Symphony for the Senses in a Night Oasis
I learned about the lure of a garden at night in a roundabout way.
About two years ago, as my twin 5-month-old sons and 4-year-old daughter slumbered, I looked out at my moon-drenched backyard and grimaced.
The bougainvillea had overrun the patio, and the roses cried out for pruning. Slipping outside, I began to trim. As I worked, I began to notice how calm it was. The crickets chirped, and the scent of night-blooming jasmine filled the air.
An hour had passed, and I’d completed the pruning. After that, whenever I could I’d sneak out and work, or simply sit and soak in the quiet serenity of the night.
During my sojourns into the night garden, I discovered a whole new world. The charm you’ll find in the after-hours garden is just not present in the light of day.
“The garden at night is mysterious, seductive and tranquilizing,” agrees Shirley Kerins, an Orange and Los Angeles county landscape architect who has created moonlight gardens.
“In daylight, you see everything; but at night, many plants and their flowers disappear into the shadows, leaving others highlighted, which is very alluring,” she says. “While blue and red flowers show up well during the day, they fade into the background at night, and white flowers and silvery foliage take center stage.”
“The great thing about the night garden is that, while there is the excitement of the unexpected, it’s in safe, familiar surroundings,” Kerins says.
The garden appears larger at night, and sounds seem amplified, which puts our senses on alert.
Traffic noise is subdued, and the sounds of the garden seem to come alive, says Marc LaFont, who enjoys his Santa Ana garden at night. If he’s not entertaining on a summer night, the graphic designer enjoys reading a good book alfresco, thanks to a light attached to the back of his favorite patio chair.
“At night, you hear insect noises that you don’t hear during the day,” he says. “The crickets come out and sing, and the frogs add to the concert.”
Plants, such as ornamental grasses, and certain trees sway in the breeze, creating a whispering sound.
Besides chirping insects, a number of busy moths visit the night garden, many to pollinate night-blooming flowers.
“Moths are our nighttime butterflies,” Kerins says. “Not only do they pollinate certain flowers, their dancing around adds a little bit of sparkle to the garden.”
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Because of their need to attract moths, many night-blooming flowers are very fragrant in the dark hours. Gardenias release their perfumey fragrance at night, as well as citrus, nicotiana, four o’clock (Mirabilis jalapa), white heliotrope (which smells like vanilla extract), winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima), which blooms in December and January with inconspicuous fragrant white flowers and tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa). Angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia) emits a much stronger, fruity fragrance at night because in its native habitat it attracts bats for pollination.
Besides blooming at night and releasing delicious fragrances, many plants reflect well in the moonlight, especially those with white flowers.
“With plants like night-blooming jasmine [Cestrum nocturnum], you have a plant that does double duty,” Kerins says. “Not only does it have a heady nighttime aroma, the white flowers also reflect the moonlight.”
The aptly named moonflower (Ipomoea alba) is a large, paper-thin, white flower that opens after dark, and each bloom lasts only one night. It appears to float in the air and also has a sweet scent. Unlike its rampant cousin, the morning glory, the moonflower tends to grow more slowly.
Other flowers that reflect moonlight include the iceberg rose, the bearded iris “Cascade Pass,” the potato vine (Solanum jasminoides), four o’clock (white and yellow), nicotiana (white), white bougainvillea, azalea “Alaska,” white wisteria, citrus, white heliotrope, the night-blooming cactus (Cereus peruvianus), white night-blooming waterlilies, white evening primrose (Oenothera caespitosa) and tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa).
Plants that have silvery foliage also reflect moonlight, including lavender, rosemary, Artemisia “Powis Castle,” some salvias, silver thyme, cardoon, artichoke, lamb’s ear and dusty miller, which glimmers in the moonlight.
Plants with light variegations in the foliage also show up well in the dark.
Other elements of the garden grab your attention at night, such as white- and light-colored statuary and other garden ornaments and accessories. Plants offset by a white wall are also easily seen in the moonlight.
“If you want the garden to stand out in the moonlight, choose garden ornaments that are made of light stone, granite or concrete,” says landscape architect Rik Katzmaier of Katzmaier Newell Kehr in Corona del Mar.
“A sculpture painted in lighter hues or stepping stones in light colors will reflect moonlight and almost glow,” he says.
To create an atmosphere in the night garden, it’s also a good idea to pay special attention to the trees in the landscape, Katzmaier says.
“In my own garden, I trim the trees to keep them open and airy so that the moonlight can shine through. The dappled light coming from the moon makes the garden a lot more visible in the evening, and, as a result, I get some nice shadows in the garden. When there’s a full moon, the area is almost as light as it is in the day.”
One element that enlivens a night garden is lighting. Done properly, lighting can give the landscape depth, says Richard Cohen, owner of Richard Cohen Landscape and Construction Inc. in Lake Forest.
“Lighting can be used to create moods in the garden,” he says. “You can make the outdoors look festive with bright lighting, or you can use more subdued lights that give an intimate, romantic effect. Different lighting can also be used in various areas of the garden, and many lights can be put on dimmers, so you can change the light’s intensity whenever you wish.”
Lighting also enables you to highlight certain plants and create shadow displays against walls. It can be used on top or under water.
Don Pollock’s Coto de Caza backyard benefited from Cohen’s lighting installations.
“My wife and I have our own home-based business as transportation freight forwarders,” he says. “We rarely vacation, but we entertain often.
“In the daytime, our backyard is a big party area. But at night, the outdoors is transformed into a private, cozy, retreat where my wife and I can unwind and relax.”
