What Is A Moon Garden And How To Design It Beautifully

There is something magical and romantic about sitting outside in the dark while the moonlight dances across vibrant green leaves and stark white flowers with the wind causing grasses to sway softly in the night breeze. It conjures almost ethereal imagines in one's mind. The atmosphere of a moon garden is one of peace, wonder and magic at night and a stark contrast from the traditional vibrant garden blooms during the day.

With only a few steps and tips, it is easy to create a nighttime haven for yourself that is perfect for relaxing and letting go after a long day at work or sitting with your significant other under the romantic illumination of a full moon.

As its name suggests, a moon garden is one that is meant to be enjoyed by the light of the moon. Moon gardens focus on white and light colored flowers that bloom during the evening and late night hours, fragrant blossoms that release their aroma in the evening and foliage that gives the garden color, texture, and architectural appeal.

Beyond their beauty and magical atmosphere; moon gardens create a space that attracts essential nighttime pollinators such as bats, moths, and native bees. Creating an environment that encourages nighttime pollinators to visit your yard is of great benefit to all. Pollinators support biodiversity. There is a connection between the diversity of plants and pollinators.

The pollinator population of your yard is an indicator of the overall health of your own biome. Moon gardens are a perfect way to encourage nighttime pollination. Daytime pollinators, such as birds, honey bees, and butterflies, are attracted to brightly colored flowers. Nighttime pollinators are attracted to pale or white colored flowers and the sweet aromas released in the evening hours.

The most important feature of a moon garden is accessibility. Moon gardens are to be a place you can retire to after a hard day to relax and rejuvenate your mind and spirit. A garden that is not easily accessible won't be enjoyed and a garden that will be forgotten about quickly. Many gardeners choose to create moon gardens close to common areas such as decks, patios, porches, and windows where they are easily accessed and enjoyed.

However, any place is the right place, as long as you can reach it with little effort. Even if you lack the extra room to create a garden space for yourself, you can still create a moonlit haven for yourself. To do so, look at planting in small pots, window planters, hanging planters and handing bags, you can create a mini-moon garden on your porch or even in your window sill.

Without proper lighting, your moon garden is just another dark flower bed. Moonlight and artificial lighting are your best options for your moon garden

After you pick the perfect location for your garden, it is time to choose your lighting. If you would prefer to use only moonlight; mark off your chosen location and spend a few nights observing how the moonlight illuminates the area. If you are choosing to use artificial light, consider using a mixture of lighting options, including spotlights. You can also combine the use of moonlight and artificial light to highlight certain plants or create an atmosphere befitting your personality and needs.

​Without light, we cannot have shadows. Shadows also play an important role in moon gardens. You can use shadows to add interesting shapes and texture to your garden by illuminating uniquely shaped plant, tree or object.

​Once you have chosen your garden location and decided how to manage your lighting, it is time to draw up plans and choose your plants. When choosing, think beyond one season. Many consider Moon gardens a summer garden but adding plants that thrive and bloom in multiple seasons allows you to enjoy your garden much longer.

Once you have chosen the location for your moon garden, it is time to get to the fun part... choosing the flowers. When deciding on the flowers for your moon garden, there are a few things to consider:

There are so many perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs that could have a place in your moon garden it would not be practical to list them all. Instead, here are a few suggestions to consider for your own garden:

Once you have your flowers chosen, arrange them in a manner that is both aesthetically pleasing and suits the growing requirements of each plant. Be sure to use compost to encourage healthy plant growth and mulch to keep weeds down and help retain water.

A few simple tips will help to ensure a fantastic garden for you to enjoy for a long time.

In today's busy and stressful world, we find it increasingly necessary to discover or create ways for us to relax and leave our worries behind. Moon gardens are a great option for such a place.

For busy gardeners who miss much of their efforts through the day while working, enjoying your garden doesn't have to end when the sun goes down. By adding a moon garden to your yard, you will enjoy beautiful flowers and aromas throughout the evening and into the night. And the best part? It will be too dark to see the weeds!