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.
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
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
The large white blooms and heavenly fragrance of the moonflower (Ipomoea alba) will turn your garden into a magical midnight paradise. Source
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 (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
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
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
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
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
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
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
A white fragrance garden at evening light – all white makes a stunning statement any time of day. Source
Shasta Daisies, while not fragrant, are a fine accent plant for your moon garden. Source
Fairy Lights add magic to your moon garden
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
Night-blooming Cactus (Cereus) is the common name referring to a large number of flowering cacti that bloom at night. Source
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