Moonlight Garden
A garden designed to be enjoyed in the evening, featuring white flowers, silver foliage, and fragrant plants that reflect moonlight and release scent at night. Moonlight gardens transform after sunset, creating a magical atmosphere where pale colors glow in the darkness and night-blooming flowers open to release their perfume.
Key Features
Light-Reflecting Plants
White flowers and silver or variegated foliage that capture and reflect even the faintest moonlight, creating luminous effects in the evening garden.
Night-Blooming Flowers
Plants that open their blooms in the evening, such as evening primrose, night-blooming jasmine, and moonflower, adding dynamic elements after sunset.
Evening Fragrance
Strongly scented plants that release their perfume at night to attract nocturnal pollinators, creating an aromatic experience for evening garden visitors.
Strategic Lighting
Subtle, low-level landscape lighting that complements rather than overwhelms the moonlight, highlighting key garden features and ensuring safe navigation.
Reflective Surfaces
Water features, mirrors, polished stones, or metallic elements that amplify available light and create additional points of interest in the nighttime garden.
Evening Gathering Spaces
Comfortable seating areas strategically placed to enjoy the garden's nocturnal beauty, often oriented to view the moon's path or capture evening breezes.
Design Variations
Classic White Garden
Inspired by Vita Sackville-West's famous white garden at Sissinghurst, featuring an all-white palette of flowers with varying heights and textures for depth.
Silver Foliage Focus
Emphasis on plants with silvery, gray, or variegated foliage like artemisia, lamb's ears, and silver sage that shimmer in moonlight year-round.
Nocturnal Wildlife Garden
Designed to attract and support night-active pollinators like moths and bats with appropriate nectar plants and habitat features.
Contemporary Moonlight Terrace
Modern interpretation for urban settings with container plantings, reflective materials, and subtle lighting creating an evening retreat on patios or rooftops.