many medicinal properties that cure skin diseases and problems.

 

6. Moonflower (Ipomoea alba)

Moonflower is one of the most beautiful flowering species to enjoy in your garden on a warm summer evening with a full moon overhead. This is a twinning, vine-like plants which bloom at night.

It brings ethereal magic in the garden with its mesmerizing beauty and eye-catching abilities. So, this species is preferred as one of the most attractive night garden species for your home garden.

 

7. Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa)

This species is one of the night-bloomer species producing long flowering spikes that could reach up to 4 feet tall and white blooms.

Besides the heavenly aromatic scent, these flower species reflect the moonlight during summer evenings. The bulb of this flower is also richly fragrant.

 

8. Flowering Tobaccos (Nicotiana)

The trumpet-like, night-scented flowers available in varieties or ranges of colors and choices could be a perfect pick for your moon garden. Based on the species, you could get a different sense of sweet-smelling fragrance, colorful flowers, or fleshy blue-green foliage.

These are frost-hardy species that add bold architectural presence. Nicotiana’s strong scent also attracts hummingbird moths with the commencement of dusk which makes it a more favorable species for your night garden.

 

9. Cape Jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides)

These are low growing bushy shrubs with shiny green leaves producing heavily fragrant white summer flowers. This is the only species of Gardenia grown indoors.

The flowers of this species are mainly popular for its aromas which give out a heady perfume so that we sit back in the garden and feel the nature to get refreshed.

 

10. White Chiffon (Hibiscus syriacus)

White Chiffon is also known as Rose of Sharon. This is a bushy deciduous shrub known for its large white flowers that may be up to 10 cm across. This species blooms continuously from late summer to fall.

This aids in creating a beautiful flower garden with eye-soothing effects. These species have bright colors blooms with sweet fragrance which specifies its importance in the night garden. For learning how to grow them please check the link https://youtu.be/w3tODlnMklQ

 

11. Night Phlox (Zaluzianskya ovata)

Night Phlox is also known as mid-night candy. This is compact evergreen species that blooms white scented flowers in the evening particularly for summer season and releases a delicious, honey-like fragrance.

This species is 12-14 inches tall that grows well in pot too. Its wonderful scent could be enjoyed in evening times so preferred for your night gardens.

 

12. Wisterias (Wisteria floribunda)

This species is also known as Japanese wisteria. Although many wisterias are scented Wisteria floribunda is believed to be the one with strongest scent at night. It could grow against wall of the house and spreads scent up to your windows too.

This flowering species of pea family carries a distinctive fragrances similar to that of grapes. It has the longest flower racemes among all wisterias. Due to the above-mentioned features it is one of the best preferred species for night gardens.

 

NOTE

  • Brugmansia and Datura are the poisonous flowering plants so, it is strongly recommended to avoid them.

Brugmansia

 

Datura

 

What are your views on this species? Do you feel there are other peculiar species besides these that should be included in the list of favorable night garden species? Please feel free to share your views and knowledge so that it would result in an interesting integrated shared learning approach for all of us. 

Your comments are highly appreciated. Happy Reading! Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kiran ghimire

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