“August brings into sharp focus and a furious boil everything I’ve been listening to in the late spring and summer.” Henry Rollins. “August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.” Sylvia Plath. “The month of August had turned into a griddle where the days just lay there and sizzled.” Sue Monk Kidd. “In August, the large masses of berries, which, when in flower, had attracted many wild bees, gradually assumed their bright velvety crimson hue, and by their weight again bent down and broke the tender limbs.” Henry David Thoreau. “If June was the beginning of a hopeful summer, and July the juice middle, August was suddenly feeling like the bitter end.” Sarah Dessen. “The month of August holds the promise of golden sunsets, reminding us to find beauty in every ending.” Alice Walker.
Savor the garden at night. If you love escaping to the garden after the sun sets, it’s time to create a beautiful night-time garden to enjoy. There’s something magical about a nighttime garden. Whether you’re strolling through your yard on a late-night dog walk, chasing fireflies with the kiddos, or searching the skies for a shooting star, the night garden offers a beautiful escape! Sitting by the pool sipping an after-dinner co*cktail, or roasting marshmallows at the firepit with your family, enjoying the garden at night offers a soothing transition to unwind from a hectic day.
While we carefully plan color palettes and garden design for front yard curb appeal, how often do we consider creating a garden that shines when the sun goes down? Some gardeners create a “moon garden,” planting white flowers that reflect moonlight. But a nighttime garden creates even more beauty to enjoy.
Try adding plants with variegated foliage and light-colored flowers that reflect moonlight. Fragrant flowers, comfortable seating, outdoor lighting, and water features all help add ambiance to a night garden. And, as temperatures continue to rise, you may find yourself spending more time in the cooler night garden than during sweltering summer days.
Plants in a night garden lean toward light-colored flowers and variegated foliage. In addition to white plants, choose flowers in lighter shades of yellow, pink, orange, or silvery blue—as well as white. Light-colored flowers shine in the moonlight, brightening your night garden, but the varied hues also look lovely by day.
Along with flowers, choose shrubs with interesting, variegated foliage in shades of white, yellow, and light green. When flowers fade, the lovely leaves offer secondary interest, glowing in the moonlight. You can also add plants with silvery leaves to create lightness and dimension in the night garden. Balance the design with an assortment of shrubs, perennials, annuals, and vines to reflect light and create intrigue in the night garden.
As darkness falls and vision becomes obscured, other senses heighten. Perfume the night air! Fragrant flowers create luscious scents to enjoy as you relax in the garden. Known to reduce stress and encourage restful sleep, aromatherapy helps you relax from the day’s busy-ness and unwind before bed. Lounging in a night garden filled with fragrance makes the perfect pre-sleep ritual.
Invite wildlife into the night garden. The rustle of grasses and leaves, as well as the subtle splashing of water, also adds to a rich sensory environment in the night garden. A pond or fountain not only reflects light from the moon, but you may also spy evening visitors in the garden.
When the sun dips below the horizon, nocturnal creatures come out to play—and adding a water source to the garden not only attracts birds and pollinators during the day, it also encourages evening visitors like opossums, racoons, owls, and bats to your garden.
Particularly during summer droughts, wildlife need clean sources of water, and your evening visitors will appreciate a sip from your pond or fountain. If you’re concerned about mosquitoes breeding in a pond, add a few fish to snack on the larvae.
Did you know that one small brown bat can consume more than 6,000 mosquito-sized insects in a night? So, if you see a bat flitting through your nighttime garden, relax and enjoy the free pest control!
Select plants for a vibrant, fragrant night garden. While you’ll find thousands of plants that look lovely in a night garden, select a few favorites with variegated foliage, light-colored blooms, and fragrant flowers to get you started.
This fact sheet is provided as an educational service of the National Garden Bureau (www.ngb.org/night-garden) .
“For this world in its present form is passing away.” 1 Corinthians 7:31. “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.” Psalm 8:1. “Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2. “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. [Jesus said] “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16. “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130. “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light...” Ephesians 5:8.
Eddie Seagle is a Sustainability Verifier, Golf Environment Organization (Scotland), Agronomist and Horticulturalist, CSI: Seagle (Consulting Services International) LLC, Professor Emeritus and Honorary Alumnus (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College), Distinguished Professor for Teaching and Learning (University System of Georgia) and Short Term Missionary (Heritage Church, Moultrie). Direct inquiries to csi_seagle@yahoo.com.
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