Download Night Lights

Night
Lights
Plant a garden of bright blooms and glowing foliage for after-hours enjoyment.
> By Susan Davis Price
T
he long evenings of summer invite us outside. It is
the season to take advantage of nocturnal warmth
and soft light. What better way to enjoy these outdoor opportunities than to plan a garden for nighttime beauty? In the late
hours, twilight lingers and white and silvery flowers shine on
cloudy or moonlight evenings. Night-blooming plants often
release intoxicating scents more intense than those in daytime
heat. Gentle breezes stir grasses and trees. After a day in the
office, a moonlit garden offers a bit of magic.
Bright Blooms
You can set aside an area for an evening garden, perhaps near a
patio or on the deck, or you can weave white and light-colored
flowers into your “day” beds. In the evening, the pale blossoms
seem to float as the dark leaves fade from view.
The simple impatiens is an example of an everyday flower
that flourishes in shady areas and comes in the whitest of
whites. Plant bunches in pots on the deck or as a border in
your perennial beds to create snowy mounds of brightness.
Another annual, even smaller, is the easy-care sweet alyssum
(Lobularia maritima). This fragrant plant looks and smells
sweet along the sidewalk’s edge or at the front of the border.
Though barely noticeable during the day, alyssum shines at
night. Common petunias, too, are wonderful in a twilight garden. Their heavenly scent wafts lovely in summer heat. There
are numerous whites from which to choose—‘White Cascade’
and ‘Supercascade White’ look frothy in baskets.
Larger white annuals and perennials also brighten the night
garden. Spider plant (Cleome hassleriana) is a commanding
presence at 3 to 4 feet, with feathery white-and-pink blossoms
that attract the hawk moth to its nectar. Slender white and
pastel cosmos make a graceful addition to a bed with cleome
and flowering tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris or N. alata). Money
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plant (Lunaria) has silvery moonlike
(lunar) seedpods that rattle in the breeze.
Of course, there are plants that blossom
only in the evening. Aptly named, four
o’clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) open late in the
day. These are tough plants that grow in
average garden soil. Many cultivars are
available, including dwarf varieties and
those with variegated foliage. Moonflower
(Ipomoea alba), the nocturnal cousin of
morning glory, has trumpet-shaped flowers that close tightly during the day but
open at night to release a luscious perfume. Like its cousin, moonflower is easy
to start from seed. Night-scented stock or
evening stock (Matthiola longipetala), with
extremely fragrant blossoms in the
evening, is a good plant for attracting butterflies. During the heat of the day, its
stems and flowers may wilt but will revive
in evening temperatures. Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris) at 3 to 5 feet tall
has a rangy, airy form. The large, tubular
flowers droop during the day and then
revive with sweet scent in the evening.
Night phlox (Zaluzianskya capensis) is a
dainty, easy-to-grow annual from South
Africa, with white blossoms. It has a pleasant scent, alternately described as lemony,
honeylike, or almond. At only a foot high,
the plant does very well in pots. Local
nurseries may not have night phlox,
moonflower, four o’clocks, or other annual
> Nicotianna ‘Apple Blossom’
DONNA KRISCHAN
DONNA KRISCHAN
LINDA STAATS
> From top: Anemone sylvestris, Japanese painted fern (Athyrium nipinicum ‘Pictum’)
seedlings, but seed is readily available and
easy to germinate.
Taller perennials include ‘David’ or
‘White Admiral’ phlox, which contribute
perfume along with stunning white heads.
Both cultivars are tough and resistant to
mildew. For fragrance, lilies are hard to
beat. Oriental lilies are known for their
perfume and late summer bloom. Elegant
in form and color, easy to grow, they are
stunning in the garden, day and night,
with many cultivars available. ‘Casa
Blanca’ (Lilium ‘Casa Blanca’) is considered
one of the finest of all with large flowers,
glistening white and delicately flocked,
and a rich perfume. Despite their name,
daylilies (Hemerocallis) can contribute to
the late-afternoon garden. There are
numerous pale yellow, cream, and pink
selections. One of the best whites is
‘Sunday Gloves’, with huge, 5-inch fragrant flowers that stay open late in the
day.
Foliage for the Night
Silver-leafed, variegated, and gray foliage
plants frame and enhance white blossoms.
Think of two-toned lamium (Lamium maculatum ‘Beacon Silver’ or ‘White Nancy’),
silver-gray dusty miller (Senecio cineraria),
and wooly licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare). All glow in border and pot. The
metallic-tinted heucheras, like ‘Snowfire’
or ‘Pewter Veil’; pale-leafed lungwort (Pulmonaria ‘White
Way’); and silvery Brunnera ‘Looking Glass’ (PP17,829) shine
in a summer evening.
For a shady spot, try ferns with spectacular foliage.
Japanese painted fern, the Perennial Plant of the Year in
2004, has silver streaks that pop out at night. ‘Pewter Lace’
and ‘Ursula Red’ (Athyrium nipinicum var. pictum ‘Pewter Lace’
[PP15,721] and A. var pictum ‘Ursula Red’) are elegant variMarch/April 2011
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Night Lights
PHOTOS THIS PAGE: DONNA KRISCHAN
> Photos this page, from top left: Phlox ‘Miss Jill’, Miscanthus ‘Zebrinus’, Lilium ‘Boogie Woogies’
eties, day or night. Hostas are another
shade choice. Solid gold, gold-centered,
and white-centered hostas light up the
shade garden at any time. The enormous
workhorse, ‘Sum and Substance’, and elegant ‘Gold Standard’ are two readily available varieties. Miniature hostas, such as
‘Pandora’s Box’ and ‘Cat’s Eye’, are charming in pots on the patio or deck. The flowers are a bonus, rising above neat mounds
of leaves.
Add Herbs, Grasses, Shrubs
Don’t forget the herbs and grasses. Garlic
chives (12 inches high) have white flower
clusters that sway above grasslike leaves.
Be wary; they can be invasive if allowed to
go to seed in the perennial bed. But kept
in control, they make a crisp border.
Other choices are silver thyme (Thymus
‘Argenteus’), artemisias—shrubby, aromatic plants with showy green or gray
foliage—and common sage (Salvia
officinalis).
The light colors of short grasses, like
blue fescue (Festuca cinerea and F. glauca) and oatgrass (Arrhenatherum
elatius), become more pronounced in
the evening. Tall grasses move in the
wind, providing interesting sounds as
well as striking beauty. You might consider feather reedgrass (Calamagrostis x
acutiflora), miscanthus (Miscanthus
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> Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’
PHOTO COURTESY OF PROVEN WINNERS
LINDA STAATS
> Photos this page, from top: Cosmos, Lamium ‘Ghost’, dusty miller
MARY LAHR SCHIER
sinensis), and little bluestem
(Schizachyrium scoparium).
Many flowering shrubs, such as
peonies, hydrangeas, and mock orange
(Philadelphus virginalis), come in bright
whites and yellows that add splashes of
brightness as light fades. Some, like the
mock orange, lilac, peony, and rhododendron, are fragrant in addition. ‘Iceberg’
roses (delicately scented), one of the oldest floribundas, have blossoms that are
glacially white. The tough shrub rose
‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ has a heady fragrance and double blooms of luminescent
whiteness. Perhaps you’d like ‘Snow
Pavement’, a soft lavender or blush-pink
semi-double, which opens with white,
extremely fragrant blossoms.
Be sure to plan seating areas where the
sights and smells will be near you. You can
place a chair in the middle of the garden
or on the edge; just make sure it’s comfortable. Choose plants you like—the ones
listed here are only suggestions. You’ll
soon be able to think of many others that
will brighten up the evening garden. With
glowing foliage and blossoms, plus the
gentle swish of grass and trees, you’ve created a space to enjoy all season.
Susan Davis Price is a St. Paul-based writer
and gardener.
March/April 2011
35
Night Lights
Plants that Glow
Hemerocallis ‘Sunday Gloves’
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WALTERS GARDENS INC.
Brunnera ‘Looking Glass’
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Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’
Flowering Plants
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus). Annual. 4-5 feet.
Cleome (Cleome hassleriana). Annual. 4-5 feet.
Daylily (Hemerocallis). Perennial. 30 inches -2 feet. ‘Sunday Gloves’.
Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata, N. sylvestris). Annual. 3-5 feet, 5-6 feet.
Fragrant.
Four o’clocks (Mirabilis jalapa). Annual. 24-36 inches.
Impatiens (Impatiens sp.) Annual. 20 inches.
Lily (Lilium). Perennial. 3-5 feet. Fragrant. ‘Casa Blanca’.
Moonflower (Ipomoea alba). Annual. Up to 10 feet. Wonderfully fragrant at night.
Night phlox (Zaluzianskya capensis). Annual. 12-14 inches.
Night-scented stock/Evening stock. (Matthiola longipetala). Annual. 18 inches.
Fragrant, attracts butterflies.
Petunias (Petunia). Annual. 8-16 inches. Fragrant. Hundreds of named varieties
to choose from, including spreading and mounding.
Phlox (Phlox paniculata). Perennial. 3-4 feet. ‘David’, ‘White Admiral’. Fragrant.
Roses (Rosa). Many selections, many sizes, many are fragrant. ‘Blanc Double
de Coubert’, ‘Iceberg’, ‘Snow Pavement’.
Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima). Annual. 4 inches. Sweetly scented.
Foliage Plants
Artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Nana’) Common name—Silver mound
artemisia; (A. ludoviciana ‘Silver King’ and ‘Silver Queen’); A. x ‘Powis Castle’.
Perennial. 2-4 feet.
Brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla). Perennial. 12 inches. ‘Jack Frost’, ‘Looking Glass’.
Coral bells (Heuchera). Perennial. 12-18 inches. ‘Pewter Veil’, ‘Snowfire’.
Dusty miller. (Senecio cineraria). Annual. 8-15 inches.
Ferns. Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum); A.n.p. ‘Ursula’s
Red’; A.n.p. ‘Ghost’.
Hostas (Hosta). Perennial. Varieties from a few inches to several feet tall. H.
‘Sum and Substance’, H. ‘Gold Standard’, H. ‘Pandora’s Box’, H. ‘Cat’s Eye’.
Lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina, S. grandiflora). Perennial. 6-12 inches.
Lamium (Lamium maculatum ‘White Nancy’). Perennial. 6-12 inches.
Licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare). Annual. Small woolly leaves in silvery gray.
Lungwort (Pulmonaria ‘White Wings’; P. ‘Mrs. Moon’; P. ‘Silver Bouquet’).
Snow on the mountain (Euphorbia marginata). Annual. 8-24 inches.
Grasses
All are hardy in USDA Zone 4.
Blue fescue (Festuca cinerea and F. glauca). 8-10 inches.
Feather reedgrass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora). 4 feet.
Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). 3-4 feet.
Miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis). 4-5 feet.
Oatgrass (Arrhenatherum elatius). 8-12 inches.
—S.D.P.
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