Create a Magical Moon Garden with Fragrant Flowers

Create a magical moon garden with fragrant flowers and be the talk of the town. Moonlight gardening is the latest trend in fragrant flowers and it’s a hot area. Forget aromatherapy with its manufactured scents. Go for the real thing. There are many flowering plants, mostly white, that bloom at night and smell simply incredible.  And it doesn’t take long to put a moon garden together.

Moon flowers and the full moon
*Editorial license for this image purchased from Dreamstime.com LLC

Just imagine a moonlit night, the crickets chirping, the water pond sounds in the distance. You’re relaxing in the warm summer air as night falls. And as the moon rises, these incredible flowers begin to release their glorious scents. The fragrances drift across the air – and you can’t believe what you are smelling. You’ll quickly wonder:  Why didn’t I plant a moonlight garden sooner? The sweet and pungent scents combined with white flowers reflecting the light of the moon feeds the senses. It’s summer in bloom.

Throw in a few twinkly white lights and you’ve got a wonderland for entertaining, right in your own backyard or patio. And moonlight gardening is perfectly suited for urban gardens, too. You can create a container moonlight garden – or even vertical moonlight garden, as many of the plants are vines.

Night-blooming Jasmine for your moon garden

Fragrant moon garden jasmine

While not that much to look at, the fragrant Night-blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) releases a strong, heady scent after dark and is the perfect addition for your fragrant moon garden. A woody, evergreen shrub, it is related to the Nightshade.  Source

Moon flowers are a must for a moon garden

Moon flowers open at night

The large white blooms and heavenly fragrance of the moonflower (Ipomoea alba) will turn your garden into a magical midnight paradise. Source

Moon flowers in a moon garden

The moonflower is a twining, vine-like plant that is part of the Morning Glory family. Except the glory of this plant unfolds under the moon.

Night gladiolus

Night Gladiolus (Gladiolus tristus) has a spicy scent and is attractive to butterflies and bees.  Source

A plant that blooms only once a year – under the moon

Brama Kamhal flower

Brahma Kamal is named after Brahma – the God of creation. It only blooms one night a year, sometime between June and September. Is it worth it? You bet. In India, it is a sacred plant. Source

Grow some fruit in your garden

Dragon fruit moon garden

Night-blooming Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus undatus) have a magnificent scent. The plant can produce up to 200 lbs of fruit a year once it reaches an age of four or five years. Source

Dragon fruit

The fruit has white pulp and edible seeds. Bonus – a lovely fragrant night-blooming flower and edible fruit, rolled into one plant.

Angel trumpets are perfect for your moon garden

White angel trumpets

The White Angel Trumpet (Brugmansia) is a great choice for a container moonlight garden. In fact, this woody shrub is probably best kept in a container or pot as it spreads easily and can get quite unruly. Source

Tuberose fragrant moon garden

The Turberose (Polianthes tuberosa) has fragrant, white waxy flowers on long stalks – in its native Mexico they are called Nardo or vara de San Jose, which mean’s St. Joseph’s staff. Heavily scented night-bloomers, this plant is a must for any moon garden. Source

Water Lily moon garden

The flowers of the tropical night-blooming Water Lily (Nymphaeaceae) open in the early evening and close about 10am. Source

White is the new green – especially in a moon garden

White flowers

A white fragrance garden at evening light – all white makes a stunning statement any time of day. Source

Daisies and Casablanca Lilies

Shasta Daisies, while not fragrant, are a fine accent plant for your moon garden. Source

Fairy Lights add magic to your moon garden

White lights are magical

A few white string lights, strategically placed among your plantings, will really turn your space into a magical moon garden. Use white (or soft white) round bulbs to mimic the moon. Source

Blooming cactus

Night-blooming Cactus (Cereus) is the common name referring to a large number of flowering cacti that bloom at night. Source

Night blooming cactus

Some other plants within this classification are Princess of the Night, Honolulu Queen, Christ in the Manger and Dama de Noche. The flowers are spectacular, but very short-lived. Source

Magic Moon Garden

About Joe Hats 176 Articles
Joe Hats is the founder of FreshPatio.com. Joe has been remodeling homes since 1997 when he bought his first fixer-upper. He has built many pieces of indoor and outdoor furniture with his own hands and has every DIY woodworking tool in his possession. Coming from an engineering background, he has designed and built many patio fixture plans. Following his wife's lead, he is also very passionate about home decor and together they keep track of the latest trends. When he is not remodeling or trying a new woodworking tool, he is busy gardening or designing a new outdoor plan.