Hey folks,
I've been experiencing major bouts of insomnia lately and find myself entranced in the garden at all hours of the night. Nothing really new. Just contemplating life, my children getting older and a bit of mid life yuks. The only thing that calms me right now is going out there after everyone has gone to bed. I took my dog for a good 2 mile walk (I can only take her very late because she is very ferocious with other dogs). I've adapted to a late night lifestyle because of my dog and my need for the silence. But I have to be at work at 9:00 am and I'm very sleepy most days.
The late night walks give me an ample opportunity to observe other folks gardens and get ideas. Not too many but occasionally I'll hit something big.
Thus the need for a moon garden. I have a moon vine and some night blooming jasmines. Any other suggestions for the sub-tropical climate?
Kristi, can't sleep, need ideas, Nolan
Insomnia and Gardening, Moon Garden?
You are saying "moon vine", is it the Datura you have? If not that would be a must for a moon garden! The blooms open at dusk and close when the sun get bright.
The best gardening ideas come while laying in bed trying to sleep. Try some of the old angels trumpet seeds in white. They are a bush and in your area, will probably be 2-3 feet tall. Large white trumpet like blooms which you can actually watch unfurl. (They are fragrant too.) Once saw a row of these at dusk. It was beautiful. These are not to be eaten as they are a member of the datura family.
Varigated plants glow too. A favorite of mine is a variegated vinca. For bedding,the hypoestes in the white varigation. A few cheap solar lights ( dollar store variety ) will help on the moonless nights. Of course that is if you live in the country with no lighting. I will watch to see what other ideas you gather. Good luck.... pod
Yep. That's the type of flower I was thinking of but mine is not much of a vine Sheila, does yours actually vine?
Zone 8b, southeast TX , Broaddus
I have four o'clocks which bloom best into late evening.
I have a question. Will my white Datura seeds come true? Last year I had a potted Datura by my entery-way. It was purple with ivory swirls, Black Currant Swirl. However, this year all blooms are white???
I live on Sam Rayburn Lake. Mosquitos drive me inside early morning and evening! Glad that you get to enjoy being out in the evenings.
Happy, fragrant gardening
Kristi, sorry you can't sleep, but as you said it does open up new possibilities. Almost any white flower that remains open at night would do provided they get the right growing conditions during the day. In your area, angel trumpets (Brugmansias) would grow in to rather large bushes. If you have areas with afternoon bright shade, they would be a lovely addition to your garden as the fragrance is stronger at night. White roses are another possiblility. I like some of the antique shrub roses since they don't require as much care as hybrid tea roses.
Veronica
Are you into ornamental gourds at all? The bottle and birdhouse varieties bloom at night, not sure which others do. But helping them pollinate, as they have male and female blooms, would give you a project. And in the winter (well, what passes for winter down here anyway) you can hole up and decorate gourds.
Anthing with white flowers or white variegated leaves look good in the dark...white swan echinaceas, crinums, even white zinnias.
Great ideas. I have a Lady Banks but it only blooms in spring. Definitely would like to get Angel Trumpets (is that the same as the Datura?). I also have an "Iceberg" rose that is doing rather well. Then there's a few four o'clocks but I have to be really careful with them...they spread like wildfire.
Just about anything that I plant in the front yard does well. I seem to get just the right amount of light there.
I've never tried ornamental gourds. Do you have any pics?
I'm beginning to think sleeping is highly overrated. LOL.
Kristi
I don't have any photos to post, but there's an ornamental gourds forum. You might check that out.
Maybe you're just in one of those life phases where sleep is not a priority. If you're not suffering health-wise, enjoy it. Why not? You can be sleepy and miserable, or sleepy and happy. Doesn't sound like much of a contest to me. I've found that if you can manage not to worry about it, it will sort itself out.
You're right. And I absolutely enjoy the evening and the peace. Health appears pretty good, considering so, I'll just call it "my time".
Pod, No the Datura isn't a vine. Kristi was saying she had a Moon vine and that is a vine. I used to call the Datura "moonflower", but there is a difference.
Kristi, if you have room a Oak Leaf Hydrangea would be a long blooming plant. They do have a "PeeWee" Oakleaf too.
Sheila, a friend gave me seeds for the datura at first and he called it moonflower. I found the common name around here is angels trumpet. I also have some of the trumpet trees (brugs) one is white, but have a weakness for the datura myself. Around its' blooms is when I saw my first hummingbird moth up close. And I agree, the white old time crinums are lovely day or night. They will bloom in the heat of summer and again, the hummers and hummingbird moths love them. Once read a short article about a gardener whose day was busy and couldn't sleep well. That was when she gardened by the moonlight and her passion was these types of plants. Another foilage plant that is silvery and shows well at night is lambs ear (stachys byzantina). Jasmine is also nice day or nite.
Hi Sheila and Podster.
Looked into it a little and the moonflower that I planted is vining with a flower that looks a bit like a white petunia. It hasn't bloomed for me yet but that's what the pictures I've seen look like. The datura's are so beautiful...I need to get a least two. My neighbor across the street has several in her front yard and they're glorious.
I live in the burbs on the outskirts of Houston but I work inside the "loop"....city area with the very ritzy neighborhood called River Oaks. I frequently just drive the area on my lunch hour looking at the beautiful gardens. There is one house that's garden is so lovely it looks like it's out of a fairy tale. And you can tell that whoever lives there does the gardening themself....no landscaper with the same old stuff. It's full of unique plants and is an older garden, a bit overgrown but the love and care that has been put into it is so evident.
That's the kind of garden I want for myself. And I can't think of a better time to enjoy it than in the evening solitude. I was actually planting bulbs at 11:00 pm last Friday night (in my nightgown). Luckily I'm the last house on a dead end and never get traffic. But if anyone had seen, they'd have thought I was nuts for sure.
Kristi, If any of your neighbors ask what you were doing, deny it. You can tell them you must have been sleep walking! LOL!
I'm sleep walking now.....I'm sleep walking now.....I'm sleep walking now......
just looked at he oak leafed hydrangea. It looks like major potential. Do you think it would tolerate my humidity. Read the threads and it sounds like it would need to be planted on the north side of my house, in partial shade, to do really well. How long do the blooms last?
Don't forget about plants with light colored foliage! I have a moon garden and artemesias work wonderful out there. I have Powis Castle and the taller variety of Dusty Miller. Other plants I have out there are purple & white trailing lantana, Texas sages, russian sages, white salvia greggii, just planted Datura this year, white iris', santolina, which, by the way, originally started my moon garden. I had 2 large santolinas out there when my imagination kicked in! I clipped one santolina into the shape of a 1/4 moon and the other a star. It was pretty cool, but kind of hard to maintain. Now I have the 4 stages of the moon out there...New moon, 1/4 moon, 1/2 moon and a full moon. The new moon is the easiest to maintain!!
BTW: I consider the moon flower the plant that is in the morning glory family, except instead of opening in the morning, they open at night. BIG beautiful fragrant blooms. When my youngest daughter was about 4 yrs old, we'd sit outside and watch them open! Really cool for a kid (&and her mom). This moon flower needs a lot of room to grow, or should I say climb. It really is very impressive!
Awesome, Dogmansis! I really dig the moon in phases (pardon the pun).
I am always so jealous of you hill country folks. You have such great plants and the climate! We vacation each year at Lake Buchannan and try to drive the backroads there just to see the cool stuff along the way.
I'm with ya' on the morning glory/moon flower comparison...the flip-flop happens here too and it's stunning.
Just got back from my walk and need to clean up. Talk to ya'll in the morning.
Here is N Central TX the Oak Leaf bloomed about 6 weeks ago. The best part of it is that the blooms don't fall. They are white at first, then change to a pinkish then to a light brown. Then as the cool weather moves in the foliage turns bronze. All will eventually drop as winter sets in up here, but you may not loose them completely down there. My neighbor has a few along his fence in the shade, and they grow over and hang down on my side. They like to be trimmed and respond very well, bushing out and blooming again. I loved the look so much, I bought four for my yard.
Oh don't forget yarrow, it has a long bloom period. Then there is the Gaura like "Whirling Butterflies" it would add movement with a light breeze.
Hey...I forgot Texas sage for the excellent foilage, that would be a good one. Gaura is one I have been meaning to try. I like it because of the blooms in the summer heat. I did try Oakleaf Hydrangea but unsucessful. Don't know if it was our heat, humidity or poor soil. I had planted where it got afternoon shade. It was/is a beautiful plant.
Kristi ~ if you can identify the plants in the gardens you admire, you will get some great ideas on what works in your area. Do let us know.
Dogmansis ~ how bout some pics of your night skies? That is too neat.
I have hydrangea macrophylla (nikko blue) which is not the oak leaf type but it does very well and our climate is pretty much identical to Houston's. Cannot take a lot of sun, though; I'd guess the oak leaf would perform pretty much the same? Gorgeous blooms.
If you want something that CAN get tall, what about a white crape myrtle?
The soil in Lumberton is much more acidic than the soil in Houston--at least west and southwest Houston...have lots of relatives in Lumberton.
where is Lumberton?
North of Beaumont
I just moved here Friday -- glad to know about the soil. I'll test it anyway, but I did hope it would be acidic.
North of Beaumont, south of Kountze... you STILL might not know where it is...
kristi...as someone whom has suffered from insomnia for 10 years i must say that insomnia can lead to major health problems...and is considered a health problem in and of itself; i was going night after night after night not sleeping.....(thinking i was sleeping....but not going into rem sleep) finally, after a couple of years of this i came down with flu like symptoms.....very slowly did the symptoms show up....and by the time it was reported to the doctor it was full blown chronic fatique syndrome, fibromyalgia, lupus....i am not saying you will get lupus from this i am just saying that i didn't consult the doctor and was burning candles from both ends and by the time all was said and done i was sleeping 12 - 18 hours a day....but feeling more and more exhausted every day; i was told to quit my job, put on meds and had to basically start from square one.....our bodies need sleep and rem sleep at that.....so please listen listen to you body and try to take care of your sleep situation.....it got to the point that i was having car wrecks, no memory etc...it is not something to play around with.....regards joni
hey sticks......
guess what. I have Lupus (SLE) and Sjogrens. Diagnosed 10 years ago but have been doing rather well. I'm sorry to hear of your illness. I have to be thankful every single day that mine is not as severe as most people that I come across with the disease. I think my insomnia though is related more to my desire for the alone, quiet time. I work full time, I've got an eleven year old and do a lot of volunteer work. After I've tucked my daughter and hubby into bed I like to go out with my dog and just sort of meditate on life and I can't think of a better place to do it than with my plants (and an occassional glass of wine). It's when I get most of my ideas and really helps me go to sleep with a clear mind. I figure as long as I'm getting about 6 1/2 hours of sleep (seems to be about right for my body) then I'm doing okay.
I really hope you get on the up and up. I was very ill for about three years and then okay for about three years and then sick again. I'm in a good cycle right now - off ALL meds....only vitamins and meditation but I know what you're going through. I'll keep you in my thoughts.
Kristi
For a few more white plants that would be good in your area. Butterfly Ginger ( blooms in heat ), Althea ( white of course), for small blooms Abelia
Great idea. I'm actually trying to acquire a ginger collection and I love Althea (reminds me of my grandmother).
ok....here's a list of what's out front already
2 pines (seriously considering having them removed)
texas sage
esperanza (lot's....they keep seeding)
bougainvella
mandevilla
moon flower vine
2 hot pink crepe's
2 duranta's
several "Belinda's Dream" roses (4, I think)
passion flower
four o'clocks
lantana
st. john's wort
a pretty vine that I just can't id....look similar to a mandevilla with red flowers
1 honeysuckle (think I'll dig it up)
2 hibiscus
Chaste tree/Vitex
Mountain Laurel
lirope (sp?)
2 yuccas
2 blue plumbagos
Succulents - lot's of various
Herbs: mint (several varieties in pots), thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary
Joseph's Coat Rose
Sam Houston Rose
Iceberg Rose
Lady Banks Rose
Bulbs (none blooming now):
Freesias
Amaryllis
Cannas (am trying to get rid of)
Iris
Daffodils
Will try to find (thanks to all of your wonderful suggestions):
datura
oak leaf hydrangea
santolina
echinachea
crinum
Althea
Think I'll plant a lot more bulbs come November but I want interesting ones. Not the same ole', same ole.
And here's my meditating dog. Again......ya' give a girl a camera....
Cannas are a host plant for the Gulf Coast Frittillary--you might want them to stay--they are what does the "leaf rolling" everybody sprays them for...Just food for thought (or more importantly, their cats).
The only reason I'm trying to get rid of them is because of where I have them planted. The wrong spot. They don't "jive" there. I did however, plant a bunch in the school garden I was telling you about and had to chew many a poor soul out for killing the cats on them. They didn't understand the host plant concept and just thought the garden was being eaten up.
Cannas are easy to move and bounce back great. You may consider a new area for them. Well off to work, have a great day, or night in your case! LOL!
Going on a garden run late tonight......maybe I'll find something interesting.
kristi...isn't it amazing how lupus and fatigue work....i am glad to hear that your insomnia is the 'good' kind(grin),,,,gardening insomnia for me is the good kind also....i recently had to do an mri....and the whole time i was in that tube i was thinking about my garden..and what was i going to put here and what was i going to do there.....
i just didn't want to not mention cfs to you as alot of people aren't aware that it can be bad....glad you are good now:)
I'm sorry, but the gulf coast fritillary dines on passion vine. The lesser canna leaf roller is Geshna cannalis, a brown moth, and the larger canna leafroller is Calpodes ethlius, the larva of a skipper (also a brown little thing). We are "lucky' enough to get both of them here. I have absoutely no compunction about giving them the Bt treatment. They absolutely destroy the cannas, which are far prettier than the cats or the adults.
I'm just not a big canna fan. They look great in the garden at school but....not mine. My grandmother's yard used to be overwhelmed with them. IF I grow them it will only be for the cats.
I'm sorry. I just don't understand growing a plant in order to attract pests. Not all insects are desirable. There are good bacteria and there are bad bacteria. Would you just allow yourself to get sicker and sicker in order for the bad bacteria to flourishh? No, you would take an antibiotic. It is the same thing with insects in nature. Some are desirable, and others are not. Canna leaf rollers destroy cannas and are not in the least bit pretty. They are a pest. Do you not pick tomato hornworms off your tomatoes? Do you not destroy leaf-footed bugs that destroy your tomatoes so that you cannot eat them?
Canna leaf rollers are NOT gulf coast fritillaries. Or however you spell frittilary. LOL