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ahrey_smith_gw

Texas moon garden suggestions?

Ahrey_Smith
21 years ago

I am fairly new to Texas gardening and am considering a moon garden just off my patio so I can enjoy my garden when I am home ... actually have to work during the day (Why can't I be as rich as I am dead sexy?):)

Anyhow, I have thick clay soil w/about 3"-4" of compost tilled in. full sun in the front of the bed and partial shade in the back. I also love butterflies, moths, and fireflies.

I am planting a white crepe myrtle in the front corner of the bed and some lily-of-the-nile along a path through the middle.

Any other suggestions?

Comments (7)

  • burntplants
    21 years ago

    Moonflowers: morning glories grow so well here they're sometimes invasive---moonflowers are slower to take off, but still do well and grow easily from seed.

    White roses: Hybrid Teas take a lot of care, but TAMU-designated Earthkind roses take minimal care beyond sun and water. run a websearch on "Texas Earthkind" and you should find it. There are many shrub and old fashioned roses that do well here.
    Ducher is a china rose I've had lots of luck with, and it blooms and keeps it's leaves all winter, too. If you have room for a large climber, Madame Alfred Carriere is one of the best smelling roses ever. Perle D'or is a pale peach polyantha that fades to white in the summer and it's fragrance wafts at night. checkout http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/searchPlants.php?noreset
    to find pics and info about these roses.

    Texas Sage: ok, not a sage, or a flower, but this shrub has gray foliage and wonderful lavender flowers in spring. The foliage really shows up at night. It's a low-water plant that comes in different sized varieties.

    White Petunias: these annuals are great in the Spring, but burn in August.

    Sweet Alyssum: easy to grow from seed, this annual will last into the winter.

    Varigate Liriope: fairly bullet-proof ornamental, grass-looking plant that has purpe flowers like little grape hyacinths in the spring. Easy to see at night and this perennial makes a nice edging material.

    Most of these are full sun, except liriope.

  • fishies
    21 years ago

    Do you like cacti?

    There are many, many varieties of white-fuzzied cacti that would grow well in Texas. With a rock garden and some cacti, you could have an ecologically sound garden that requires minimal watering AND abundant beauty to boot. You could do a whole japanese garden / feng shui thing - you know, with dry river beds and such. Man, I wish I lived in the south...

  • Arcadian
    21 years ago

    Read The Moonlit Garden by Scott Ogden (Taylor Publishing, 1998). It has 136 pages of esthetically thoughtful and sensitively written suggestions for moon gardens. All of them are suitable for Austin. For what it is worth, my favorite moon garden plant is a white Brugmansia. Its flowering cycles seem to coincide with the full moon, and it opens its white trumpets fully at night and fills the air with an intoxicating fragrance.

    Arcadian
    Hidalgo County, Texas

  • Taranymph
    20 years ago

    Enjoy some herbs, too. Rosemary, basil, mint, catnip. I love the smell of my garden, all year. Fragrance in the evening is lovely. Just got creamed by a freeze two weeks ago and a hail storm (size of double golf balls!) but at least my herb seedlings and older plants are okay.
    Taranymph, Dallas, TX

  • Mary_Jane_in_Calif
    20 years ago

    Just planted new flowers in my long flower box and urns on my patio. I decided to do whites and used white vincas, white pentas, polka dot plant in white, and white bower vine on the trellis which is attached to the long flower box. I also planted pale, pale lavendar verbena with the white eye in the two urns and I put white metal candle stakes into all of the planters. All look great since I hooked up a patio drip system (LOVE IT) with a timer. I know these plant selections may seem rather unexciting but it is very hot here in the Central Valley and I didn't want to put a lot of money into something that might not survive in July/August heat. They are all doing wonderfully thanks to the drip system and now I don't have to worry about losing my plants if I get distracted and forget to water. Oh, I also forgot to mention that I surrounded the patio with twinkle lights that have little frosted flower shaped shades (Walmart) and hung them in a scalloped fashion around the perimeter of the patio.

    I know you mentioned that you wanted suggestions for off your patio, but perhaps you can use some of these ideas...

  • AmberSky
    20 years ago

    "Snow on the mountain" has great white and burgandy foliage.
    "Yesterday Today, and Tomorrow" has blooms that start dark purple, go to lavender, then to white, as they age.
    White butterfly ginger would want some of the shade thatthe crepe gives, but it takes more sun than most gingers, and is very fragrant.
    Night Blooming Jasmine is a really nice moongarden plant.

  • bluebonnett
    20 years ago

    I'll add some of my favorites.... *Artemisa Powis Castle, silver foliage, mounding growth easily trimed, and clean fresh fragrance. *Althea (Rose of Sharon) in white or sky blue, makes a nice patio tree. For a tropical look, *Cannas in clear yellow or orange/yellow. I grow Cannas in large pots that I can move around. *Coleus (bright lime green with burgandy center)looks great at night too.I also keep the Coleus in pots so I can move them. I have a set of small wooden shutters that I painted lime green and they make a great backdrop to show case plants in pots, on my deck or front porch.These plants are pretty by day and evening. And of course the wonderful white *Moonflowers.You can use several colors that show up at night.
    I live in the country on several acres with one security light and it's a little dark in some areas when the moon isn't out. I use inexpensive lights, like the rope lights for accents. (A little goes a long way.) I got mine at Home Depot. Happy gadening! Jean

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