We are only far enough along to have moonflower as our one and only. Hopeful to try brugmansia next year.

BTW, have you noticed HUGE moths visiting your moonflowers? We've seen some bigger than hummingbirds.

Brassavola nodosa comes to mind.....

aren't those called cecropia moths or hummingbird moths? they're amazing!

A dainty relative of 4 o'clock is Mirabilis longiflora. White flowers with violet-purple anthers, like a small Mirabilis jalapa = 4 o'clock, but with a longer tube. It is a scandent plant, and likes some branches to use for support, drape itself on. Otherwise it sort of flops on the ground. Some years I plant it in the ground, this year it is in a large pot. Native to the arid Southwest it has a big, rough-barked tuberous root that must be stored indoors over winter. I've had mine for more than 6 years so you see how easy it is to keep it over the winter. And why I have only one . The seed came from Monticello, so I guess Thomas Jefferson grew it.

night blooming cereus (Botanical name Cerus grandiflorus)(Hylocereus undatus) it is in the Epiphyllum family and is breathtaking... blooms usually in August after dark... its a one night stand per bloom... smells dlicately sweet... check it out...
See article "What a Little Moonlight Can Do, Revealing a side of the garden that only comes out at night" at
wysiwyg://189/http://homearts.com/depts/garden/botanica/57botafl.htm
check out these other links... hope they work... i collected several while researching this plant
http://www.botanical.combotanical/mgmh/c/cering48.htm
http://homearts.com/affil/gardb/plants/hylounda.htm
www.netasia.net/users/charleskeng/flower.htm

The Jasmine bush smells wondeful! I had a gardener send me seeds. What a nice surprise!

My favourite is the stock (matthiola) and the heliotrope, which should be smelled every summer night...white hesperis matronalis is also lovely.

Moonplant. Unfortunately, ours have completed the season!

I have a moonflower that I really have enjoyed. This is my first year for it but it has become a little invasive. I didn't know there were so many night blooming plants.

That moth is probably the clearwing hummingbird moth. They love the moonflower vine.

A couple of weeks ago, I was standing in a friend's yard early in the evening admiring the moonflower vine she had on a pergola. It was covered with blossoms. Suddenly, a clearwing appeared and in no time there were 5 of them. They are bold little guys -- I was wearing all white so I guess they thought I was a moonflower because they eventually were all over me! Such fun...

I agree, it is great fun to take a flashlight out at night and see all the moths darting around the moonflower vine. The sphinx moth's eyes glow like coals of fire! Here is a link I found about the moonflower that is really neat! I loved the moonflower poem.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moonchildren/moongarden

Mmmmmmm....Zaluzianskiana(sp?) 'Midnight Candy'...the later it gets, the stronger the scent.
Night blooming Jasmine & nicotiana also comes to mind.

Wanda

I grew Rainmaster petunia for the first time this year. It is white with slight lavender color at base and develops a stronger sweet odor at night. Moths love it.

Brugmansia, I think. I bring mine indoors in the winter, and they bloom regularly about every 6-8 weeks. I've started growing different colors this year, and they're not equally fragrant, though. But on the other hand, the fragrant Nicotianas waft much more at night, and mine are perennial here - they die back to the ground every winter but the roots survive.

MY favourite has to be the evening primrose! I got a pink variety, but I don't think it's the same thing. Also white irises.

-Audric

I like sages (Salvias) and Artemisia (various species) for the silvery color of the leaves. The contrast to the darker foliage is more stimulating and interesting than the plain dark foliage alone. White roses and white raspberry flowers are good at night also.

Lee AKA Fireraven9
Great woods, you frighten me like cathedrals;
You howl like an organ; and our hearts of misery,
Rooms of eternal mourning where quiver ancient rattles,
Answer the echoes of your from the depths I've come to Thee.
- Charles Baudelaire, Obsession

I have many more beautiful but none more loved than my evening blooming stock. Brenda

Datura inoxia. I know when they open at night as they scent the entire area. Plus their color is almost sparkly, making them glow in the moonlight.

Good ol' fashioned four o'clocks - their fragrance is so yummy!

This year I had a small night garden on my patio. I hope to expand next year but this year I grew:

Night Phlox (Zaluzianskiana)
Nicotiana (tall white kind)
Moonflower (First bloom opened tonight!)
Acidanthera (Gladiolus callianthus)
Mirabilis jalapa (naturalized in my front yard)

Next year I want to try brugmansias, night-blooming jessamine, and have more of what I had this year.

Ross

I planted moon flowers for the first time this year. They are absolutly beautiful. I had no idea that there are moths that visit these flowers. I will plant them next year and cover my whole fence with them......thank you, people.
Thanks to you too Spike (you da man), for this MOON page.

Epiphylum Oxypetalum. Huge, mega-fragrant and as bright white as you can get. Last night I was wondering if one of the flowers had opened. I live on the third floor. By the time I reached the second floor, I had my answer ( on the wind!) In second place it's a three way tie between Night Stock, Night Phlox and Night Jasmine.

WOW, This is great..
Cindy Larson

Hi, My Favorite Night Bloomer is Mathiola Bicornis. During daytime there 's nothing special on it. But when evening comes... it's amazing how one little flower can fill the air with its wonderfull delicate scent. I sow them every year in pots to place them near windows so their scent can also fill my house.
Saya

Here is a link that might be useful: European GardenWeb

I grew about 25 angle trumpet-like flowers, with spikey seed pods next to my house. They were beautiful at night and very tall, but they attracted so many moths that I had to get rid of them. They scared the heck out of me when I watered. I have a few that pop up here and there from seed, but I keep them to a minimum.
I have my eye on the madonna lily. Expensive but so pretty. Anybody have it?

These are all great ideas. One I love that dosn't smell much is Ivory linnin poppy. It has light green almost silver foliage and almost glows in the dark. also the foliage of silver sage and veronica incana. The purple foliage of huskers red is a nice contrast during the day and the white flowers look like they are floating at night when the dark folliage fades away into the shadows. I need to plant more stuff for scent.

This is a great topic. I did a lot of reading and researching on it about 8 years when writing a book. I found precious little information about moon gardens. It's a shame since there's nothing better than getting out into the garden after dark with a glass of wine ... and don't you love the way night-time gives us a chance to activate all our other senses. Sight tends to be the bully of the senses - nothing like a bit of darkness to put in its place.
I spent a year or so doing my own research and growing. Here's a bit from my book that I thought you might find interesting:

"Among the best night-opening flowers are the lemon-scented blooms of evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), climbing moonflower (Ipomoea alba), night-scented stock (Matthiola bicornis), sweet white tobacco (Nicotiana alata), sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis) and the vanilla-scented postage stamp plant (Schizopetalon walkeri). Most of these are annuals to be planted each spring."

And what about some of the night-blooming cacti. Wow! Some bloom for just a single night - when they do its worth having a party ... or at least popping a bottle of bubbly. This is an area I would like to do more research on. Will get back to you on my results - may take a few years.

good old Garden Honeysuckle , Great with moonlight !

Hi, recently I just saw the most magneficient Jasmine Sambac Bonsai and decided I want to grow one myself. I currecntly have two very young Jasmine Sambac can canyone email with instructions of how should I start my Jasmine Bonsai???

LOVE

Cestrum Nocturnum is the Night Blooming Jasmine. Although it is not a true jasmine it is just simply wonderful. I first encountered it in Florida in 1976 at my Aunt's home. She had it planted by her back door. I was there for a visit and took cuttings. I still have descendents of those original cuttings and every time I smell the intoxicating fragrance of those flowers it reminds me of my favorite Aunt who is no longer living but was just as sweet as the Night Blooming Jasmine.

Anything from the genera Cereus, Hylocereus, and Selenicereus. All of them usually have a tasty fruit afterwards

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum! I've been growing moonvine for the past five years (one year the seeds didn't sprout and I was disappointed) and I love the fragrance! The flowers show up not too long before the frost, so I never got seeds from my vine.

Anyways, moonflower/moonvine, has to be my favorite night blooming plant (I'm vine crazy). Of course, my hoyas I grow (out of ten, only two have bloomed for me) they smelled stronger at night and did they ever smell good!

I'm getting cuttings of Epiphyllum oxypetalum (night-blooming cereus, queen-of-the-night) so it'll be awhile before I can smell those heavenly-scented flowers everyone talks about!

Brad AKA Moonwolf