Specialty Gardening: Does anyone have a moon garden?, 1 by seedpicker_TX
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In reply to: Does anyone have a moon garden?
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seedpicker_TX wrote: And another great photo. Unfortunately it originally was printed as a centerfold of two pages in Country Living, but I didn't save that one for some odd reason. But, fortunately, Select Seeds reprinted it with permission in their seed catalog that year... Here is the small photo...hope it is somewhat viewable, and the article: Enchanted evenings: design a garden with plants that glow come nightfall. Publication: Country Living Gardener Publication Date: 01-AUG-03 Email this article | Print this article COPYRIGHT 2003 © Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved It's a great irony that so many gardens are filled with plants that look their best during daylight hours-when their owners are away at work," says Marilyn Barlow, garden historian and nurserywoman in Union, Conn. (Zone 5). With a little planning you can create a display that waits for you to come home before putting on a show, she believes. Annuals and perennials with white blooms (White Sonata cosmos and Hakone White double balloon flowers for instance) positively enchant when the light starts to dim, as do those with silver foliage (dusty miller, lamb's ears and Plectranthus argentatus are just three) Some flowers-moonflowers and four-o'clocks among them-don't even open until late afternoon, owning to the phenomenon known as photoperiodism. Still others, such as jasmine tobacco (Nicotiana alata Grandiflora) and night-scented stock (Mattiola longipetala, formerly M. bicornis), release their perfume after dark when night pollinators are on the move. The Victorians knew all about twilight gardens." Marilyn notes. "They called them moon gardens and considered them highly romantic." Marilyn's own moon garden features such favorites as white Petunia axillaris 'Rainmaster', Victorian white jasmine nightshade (Solanum jasminoides 'Alba'), white verbena, and old-fashioned woodland tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris). All the plants were raised in the greenhouses of Marilyn's mail-order nursery, Select Seeds-Antique Flowers. "You don't have to turn over your entire garden to night-blooming plants," she notes. "A small area is sufficient to achieve the desired effect." At the heart of Marilyn's 50-square-foot moon garden stands a rusitc gazebo fashioned from cedar, mountain laurel, and pine by Marilyn's husband, Peter. Verdant moonflowers drape the charming retreat making it irresistible for quiet talks and romantic suppers Other structures, including an antique storage shed and picket fence, offer vertical support for sweet-potato vines old fashioned petunias trailin g (P. integrifolia), and a white form of black-eyed Susan vine (Tbunbergia alata 'Susie'). RELATED ARTICLE: twilight temptations Moonflower (Ipomoea alba): Just when morning glories close up for the night, pure white moonflowers get ready to open, releasing their lovely fragrance. Like morning glories, they prefer soil that isn't too rich. Grown as an annual, vines reach an average of 10 to 15 feet. Night-scented stock (Matthiola longipetala, formerly M. bicornis): Foot-tall plants with jasmine-scented, four-petaled lavender and white blooms turn on the charm at dusk. Sow these half-hardy annuals directly in the ground. Four o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa 'Alba'): This Peruvian native has flourished in evening gardens ever since its introduction to Europe in the 16th century. Clusters of trumpet-shaped blooms on two-foot stems open in late afternoon, emitting a light citrus scent. North of Zone 8, grow these tender perennials as annuals. Jasmine tobacco (Nicotiana alata 'Grandiflora'): Star-shaped white flowers on four-foot stems open in the early evening. North of Zone 8, grow this self-sowing perennial as an annual. Also worth considering is annual woodland tobacco (N. sylvestris), with nodding, tubular flowers clustered atop five-foot plants. |