Your Garden in the Moonlight 

Have you ever thought about creating a garden that would glow in the moonlight? Wander around your yard some night and consider a place where you could enjoy a peaceful, quiet get-away in the evening and dark. Based on the location and view, consider assorted forms, sizes, growth patterns and specifically the plants themselves, whether they are shrubs, vines, trees, bulbs, ground covers, herbs or flowers. Did you know that some plants flower in the night and moonlight glows brighter on particular tree leaves?

How to Design a Moonlight Garden

To design a moonlight garden, think about seating, night-time garden art, subdued lighting for safety and subtle emphasis, interesting groupings, and a wide and thoughtful assortment of plants in a cluster of pots or in the ground, either fragrant or unscented. 

Moonlight glows on tree leaves with reflective surfaces such as the Pacific Madrone, Arbutus menziesii, whose leaves are silver on top and reflective on the undersides. The Olive tree, Olea spp., with their gray leaves and the gnarled appearance of the bark as they age, are beautiful when gently lit. Other plants with gray or silver leaves are the bushy shrub Dusty Miller, low to the ground and fuzzy Lambs Ears, Stachys byzantina, Thyme, and Hosta. Some varieties of Hosta shoot up petite white flowers. Moonlight is most iridescent on white and pastel blooms. 

Selecting Plants for a Nighttime Garden

Some examples of plants that flower in the night are the aptly named White Moonflower, Ipomoea alba. The Four O’clock Mirabilis jalapa opens at 4:00 in the afternoon. The Evening Primrose Oenothera speciosa, too, opens in the evening and closes in the morning. The taller Night Phlox ‘Midnight Candy,’ Zaluzianskya capensis, has purple buds that open to reveal glowing white centers. The Daylily, ‘Night Beacon’ Hemerocallis citrina, boasts fragrant blooms in light yellow. The Oriental Lily, Lilium ‘Casa Blanca,’ is magnificent in beauty and fragrance. The three-inch-wide cup of Narcissus ‘Night Cap’ is a stunning yellow, edged in coral. Night-blooming jasmine can be grown as a vine, shrub or groundcover and smells divine day and night, and blooms around June. The White Daffodil, Narcissus ‘Obdam,’ Ice Follies,’ and ‘Thalia’ radiate light in the late evening and early morning. 

Think about planting fragrant flowering bulbs like Hyacinth, Freesia, Iris, and Tuberose in the Fall. Also, the gardenia shrub, with its beautiful fragrance blooms in summertime. Spring blooming Clematis armandii ‘Snowdrift’ vine helps round out the year to promote blooming plants in three seasons. 

White Plants Seem to Glow in the Moonlight

Other summer blooming, white flowering vines are White Angel’s Trumpet Brugmansia candida, Virgin’s Bower, Clematis virginiana, and White Mandevilla, an exotic white vine. Some lower growing white flowering plants for consideration are the ground cover Beach Morning Glory, Ipomoea imperati, and perennials such as azalea and petunia.

Taller white flowering plants include Shasta Daisy, Chrysanthemum, Tobacco plant, Nicotiana, white oleander, camellia, white sage, the white with yellow center Matilija poppy, and the always popular Rose. 

As for trees, keep in mind Dogwood, Cornus kousa, and Magnolia grandiflora feature beautiful white flowers.

When the next moon illuminates the night sky, bundle up and take a stroll around your yard with an eye to where you might create your moonlight garden and imagine the look and fragrance that are possible for your peaceful enjoyment. 

This article, written by UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County Kit Smith, originally appeared in Village Life, February 2025. 

If you have a question about the best plants for your particular garden, based on your sun exposure, elevation, soil type, or irrigation, you can reach out to the UC Master Gardeners of El Dorado County with your questions using our Ask a Master Gardener survey, accessible with a click on the button just below. 

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