Hi Alianna, I haven't taken any photos of my moon garden this season yet, I am waiting for the bulb foliage from the spring display to die back enough to remove it. I have a few photos from last years garden. The first one is around dusk. I lost a few plants over the winter, and I have added some new this spring so it is always changing and always fun....JoAnn

How lovely and peacful! Thank you for sharing!

I want to plant a moon garden that has a water feature and I am making chairs out of willow branches. I have a night blooming jasmine and moon vine so far. My husbnad and I want a place that we can go in the evenining to sit and talk or just watch the grass and the garden grow.

If I may ask; what types of water plants would work best for a moon garden?

I'd go for tropical night-blooming water lilies. You'll need to bring them inside for the winter, though, since they won't be hardy in your zone.

Hum.. that would be great! Now, just to find them! LOL

Thanks a ton!

Sorry I couldn't help, I haven't delved into that obsession yet, ENJOY! I am sure the watergarden forum should be able to help with a source. I only have received a catalog from Lilypons...but that was a while ago and I don't recall the contents of it. Happy Gardening

JustJoeyGirl~ Could you please identify the flowers in your pics for me? What a beautiful moon garden! :)

Judy

Judy, thanks for asking. I know I will probably forget some of what is in there..I'll give you a quick rundown of what I remember off the top of my head. Someday I will remember to go out there and take a real inventory. I'll come back and add to the list if there is anything I forget.

Shrubs: Lilac, Seven Son's Flower, Bayberry, Burning bush, Clethera Hummingbird, Mockorange Minnesota Snowflake, Hibuscus Blue River II. Tree Peony Godaishu.

Roses: Blanc Double de Coubert (?), Iceberg.

Clematis: Henryi, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Arctic Queen.

Bulbs: Daffodils: Cassata, Polar Ice, Obdam, Mount Hood, Actaea, Mont Blanc, some others, I off the top of my head I don't recall. Siberian Squill..Muscari, iris reticulata, crocus Jeane D'Arc, tulip Calgary, ipheon, fritilaria Melagris, scilla alba and Spring Beauty. Allum Christophii. White Asiatic lilies, Casablanca Oriental lilies, Lilium Candidum, Madonna Lilies. Formanosanum lilies. Camassia. I am sure I have a lot more spring bulbs, but off the top of my head, I can't recall them..they are long past with perennials and annuals now.

Bearded Iris: Mesmerizer, Play with Fire, Blenheim Royal, a couple of others, name escapes me at the moment. ( You know, this is making me feel old here....can't recall things I know off the top of my head, ha ha ha)

Perennials: Here's just a quick list, I know I'll forget some of them. cimifuga Hillside Black Beauty, Eupatorium Chocolate, Phlox David, Boltonia Snowbank, baptisia Alba and Purple Smoke, Obedient Plant Miss Manners, Astilbe Snowdrift, Lamium White Nancy, Bloodroot, Dogtooth lily, arum Italicum ( new, I haven't seen it yet) geranium Splish Splash Johnson's Blue and Rozanne and macrorhyzome Alba, dianthus Taylor and a few others I don't know the name of along with a matlike dianthus that sends up flowers on thin wiry stems..forgot the name. Anemone Vestal, Honorine Jobert. White Pasque flower, Lupine, Noble White, Verbascum Flush of White, Helebore Niger, Sedum Murale and Frosty Morn, Chrysanthemum Christine Haggeman, Daisy Becky and May Queen, Campanula Alba, Tradescantia Snow-something....peonies: festiva maxima, bowl of cream and one other..you got it, I forgot the name. Bronze fennel, yarrow, arabis, veronica Icicle, coneflower White Swan, moss phlox- white, mallow Alba, artemesia Queen something and powis castle, white bleeding hearts, snow in summer, centaurea montana, monarda Cambridge Scarlet, garden mum Nicole, probably more....I am going to try to print this when I am done...I haven't really taken inventory before.

Annuals: Moonflower, Geranium, verbena, portulaca, petunia, alyssum, impatiens, cleome ( vicious reseeder) nicotiana, lantana, cosmos, bacopa and calibrocia. ( I probably wont use calibrocia anymore, it doesn't work for me) salvia, again..maybe a few more that escape me right now...but that is a good start for you.

I find some things come and go....like I will probably take out the bayberry shrubs..nice fragrance to the leaves and the berries are nice, but they are too 'green' for the white garden. I'll trim the burning bush..it has gotten too big. I wanted it for contrast the red with the white..I have a Henryi clematis growing up through it. I lost my Royal Wedding Poppies, my frittilaria Persica Ivory Bells this year too.

If you have any suggestions, I'm open to them...I love the evolution of this garden, it is always changing.. it does have it's moments where it is more green than white, when it is in between major blooming, but I am working on that. I hope to take some new pictures soon...I am just getting rid of the yellowing foliage from some of the spring bulbs and mulching some more. Thanks for asking..ha ha ha...sorry you did? Happy Gardening....JoAnn

See, forgot already: add dusty miller and Jacob's Ladder, also Salvia MayNight and a white perennial Salvia too....you guessed it, forgot the name!

I'm attempting to sart a minature "Moon Garden" (minature meaning 2 or 3 plants around the hot tub :) ) But I like the Nicotania I put in a pot. It's called White Cloud, it opens before dusk and smells like narcisiss (sp). The plant itself kind of looks liks a weed.
I was teasing my boyfriend about it, telling him that I potted up a dandelion.

Heather

OOOOOOHHHH, I want a moon garden!!! Let's see, where can I put a moon garden.....

Joann, just beautiful. Your garden has inspired me to make a moon garden too. Can you post a separate pic of your Seven Son's Flower? I just got one this year, and am anxious for it to grow. It will take time of course, so I'll curtail my impatience with admiring yours. LOL.

Anita, I am anxiously awaiting for mine to flower for the first time..it has been there two seasons. I do not see any buds on it as of yet, not that I know what I am looking for. I know it flowers late summer, so if it is going to flower this year, maybe the buds are yet to come. I can take a photo of the foliage of it if you like, but that is not much to look at. I bought mine from Klehm's Song Sparrow Nursery. I hope it doensn't take too many seasons to flower...do you know anything about how old it has to be for it to flower? Mine is about three feet tall maybe a little taller. It is just peeking over the top of my Mock Orange and Phlox David. I can hardly wait too, I know the feeling. The picture in the catalog looked lovely and the fragrance they describe did it for me.

Enjoy moon gardening...I love mine..I'll have to try to take another full picture of it..the Asiatic lilies are blooming, with the monarda and the lilium Regale Alba .. It smells wonderful here..the scent of the lilies just fills the air. I find it fun to search out different white flowers and find a space to squeeze them in.

What a gorgeous garden. I want one too, but I don't have that kind of space. I've got a corner city lot. I want to do something on a smaller scale around my hammock swing set (old wood swing set with hammock chairs and no swings). This is where I like to hang out after work. I could be there all night long if my husband would leave me be. I would like some winter interest in it if possible, but I can't afford to drop a lot of money. So it is slow going whenever I start something. I love asiatic lilies so I picked up a Casa Blanca, StarGazer and a Lollypop. They all have white in them and so will do well in the dark I hope. I am a little hesitant buying plants this year since the last two winters have been HORRIBLE for even well established shrubs around here. This area has morning sun till about noon and it against the side of the garage and also a small section of chain link fence that seperates my hammock area from the cement patio area, so it can be viewed from two different angles. Hardy, fragrant, and inexpensive are the keys here. I am willing to wait to complete my garden and I am more than happy to fill in with annuals until I can do so. Are there any absolute must haves that I should start with in order to make sure to have room for them? There are a few spots where it gets sun till maybe 1/2. Any advice is appreciated. -Kallie

Hi Kallie, I wouldn't say there are must haves, the only thing must have is that you like it. Hardy, inexpensive and fragrant are great requirements. In my garden I try for primarily white flowers, now adding white foliage by way of hosta to prolong the light in the garden when things are not in bloom. Asiatic lilies are great, bloom before the Orientals. Asiatics are generally inexpensive and bloom for a long time, I don't find them fragrant though, at least not like the trumpets or the Orientals. I see you listed Lollypop, that is an Asiatic, it blooms first here for me..then followed by the Stargazer which is an Oriental and fragrant, later in the season my Casa Blanca open, my favorite lily. Actually I can't say that, Madonna lilies are wonderful too. I think annuals carry the show alot, so I use a lot of them too. You can count on them to reflect the light..expecially the shiny white impatiens. Any way you look at it or do it, I am sure you'll enjoy it.

The thing is, if you are looking for constant white in bloom you need to vary what you have in there..for the most part, annuals bloom all summer long, so if you have favorite shrubs or scents include them. If it were me I'd chose my Dwarf Mockorange Minnesota Snowflake, blooms for a long time, entire shrub covered in deliciously fragrant double white blooms. Maybe a white peony, some white daffodils for the spring..Mt Hood, Polar ice, Colblanc, maybe some frittilaria melagris alba...all not too expensive if you start out slow. White iris are pretty, stand out and are inexpensive. There are white garden mums for later in the season, and of course there are the annuals, just about everything comes in white ( ok, an exageration, but there are a lot) Just be mindful of your sun/shade/moisture and mature plant size when planting. Of course, the moonflower is not to be left out, you should experience it at least once. ( Annual vine ) Well, good luck, hope this helps somewhat...JoAnn

joey, beautiful garden. i guess i just never knew the extent of a moon garden. your hard work has certainly paid off, it's abolutely gorgeous and i am amazed at the number of plants you have in it. what is it's size? and maybe on unknowing bit of information on my part - is a moon garden specifically white flowers?

again, beautiful gardens!

I just stumbled onto this thread. What great joy!
It's good to see a pic of a moon garden at dusk - keeps me on track.
Yesterday DH took me plant shopping at my fave place - I got a wagon load of the following for $50 - they have the best year end sales!
DH just finished our patio pond and waterfall which is underneath a weeping hemlock. He finished the patio pavers earlier this month w/ reclaimed brick & will put new sod down on the opposite 1/2 of the patio. I will be looking for a tree to plant on that end - maybe a dogwood.
So for around the pond and down the side of the patio to the sod I got:

lots of ferns
Fair Bianca rose nestled amongst the ferns
some green ground cover w/ tiny white flowers around the front of the pond (I forget the name)
Golden Sage
white dianthus
white salvia
Powis Castle
Summer Snow
Frosty Morn Sedum
Elderberry Sambucus to tuck a bird bath in
White Iris

Already there:
Sally Holmes trained on the 6' chain link fence which is smothered in Grandpa Otts Morning Glory (deep velvety purple) - I live in town so it gives great privacy!
Wisteria also growing on fence
Another climbing white rose whose name is completely escaping me right now

Hi all, sorry, I've not visited this forum in a bit. Busy busy busy...but who isn't. I just added a new hosta garden and have been busy with that project too. I added some lovely Loyalist hosta to my white garden this year..I think when they fill out a bit more they will have a nice impact too.

Glad so see more of you are bitten by another evening bug besides mosquitos..ha ha ha. Good luck with your moongardens. I use mainly white flowers, some variegated foliage, gray silver foliage, or dark foliage for contrast. I like fragrant flowers and find many white flowers are beautifully fragrant, some especially in the evening. It is what you want to make it. Big or small...flowers, bulbs, shrubs, foliage etc. It is whatever makes YOU smile. I find that white gardens are crisp and classy during the day, and magical in the evening. Sometimes I am the only one there at that special time when the flowers seem to hover, but I like it. It is great to share.

My white garden is probably ( and this is a guess..15 feet at it's widest point, and maybe somewhere in the lentgh of 25 or so feet) I should measure it. Thanks for enjoying it. This year the drought here has really taken a toll on it, and my other gardens as well. No real pictures of it..between being busy and it not being at it's picture taking best. I don't really water it much, maybe a bit in the spring, but since we are on a well, we conserve water. This is the first real problem year for it..I am hopeful next year will bring more summer rains. We haven't had real rain since June and the weather has been in the 90's for months straight.

T todd, you are on your way, it sounds lovely just the way it is..can you post some pictures? I find my garden ever evolving. I should try to get out there and snap a few shots anyway..the Honorine Jobert should be blooming soon, as well as the moonflowers and the chocolate Eupatorium.

Good Luck and have fun...JoAnn

So beautiful and enchanting. Its like a garden of fairy. How I wish I have my moon garden.