It’s a pleasure to look out my upstairs bedroom window on dark summer nights.   I look down on two beautiful white rose bushes growing in my neighbor’s garden across the street.  Any time there’s a moon they become luminous.  They truly glow in the dark! 

Anyone who has access to the UCD Arboretum on a moonlit summer night can share my neighborhood experience on a much larger scale.  A walk through the “ Carolee Shields White Garden” near the west end of the arboretum is a magical experience, made more so when there’s a full moon.  Designed in the style of a Japanese Moon Garden it’s also the location of a lovely gazebo, popular for weddings.

White flowers of many varieties bloom in all seasons.  They’re beautiful in the daylight too, of course, but moonlight sets the White Garden apart from all the other themed Arboretum landscapes.  Its ethereal loveliness is worth the trip to the UCD campus.

It’s a bit of a walk out there, depending on where you leave your car, and somewhat remote from main campus areas.  A flashlight and a companion are necessities, and selecting a night when the moon is expected to be especially bright is a plus!