Flowers at Sunset

Flowers are an important part of the moon garden, both for their color and their fragrance. The performance starts at sunset, when the low angle light catches the flowers in just the right way. As Cathy Wilkinson Barash puts it in her book "Evening Gardens",

"In the late afternoon, the rays of the sun lengthen, the light is warm and mellow, making yellows, reds, and oranges stand out. As the light fades, some of the cooler colors - fuchsia and some blues, pinks and purples - come to life and almost fluoresce."

Placement of the garden is critical to properly capture the light of sunset. A west-facing garden takes best advantage of the setting sun. Note how the colors of the flowers will change as the sun sets, and how the trees and shrubs will change in appearance as dusk turns to night.

Colors behave differently in the evening light

Colors are very important at sunset and into the evening. Yellows, especially pale or pastel yellows, can last long into the night before finally expiring in the darkness. Plants such as nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus cv.) and sweet peas (Lathyrus cv.) contribute, with hardy azaleas (Rhododendron cv.) and petunias looking like small moons glowing in the early evening. Other choices for yellow include late-season canna varieties such as 'Pretoria', 'Wyoming Orange' and 'Portland Pink'. Moonbeam coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam') and star zinnia (Zinnia angustifolia) reflect the moonlight and appear like dancing fairies in the breeze.

Pale-colored flowers provide an added contrast between the light and dark plants in the garden, looking like dried flower arrangements in the low light. Many will be the "fillers" in the moon garden, but still provide the best display of the theme. There isn't one particular shade that's more effective than any other. Choices in pale yellow include Sweet Cream marigold (Tagetes erecta 'Sweet Cream'), Primrose Beauty chrysanthemum and Lemon Pixie lily (Lilium 'Lemon Pixie'), while pale pinks would include cottage pinks (Dianthus plumarius), rock cress (Aubretia spp. and Arabis spp.), baby's breath (Gypsophylla paniculata and G. repens) and lisianthus (Eustoma russelianum cv.). For pale blues, try moss phlox (Phlox subulata cv.), delphinium and bluebells (Campanula spp.).