On warm summer evenings, it’s magical to sit outside and watch the light fade, and the garden can be planted to augment the twilight hour and beyond.
White and pale-coloured flowers, subtle lighting, and water features create an outdoor space that looks incredible in moonlight. The evening garden can also be filled with delicious scents that intensify after dark, as well as fascinating nocturnal wildlife.
“During the day, we are driven to go, go, go, so spending the evening in the garden is an opportunity to slow down and rest in the quiet of night, in the presence of night pollinators and the soft glow of the moon,” says Jarema Osofsky, author of Moon Garden. “The fragrance of night-blooming flowers, the sounds of birds, or trickling water brings a sense of peace.”
Let’s take a look at easy ways to create your own tranquil, spellbinding ‘moon garden’…
Grow white flowers
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The most famous garden planted for moonlight is the White Garden at Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent, which was created by Vita Sackville-West in 1950.
As the name suggests, it is dominated by white flowers, which glow at dusk and after dark – especially in moonlight – whilst most other plants disappear into the darkness.
“I cannot help hoping that the great ghostly barn-owl will sweep silently across a pale garden, next summer, in the twilight – the pale garden that I am now planting, under the first flakes of snow,” Vita wrote.
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Some of the blooms in her iconic White Garden include white roses (such as ‘Iceberg’), Ammi majus, white delphiniums, white Veronicastrum, white cosmos, and Lilium regale, all growing in a billowing tapestry of crisp whites, like the frothing surf of a moonlit sea, within low evergreen hedging.
In your own garden, any white plants will shine during the evening: white-barked trees (such as fabulous Himalayan birch ‘Doorenbos’) stand luminous in moonlight and white foxgloves gleam like white candles.
Enjoy night-scented flowers
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The perfume of some plants intensifies after dark, filling a starlit garden with incredible scent. These mesmerising gems include honeysuckle (such as Lonicera periclymenum ‘Graham Thomas’), tuberose, regal and Madonna lilies, and, of course, jasmines, such as the dreamy large-flowered jasmine, Jasminum officinale f. affine.
But there are plenty of other night-scented flowers that aren’t so widely known: from night phlox to Hosta plantaginea. If you live in a mild area, Brugmansia suaveolens is a spectacular night-scented plant for a large container, bearing a fountain of huge trumpet flowers (be warned that the plant is toxic). And the wonderful annual tobacco plant, Nicotiana sylvestris is another gem well-worth knowing about and growing.
“I’ve loved Nicotiana sylvestris ever since I brought some back from my first visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show over 30 years ago,” enthuses plantswoman, supplier, and author Sarah Raven.
“It’s a plant of real architecture and drama thanks to its tall, elegant towers of white trumpet-shaped flowers and delicious night scent. It flowers right into October, in shade as well as sun and thrives in moist soil.”
Create a haven for night wildlife 
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The different types of wildlife you might spot in the garden after dark really make a moon garden worthwhile.
From hedgehogs and foxes to bats and moths, there is a lot to see. You may also hear owls hooting; and many small birds enchant us with song at dusk, including robins, blackbirds, and – in some areas – nightingales. Attract nocturnal wildlife by providing nesting sites, such as hedgehog houses and bat boxes, and food. Bats will visit to eat moths, and moths will be lured by pale and fragrant flowers.
“Some plants have adapted to attract moths as their main pollinator,” says Professor Dave Goulson at the University of Sussex, “these tend to have white or pale flowers to make them more visible at night, and strong scents which also help moths to find them. For example, tobacco flowers, honeysuckle, and jasmine.”
Some of us may be wary of luring moths to a patio, but these nocturnal creatures can be beautiful and play a vital role in nature: “Moths are incredibly diverse, with about 2,500 known species in the UK,” says Dave. “Many are very pretty, and some are as colourful as any butterfly. Moths also perform important roles in ecosystems, for example by pollinating flowers, while their caterpillars form the staple diet of blue tit chicks and many other birds.”
Plant silver foliage
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Grey-leaved plants look superb at dusk. As well as looking wonderful after dark, silver leaves also beautifully offset the white flowers during the day – without them (and the accompanying foil of green foliage) the blanket of white would be too much in the sunshine.
At Sissinghurst, the silvery stars of the show include a weeping pear (Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’), which is a great small garden tree; the gorgeous short-lived perennial Lychnis coronaria ‘Alba’; statuesque thistles; and aromatic mounds of santolina and wormwood.
The White Garden at Loseley Park in Surrey is likewise dotted with grey plants, such as lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina) and silvery globe thistle. Ghostly and subtle, they provide the perfect frame for the show of white flowers, during daylight and moonlight.
Install lighting and water features
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“Water features and outdoor lighting are the perfect way to add wonder to your summer evenings,” advises Landscape Designer Nathan Tuno at Roots Landscape in Greater Philadelphia. “The sound of trickling water and uplit trees showing off their architecture and interesting bark are simple but effective ways to gain a few extra hours in the garden after the sun has set.”
Water is beautifully reflective in moonlight and under the beam of outdoor lights, which can be as simple as a string of fairy lights or bubble lights and tealights safely glowing in glass lanterns, or a more extensive system of outside lighting.
Ensure the garden doesn’t look spooky by selecting warm-toned lights (rather than cool ones). Because too much garden lighting can negatively impact wildlife and reduce the beauty of moonlight, aim to use the minimum amount of lighting and switch it off when you go indoors.
Add yellow and blues
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Whites and silvers are not the only colours that look enchanting when the light fades. Soft yellows, lilacs, and pale blues also look breathtaking at twilight. The White Garden at Sissinghurst originally contained these colours but, because the vast majority of visitors now view the garden during the day, they have been removed.
Both sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis) and night-scented stock (Matthiola longipetala) have pastel violet flowers that release scent in the evening. “If there is one plant no garden should be without, Matthiola longipetala is it,” says Nina Marshall at Chiltern Seeds. “Nothing else can equal the effect of its exquisite fragrance on the warm night air in summer. Seeds can be sown directly where they are to flower from March to June.”
Likewise, the primrose-yellow Oenothera ‘Apricot Delight’ and lemon-coloured Hemerocallis citrina are open at night, filling their surrounds with perfume. Last, but definitely not least, the jasmine Jasminum officinale ‘Clotted Cream’ has flowers the colour of buttermilk and makes a cracking climber for a wall or archway. Plant it in the vicinity of the house, so that the delicious smell floods through the open windows on summer nights.
The ‘moon garden’ edit
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