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A recent trend in hobby horticulture is planting a moon garden, also known as moth garden (in contrast to butterfly gardening), which features primarily night-blooming flowers that host nocturnal pollinators. Strolling through a moon garden at night, one can observe fully opened flowers illuminated by the light of the moon. Many garden variety flowers are day-blooming species which have nyctinasty, meaning they open and close based on a variety of external factors which cue time of day (including light and temperature). This is why a normal garden might appear bleak and lacking color at night from having mostly closed blooms.

Benefits of moon gardening
A benefit of night-opening flowers for people is the ability to enjoy the sight and smell of blooms anytime during a 24-hour cycle. This is especially important for those whose work schedule does not permit garden access during daylight hours. Many popular moon garden flower varieties are white or silver, colors which reflect the most light thereby attracting nocturnal pollinators who cannot distinguish color in the dark. Coincidentally, this enhances bloom visibility in low lighting conditions for humans as well, allowing to appreciate their beauty at night.

For gardeners who procure flowers for their fragrance, night bloomers are one of the best options for strong, pleasing smells. This is because these flowers must rely on the scents they produce to attract nocturnal pollinators, of which they are competing for among other species of nocturnal flowers for fertilization. One example of a flower sought after for its exquisite fragrance is Cananga odorata (night-blooming ylang ylang), a key ingredient in the famous Chanel No. 5 perfume.

Chiropterophilous, or “bat loving” flowers, attract bats who feed on their nectar. A benefit of attracting bats to your garden is all-natural pest control, since insectivorous bats consume a large number of noxious insects in a night including species which may spread disease, like mosquitoes. It is estimated that one brown bat can consume 4 to 8 grams of insects per night during active season. In exchange for nectar, bats assist flowers by acting as pollinators. Bats collect pollen grains on their breasts as they feed, fertilizing flowers as they go.

Another group of moon garden pollinators, moths, are arguably the most important for pollen distribution. In one study, moths demonstrated to pollinate a diverse assortment of plant species, including several plants considered important as ornamental, medicinal and culinary varieties including: Sambucus nigra (black elderberry), Filipendula ulmaria (meadowsweet), Verbena officinalis (common verbena), Glycine max (soybean), Pisum sativum (pea), Solanum tuberosum (potato), Brassica napus (rapeseed), Prunus sp. (cherries), Rubus sp. (blackberry, raspberry), Hydrangeaceae (hydrangeas), and the family Lamiaceae which includes many culinary herbs such as thyme, oregano, rosemary, mints, basil, savory, marjoram, sage, hyssop, and lavender.

Potential problems
Some species of night-blooming plants contain poisonous or hallucinogenic chemicals, such as angel’s trumpet and moonflower. Caution is advised with children who may be tempted to pick flowers and seeds of these plants, which are the source of toxins.

Because moon gardens are accessed at night, low lighting conditions may cause difficulty identifying obstacles. It is suggested to add ambient sources of lighting to a moon garden such as solar lights to help illuminate walking areas.

Night-blooming flowers
Many night-blooming flowers have common names which denote their habit of opening up when the sun goes down. Depending on your hardiness zone, some night bloomers include: [ Brugmansia (angel’s trumpet), Cestrum nocturnum (night-blooming jessamine), Selenicereus grandifloras (night-blooming cereus), Mirabilis jalapa (four o’clock plant), Oenothera spp. (evening primrose), Zaluzianskya capensis (night phlox), Hemerocallis spp. (daylilies)], [ Nymphaea spp. (water lilies)], [ Epiphyllum oxypetalum (queen of the night), Ipomoea alba (moonflower), Matthiola bicornis (night-scented stock), Nicotiana sylvestris (flowering tobacco)] Care should also be taken to research a species, to make sure it is not invasive in your region.