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Transcript
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 32 www .northerngardener. org 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 33 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 34 www .northerngardener. org > 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’ 36 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. www .northerngardener. org