How Does Your Garden Glow?

Creating a moon garden is easy and affordable. The result is an unexpected delight on a balmy summer night.

- Elizabeth Millard

Most gardens take the night off. Flowers close up, leaves curl in and day-bright areas hunker down to become dark expanses during the evening hours. But some plants are on the opposite schedule. As soon as the sun sets, they open up and share their luminous color that’s especially beautiful in moonlight.

Called “moon gardens,” these spaces are ideal next to patios, porches and gazebos where you might do a good deal of nighttime entertaining. Or you could mix moon-garden plants among the daytime bloomers so that your landscape flowers around the clock. Either way, look for blossoms or foliage that are pure white or light colored and tend to flourish at night.