Jane Hartley Coker

Many of us believe gardening to be a daylight-only activity. Why not investigate the possibilities of a moonlit garden? For those in our part of the state, there are several things to enjoy in our landscape after dusk.

Start by looking around your yard for opportunities. Perhaps a pathway, or garden edging, could be done with crushed rock or shells in a lighter hue of white or gray. Look at your garden furniture – if it needs to be repainted, consider a pale tone. Low level lighting can also add a glow to the evening hours.

One of my favorite evening bloomers is Moonvine (Calonyction aculeatum). A tropical climber, its large, white funnels shine brightly in moonlight – hence its name – and I have even seen it attract hummingbirds in the hours near dusk. Its flowers close by sunrise, making way for daytime bloomers.

Consider the yellow-bloomed form of four o’clock (Mirabilis jalapa) for your night border. Four o’clocks, while in other areas an annual, in the South should be considered as a perennial, often thriving in abandoned home sites with no care whatsoever. The yellow form has a greater fragrance than its relatives with red tones, and blooms in the late afternoon into the following morning.

Grey foliage is a cooling counterpoint in daytime and adds a pop to the evening border. Dusty Miller (Centaurea cineraria) provides a graceful mound of ever-gray foliage, and is considered a perennial in the Lower South and a bedding plant elsewhere. Plush Lamb’s Ears (Stachys byzantina) provide a soft mass of silver, but in our climate should be divided each year to avoid rotting at the center.

If trees are more your style, consider the various forms of the Southern Magnolia (M. grandiflora). Along with other trees such as the Tulip Poplar, the Southern Magnolia provides blossoms that glow in low light conditions.

If this subject further interests you, an excellent book by Scott Ogden “The Moonlit Garden” will provide suggestions for enhancing your landscape after dark.

The Smith County Master Gardener program is a volunteer organization in connection with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.