11 Best Night Blooming Plants for Magical Moon Gardens

Night Blooming Plants for Magical Moon Gardens

Night-blooming plants are the perfect way to enhance any garden by engaging your senses in the evening. The plants often have white flowers that reflect light from the moon and natural lights, so they are good choices for moon gardens. Many night-blooming flowers have strong fragrances and attract nocturnal pollinators. Whether you're sitting on the patio at the end of the day or entertaining guests in the evening, plants that bloom the following night can help create a magical atmosphere.

1. Flowering tobacco

Blooming from June until frost, flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata) is commonly grown as an annual in gardens and pots in northern zones. It needs afternoon shade in hot, sunny climates. The flowers are sweet-smelling at night, and the white-flowered varieties almost glow in the moonlight.

2. Evening primrose

Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) is a night-blooming plant native to most of North America. It blooms biennially, blooms in its second year, and then dies after setting seed. The yellow flowers open at dusk and close again in the morning when exposed to the sun, giving the plant its common name evening primrose. Flowers appear from June to September. They are pollinated by night-flying moths, which are attracted by the mild scent of lemons, and by bees before they close in the early morning.

3. Evening share

Evening stalk (Matthiola longipetala) is a hardy annual or short-lived perennial for cottage gardens, borders and pots. These night-blooming flowers emit a strong, sweet fragrance in the evening and attract night-flying moths. The edible four-petalled flowers are white, pink or lilac.

4. Foam flower

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) is a native perennial plant that gets its name from its foamy white flowers that bloom from low to short spikes in spring and early summer. The lightly scented flowers are open day and night, and glow in the moonlight when growing in large clusters. Rabbits and deer generally don't bother these low-maintenance perennials.

5. Four o'clock

Four-hour (Mirabilis jalaba) blooms from June to frost in pink, rose, red-magenta, yellow and white. The fragrant funnel-shaped flowers open in the late afternoon and remain open until the next morning. Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted by its flowers.

6. Gardenia

Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) is an evergreen shrub with dense, glossy, dark green leaves. Intensely fragrant, white flowers bloom year-round in warm climates. In cooler climates, gardenia blooms in spring and early summer. Although this is a high-maintenance plant, the sweet fragrance of the flowers makes it worth the extra effort.

7. Moon flower vine

Moonflower vine (Ipomoea alba) is a popular night-blooming plant with large, fragrant white flowers. Its flowers open at dusk from mid-summer to fall and close before noon the next day. Vining plants need a structure such as a fence or trellis to support them.

8. Tuberose

Native to Mexico, tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa) is a night-blooming plant with an inviting scent. It produces a long flowering spike that reaches four feet tall covered in white, waxy, fragrant flowers. Its flowers attract much attention for their exceptional fragrance, reflecting the moonlight on summer evenings.

9. Casa Blanca Lily

Although there are many white lilies, the 'Casa Blanca' lily is particularly striking for moon gardens. The 6- to 8-inch pure white flowers of this Oriental lily almost light up gardens as they reflect the moonlight, and they are intensely fragrant. After the flowers bloom in June and July, you need to keep the stems and foliage up until the end of the season to ensure your lily buds have the energy they need to come back in the spring.

10. Night phlox

Night phlox (Zaluzianskya ovata), native to South Africa, blooms in summer with a honey-almond and vanilla scent. The small white flowers open in the evening and close during the day, displaying their purplish red backs. Use in flower beds, containers, and rock gardens near outdoor seating to enjoy a sweet scent.

11. Fake orange

Mock orange (Philadelphus x virginalis) is a low-maintenance shrub with an upright, sprawling habit. The common name is the genus of flowers From the sweet scent, it resembles orange blossoms. Flowers appear in late spring on previous year's growth, so prune immediately after flowering. The flowers reflect the moonlight and their fragrance is stronger at night.