Nature has given us an infinite landscape of colors to choose from, to design a color scheme for our gardens. Soft palettes that peak up from the evergreens that provide structure for an english garden feel, and bold pops of electric color that are fitting for the summer heat. But if you want a more monochromatic look to your landscape, a moon garden can be just the ticket. Moon gardens are mainly white plants/blooms that pop against green foliage during the day. In the evening, they add a subtle shimmer under the night sky where flowers that only bloom at night can be seen, while other white or lighter colored plants offer an evening glow. Here are ten plants that are perfect for creating a moon garden.
1. Claire Austin – English Climbing Rose
Claire Austin – English Climbing Rose by David Austin Roses is a stunning rose with a creamy white medium bloom featuring 120 petals for a compact cupped bloom. It begins with a soft yellow tone and then opens to a creamy white. It has a gorgeous display when grown over doorways, or fences. With it’s pleasing fragrance, this repeat bloomer makes for a great moon garden show.
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- Zone 5-11
- Climbs up to 12ft
- Full/Partial Sun
- Fragrant
2. Mount Hood LS
Mount Hood LS – When you think of daffodils, yellow bursts of color come to mind, but Mount Hood LS is a white, less expensive, and smaller bulb offered by Color Blends WholeSale Flowerbulbs. It’s an affordable alternative for mass planting, but only yields one flower for each bulb, however it naturalizes each year. It blooms early to mid spring, and its blooms mature to a creamy white. An important factor for bulbs is that they must be planted in full sun to give a strong show the following spring.
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- Zone 3a-8b
- Height: 14″-16″
- Full Sun
- Deer & Rodent Resistant
2a. Starry Night Daffodil
Starry Night Daffodil – by Color Blends WholeSale Flowerbulbs. Starry Night is a white blooming daffodil that also offers a reprieve from the traditional yellow seen in most landscapes. It blooms mid spring so when planted with Mount Hood LS, it provides continuous interest. Made up of three blends of bulbs at a 34/33/33 ratio, planting them in the colder seasons where water won’t pool during rainy months is the best practice.
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- Zone 3a-7b
- Height: 14″-18″
- Full Sun
- Deer & Rodent Resistant
3. Rapido White – carpathian Bellflower
This one is a favorite – The Rapido White – Carpathian Bellflower. I personally have this in my landscape and it’s a plant that puts itself to work. It’s mounding, re-blooms when trimmed back, and perennial! It can be used for hedging, mass planting, container gardening…etc. It blooms late spring through late summer, and depending on your zone, that could mean months of blooms to enjoy.
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- Zones 3a-8b
- Height: 4″-7″
- Full/Partial Sun
- Deer Resistant
4. MoonFlower (Ipomoea alba)
Moonflower is a charming vine for any garden with features that almost seem supernatural. Devils trumpet, as it’s sometimes called because of its trumpet shaped blooms, moonflower’s petals only open at night. Once the dawn begins to shed sunlight on the flower, its petals close again. However, this charmer can be invasive, and poisonous to people and pets. Plant with caution.
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- Zone 10-12
- Height: 10′-15′
- Full Sun
- Toxic If Ingested
5. Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria)
Dusty Miller is a fantastic annual to breakup the texture of your garden with interesting foliage. It does well through the summer while the silver shade and blue undertone gives it a soft luster. Planting in drifts give it a graceful feel.
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- Zone 8-11
- Height 6″-18″
- Full Sun
- Attracts Slugs
6.Bobo Panicle Hydrangea
A favorite of garden enthusiasts, the Bobo Panicle Hydrangea by Proven Winners offers a compact spherical structure with blooms that start out white with hints of chartreuse. The shape and colors are pleasing both during the day, as well as night since the white pops under the moonlight. It blooms summer through the fall and as the blooms age to a pretty pink, you get variation in your garden if you’re tired of all your blooms being white. It tolerates full sun quite well but also thrives in partial shade. Dappled sunlight is best practice.
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- Zone 3a-8a
- Height: 30″-36″
- Part/Full Sun
- Grows On New Wood
7. Grande White Knight Sweet Alyssum
If you’re looking for a plant that flowers, is fragrant, works from planting through the frost, and covers up to two feet of ground, then the Grande White Knight Sweet Alyssum by Proven Winners is for you! It re-blooms especially when trimmed back, is a great pollinator as it attracts bees, and is great for both landscapes and containers.
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- Zone: Annual except in zones 9-11
- Height: 4″-6″
- Part/Full Sun
- Drought Tolerant
8. Tulipa humilis ‘Alba Coerulea Oculata’
Number eight is a show stopper as far as tulips go. The Tulipa humilis ‘Alba Coerulea Oculata’ from Dutch Bulbs is a stunning white tulip with pointy petals that bloom to reveal a sinisterly blue center. Perfect for a moonlight garden. It’s on the shorter side, but is a great naturalizer. As with most bulbs, it’s best practice to plant the tulip bulb in full sun. After blooms have died, leave the foliage until the leaves turn yellow and die off on their own. This will allow for the leaves to absorb as much energy from the sun as possible for new growth next year!
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- Zone 3-8
- Height: 6″-8″
- Part/Full Sun – Full Sun is Best Practice
- Great For Containers
9. Silver Anouk Spanish Lavender
Once again, lavender makes the cut in being featured in another article. This drought tolerant herbaceous plant goes the extra mile when adding it to a moon garden. The Silver Anouk Spanish Lavender featured on Costafarms.com has purple flowers with silver foliage that have blue undertones. It’s luster can be seen in the evening light and its aesthetic features add interest.
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- Zone 6-9
- Height: 24″
- Full Sun
- Disease Resistant
10. SunPatiens® Compact White
Last but not least is SunPatiens® Compact White from Proven Winners. It blooms from spring through frost, and can withstand hot sun. It’s mounding habit and 20 inch spread makes it a great filler for parts of your moon garden that are scarce. They do well in containers, in the landscape, and they don’t need dead heading. The white flowers can span as wide as 2 inches, making them strikingly beautiful in the garden.
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- Zone 10a-11b
- Height: 16″-30″
- Part/Full Sun
- Mounding Habit
Moon gardens are a romantic feature with white flowers, and plants that have silver foliage. Designing a moon garden with any combination of the flowers mentioned above, will make it a space to appreciate day or night. With some of the options above being annual, replacing the plants with flowers of different colors won’t be difficult if you decide to incorporate more color in future. In the mean time, I hope this article inspired you to plant a moon garden this season, and enjoy it under the stars.
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