A Night Garden

Does this sound familiar? Its one of the hottest days of a long hot summer and, to make matters worse,
you had to work late. Youre finally home, dinner is over and the clearing up is done. Its time to take a
cold drink and sit on the deck to enjoy the garden and cool off. You settle back in a comfortable chair and
look around at ... absolutely nothing! Oh sure, you can see a couple of dark lumps of something that are
probably flowering plants but thats about it. What a
disappointment!
Work schedules, sweltering summer days that keep us inside until
the evening, entertaining outside: - these are all things that have
increased our use of the garden at night; but many of our gardens
arent designed to be at their best at night. If yours is one of
these, maybe you should consider creating a night garden.
Whether you decide to start from scratch and build a garden that
is at its best at night, or if you would prefer to make changes to an
existing garden to improve its appearance after the sun goes
down, we hope this article will provide some ideas that will help you with your project.
Location, Location, Location: The first step in deciding on the best
location for your new garden is to determine what its main use will
be. Will you be doing a lot of entertaining, or does your family eat
outside during the summer? If thats the case a location that
provides enough space for a group of people and that has easy
access to the living room and kitchen/dining area makes sense. If you
want an evening sanctuary to recover from your busy day, think of
locating it outside the master bedroom, or even away from the
house. Locating it near an existing seating area such as a veranda or
deck, will make sure you can sit and enjoy your night garden.
Remember, views and vistas that you cant see arent an asset in a night garden, and wide open spaces
can feel threatening in the dark, so a natural enclosure or sheltered area in your yard might be the
perfect spot.
Hardscaping: Hardscaping is a catch-all term that refers to everything in the garden other than the
plants. Wherever possible, use light
colours as they will reflect what light
there is. As noted above, the night
garden should have a seating area
and, if its located away from the
house, will benefit from some kind
of shelter. A light coloured arbor or
gazebo can provide this, and also act
as a focal point. Speaking of focal
points, like all gardens a night
garden needs one or two. A light
coloured statue, bird bath or a path
of light coloured material will draw
the eye into the garden. Or try a
path constructed of dark material
and edged with light. This can give
the illusion of water running through
the garden, and a garden at night
should be a place of illusion and
magic.

Let There be Light: But exercise restraint, youre not lighting Versailles. The first consideration for light in
the night garden is safety. No garden is enhanced by the sound of Aunt Bessies in the pond again
ringing through the night. Pathways, steps and ponds need to be
illuminated. The best way to do this is with a wash of light at ground
level. You want to light the feature, not shine light into the eyes of
someone approaching.
There are three types of decorative lighting that you will want in your
night garden. The first is the normal decorative outdoor fixtures. This
is the only type of lighting where the actual light source is easily
visible, and includes outdoor lanterns, candles etc. This type of
Safety lighting
lighting should be limited to no
more than around 25% of the
decorative lighting in your garden. The next type of decorative lighting
to consider is ambient light. The goal is to give an over-all glow to the
garden, as if it were bathed in moonlight. This can be achieved by
downlighting, a technique where the light source is located
overhead with the light beam shining down and widening out.
Uplighting is an effective means of lighting focal points in your
garden. The lighting source is located Downlighting provides an over-all glow
at the base of the object and gives a
beam of light directly on the item you want to show off. Remember not
to get carried away and have too many focal points in your garden!
You can also bring the illusion of light to the night garden by using
reflective materials. Experiment with silvery metal finishes and consider
using a mirror placed on a fence or screen.
Accent a focal point

Turn up the Volume: Sight is the primary sense engaged in the garden during the day; however, at night
sight is limited, and the night garden must appeal to our other senses. Bring
sound into the garden with a fountain or waterfall. It doesnt have to be large
and elaborate.
Wind is also a source of sound. There is a wide variety of wind chimes
available, from those with deep rich tones to those with the sound of tinkling
bells that will add interest to your night garden. Incorporate grasses and trees
and shrubs in your plantings and hear them rustle in the evening breeze. A
path made of pebbles will produce a crunching sound when walked on.
Can You Smell That? Smell is the most evocative of our senses. Have you ever smelled something that
suddenly took you back to your childhood? The part of the brain that governs our sense of smell, the
limbic system, is also responsible for memory. A night garden should be a fragrant garden. Well be
talking about choosing plants for their fragrance as well as their appearance; however, there are other
ways to bring fragrance into
your garden. Fill containers with
annuals that are fragrant at
night and position them beside a
bench at nose height. Plant
fragrant herbs between patio stones,
or use them to edge pathways.
Use shredded cedar bark or pine
needles to surface pathways or
to mulch flowerbeds.

Planting the Night Garden: Ill bet you thought wed never get there! In general youre going to be
choosing plants with white or light coloured (pale pink, pale yellow) flowers. Light, silvery blues and lilacs
can also work. If your garden is a sunny one during the day add some brighter colours, or you will find
that it looks washed out in the bright light. Look for plants with variegated foliage, which gives the
illusion of light dappling the leaves, or gray foliage that shines in the dark. Dont forget to include plants
for their fragrance, especially those that are fragrant at night.
If trees are part of your garden plan, those with white or silver bark, such as
the Paper Bark Birch (Betula papyrifero) will provide a luminous background.
The Yellowwood (Cladrastis lutea) has light silver gray bark, but the fragrant
white wisteria-like blooms are its main feature.
Yellowwood

Paper Bark Birch

Shrubs can be used to enclose the space, and make it feel safe and intimate.
Consider one of the variegated dogwoods, such as Cornus kousa Wolf Eyes.
Rosa rugosa Blanc Double de Coubert may not have interesting foliage, but
its fragrant white flowers are glorious. Keep deadheading and it will flower
all summer.
Variegated Chinese
Dogwood

Moonflower

Madonna Lily

Rose 'Blanc Double

de Coubert'

The Moonflower (Ipomoea alba) is a vine that produces large white fragrant
blooms that open at night, and is a must for the night garden. The
Moonflower is an annual; however, if you prefer a perennial vine that
returns reliably every year consider the Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis
terniflora). The small, white star-shaped flowers are delicately scented. If
you decide to grow this vine make sure you have a strong support for it,
because its a big one!
There are a number of perennials and hardy bulbs that deserve a place in the
night garden. One of the most fragrant is the Madonna Lily (Lilium
candidum), that flowers in late spring/early summer. Unfortunately it is
attractive to the red lily beetle, so you need to be vigilant, but its worth it for
the wonderful scent. Try growing white or light coloured garden Phlox (Phlox
paniculata). There are a lot to choose from. In addition to a long period of
bloom and a delicate fragrance, they attract butterflies.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

Phlox 'David

If your night garden is shady during the day, the White Bleeding Heart
(Dicentra spectabilis Alba) will light it up both day and night with masses of
white flowers in the spring. The only negative feature of this lovely plant is
its disappearance when the heat of summer sets in. And can you ever have
too many hostas? Their variegated foliage brings the illusion of light into the
night garden.
Bleeding Heart

Hosta

Dont forget about annuals. Old fashioned Nicotiana (Nicotiana

sylvestris) is sweetly scented at night, but dont be tempted by the many
hybrids. They may be colourful but they dont have that fragrance.
Datura has white or pale, very fragrant flowers and could be a good
choice for those containers flanking the bench. Be careful, its poisonous!
Nicotiana

Datura

There are a number of more unusual tender bulbs that are fragrant at
night and would also be suitable for those containers by the bench. Try
Gladiolus callianthus (previously called Acidanthera) or Spider Lily
(Hymenocallis festalis) and breathe deeply.
Spider Lily

Gladiolus callianthus

If you would like a comprehensive list of plants for the night garden, please e-mail us at
mggreycounty@gmail.com

Enjoy!

Prepared by Grey County Master Gardeners for use by home gardeners & community groups.
For other use please e-mail mggreycounty@gmail.com Feb. 2017 JC