Moon garden

White reflects better than darker colors, therefore choosing plants with white blooms work well for a moon garden. Paler blues and purples may also show in the gloom. Silvery foliage, such as those you would find in Mediterranean or arid climates, reflects in low light levels. A moon garden is not just about sight, but about all the senses. Strong scents, the feeling of a breeze, or sound of movement will enhance the experience of a garden during the evening or night. Nighttime pollinators, such as moths and bats, are attracted to blooms open at night, strong scents and reflectiveness, and may be visible or audible in the garden. The moon garden's attraction to moths is said to be the night version of a butterfly garden. Water elements might include a small trickling fountain to create soft sounds or reflect light with movement. A moon-gazing pond or birdbath of still water can reflect the Moon—the nighttime equivalent of a reflecting pool. Low levels of landscape lighting can be appropriate, such as fairy lights for mood lighting, or solar LED lights to illuminate walkways. Electric lighting can create special effects using techniques such as uplighting and silhouetting. Striking features in daylight might disappear at night; they can be lit for nighttime focal points, or a new focal point can be chosen and illuminated. Fireflies are attracted to darker gardens. == Plants suited for moon gardens ==

Certain flowers and plants with specific colors and nocturnal habits are suited to moon gardens. Among these, lilies, angel's trumpet, == Night bloomers ==

Some of the night-blooming plants have names indicating this behavior, such as four o'clocks, evening primrose, night phlox, and moonflower. Other night-blooming flowers include foamflower, tuberose, night-blooming cereus, night-blooming lotus, night gladiolus, Nottingham catchfly, and chocolate daisy. The citron daylily, unlike most day lilies, opens in midafternoon and stays open through the night. File:White Mirabilis flower.jpg|Four o'clocks File:Oenothera biennis FWS-00.jpg|Evening primrose File:Ipomoea alba270483816.jpg|Moonflower File:Night Blooming Cereus Blossom.JPG|Night-blooming cereus File:2 Nymphaea Tropical Night-Blooming Water Lily, Waterlily, Tiger Lotus (Nymphaea lotus).jpg|Night-blooming lotus == Night scents ==

While daytime pollinators use vision to locate their sources of nectar, night pollinators such as moths and bats have poor vision and operate in low light levels. Therefore they are attracted to strongly scented blossoms. In response to changing light levels, plants such as Night-scented stock (Matthiola longipetala) pump cells to open blooms as night falls, and close up again when daylight returns. Gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides) put out stronger scents at night, and night-blooming jessamine (Cestrum nocturnum) has such a strong scent it is recommended to plant it a bit away from the house. == Silver foliage ==

Silver-leafed plants are good reflectors and contrast for low light levels, such as silver ragwort (Senecio cineraria), Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens), and several plants in the Artemisia family. File:Dusty miller -- Jacobaea maritima 'Silverdust'.jpg|Jacobaea maritima 'Silverdust' File:Ornamental Texas sage in bloom.jpg|Texas sage File:Artemisia absinthium 01.JPG|Artemisia absinthium File:Starr 031001-2122 Artemisia mauiensis.jpg|Artemisia mauiensis File:0 Stachys byzantina - Yvoire (2).JPG|Lamb's ear == Notable gardens ==

, Fort Myers, Florida Gardens open to the public which have moon gardens, and notable gardens originally designed and constructed with a moon garden, include: • Mehtab Bagh in India • Sonnenberg Gardens in New York • Four Arts Botanical Gardens in Florida • Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Florida • Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens in Texas • The Gardens on Spring Creek in Colorado • San Francisco Botanical Garden in California == Other uses of the term ==

Sometimes a garden is named a 'moon garden' because it features a significant structural element such as a moon gate, moon window, or moon bridge, however the purpose there is different than a garden designed for nighttime experience. Moon gates and moon windows are constructed to frame a view, have a cultural or spiritual meaning, or may symbolically represent the Moon. Moon bridges are usually ornamental and placed so their half-circular shape reflects into still water making a full circle which symbolizes the Moon. 'Planting by the signs' is often called 'moon gardening' because scheduling planting, cultivating, and harvesting of crops is based on moon phases. == See also ==