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While many of us love admiring our gardens in daylight, have you considered creating a garden you’d enjoy under the moonlight? Yes, while we love the bright colors of sun-filled gardens, there’s something magical about a soothing and mysterious moon garden.
In this blog post, we’ll explore what moon gardens are and dive into ideas and tips for creating and maintaining your own moon garden.
A moon garden is exactly what it sounds like: a garden to be enjoyed under the moonlight. It’s similar to any other backyard home garden, but the key factor in a moon garden is the types of plants you incorporate. Instead of the vibrance you’d expect from a garden you’d say in broad daylight, you’ll find plants that are white or light in color to better reflect the moonlight. Your nose will also be pleased by any fragrant plants you select for your moon gardening, making it a multi-sensory experience under the stars.
While you’re taking in the end of your day, maybe enjoying a cool breeze in the air, relaxing in your moon garden has several different benefits.
It can be therapeutic for your body to relax in a quiet space after a long day. Notice the calmness in the air, and take a beat to let your body and mind settle. A moon garden can be a wonderful space to meditate, journal, and just be with your thoughts.
The evening sounds of crickets chirping maybe a water feature gurgling away, are more easily enjoyed when the rest of the world around has fallen silent for bedtime.
This can be a great space for family and friends to gather and share stories of the day that has passed, or plan for the new day ahead.
Ready to get started? Here are some simple steps to take to get your moon garden ready.
First, choose a spot where there’s good moon exposure and minimal artificial lighting that may interfere with the impact of the moonlight over your garden.
Take a look at the current layout of your landscape to help you better understand exactly how much free space you have, or if you’re able to move some things around to create the space you’d enjoy.
Here comes one of the most fun parts! Choose suitable plants for your moon garden so it thrives even in the shadows of the night. Think about white flowering plant varieties, silver-foliage plants, and especially night-blooming flowers. And don’t forget about texture, size, and height to help create contrast and depth.
Doesn’t the moonflower sound like it belongs in a moon garden? Enjoy the look of how these beauties really pop when it’s dark outside. These are easy to grow from seed in the spring, so look for them in March / April in the seed section.
The unique look of silver foliage is eye-catching in moon gardens. This plant grows compactly, so it would be a great choice for smaller spaces. This is an annual in Utah, and a great one to pick up in early spring to enjoy throughout the season. It does have a tendency to re-seed itself, but it is one that may need to be replanted each year.
This beautiful aromatic plant produces pretty white flowers to complement your moon garden. As they are an annual in our climate, you would want to plant these in containers which you can bring indoors during the winter months.
We love hostas, there are so many varieties in all sorts of sizes and textures. Many of them have incredible variegation on the leaves with different shades of white or cream, perfect for catching the pale light of the moon.
Hydrangea, specifically the Panicle Hydrangea, have massive heads of bright white flowers through most of the summer months, only turning to greens, pinks or reds later in the season. They offer a bountiful bevy of blossoms that would gleam through those summer nights.
This is a truly lovely perennial! The leaf texture is either furry or rough depending on the variety you find, though most are as soft as a lamb’s ear (hence the name) with tiny white fuzz that makes them stand out in the night. They are vigorous growers with beautiful purple flowers when they bloom. The plants aren’t fussy and the flowers attract pollinators!
The perfect addition to any relaxing space is lavender. These fragrant flowers are also great for drying and making oils. Plus, bumblebees love it!
Magnolias can be a great way to add a dramatic effect to our moon garden, making your landscape come to life at night. An early spring bloomer like Royal Star combined with a later season bloomer like Edith Bogue would make for a dazzling and aromatic display from early spring through mid-summer.
Now this is a reason to stop and smell the flowers! This intoxicating scent will have you and your guests coming back night after night. This is an annual in our area, so it is one that would need to be grown in a container and brought in for the winter months.
Pretty peonies for the win! Oh, how these decadent beauties will add to your moon garden, especially the white or pale pink varieties. Though they have a shorter bloom season, the hearty blossoms pack an incredible punch when they are in bloom.
To discover more plants fit for a moon garden, check out our full catalog here.
Looking for more easy-to-grow plants for your moon garden that are native to Utah so they thrive? Get our free guide here
To enjoy your moon garden, ensure you select comfy seating, with tables for you to set down your beverages, journals, radios, and more. Even better if you can surround a firepit with seats for cozy storytelling time.
You may even want to keep a basket near the door full of items you’d use in your moon garden, like a blanket to lay down on and watch the stars, a small pillow to get comfy, or grab some of your fresh herbs that are known to keep the mosquitoes at bay.
If you enjoy the sound of water babbling away, incorporating a water feature helps enhance tranquility. Did you know we sell pondless rock fountain installation kits? With our step-by-step guide, you’ll have yours installed to enjoy in no time. Learn more about custom water features at Glover Nursery here.
If you have the space, add some pathways for leisurely strolls.
Sound elements like wind chimes or even a sound machine can help elevate this sensory experience if you’re not in an area where you can hear crickets or nature sounds all the time.
Just like any other type of garden, your maintenance and care will be important to its survival. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Consider a drip irrigation system or collecting rainwater to maintain a lush garden, while conserving water.
While the moon provides natural light, you can try adding some solar-powered lighting to accentuate any pathways to help you see better in the dark. But, keep them to a minimum if the goal is to enjoy the moon. Or, maybe put them on a switch so you only use them when the moon is hiding.
Deadhead, prune, and weed your moon garden! If you forget, you can pencil it into your calendar or set a reminder on your phone. Just because it’s dark out doesn’t mean you can’t see what your plants need! (We recommend maintenance during the daytime so you can see in the sunlight rather than a dimmer moonlight.)
Moon gardens can be as enchanting as you make them, and are a unique way to show off your creativity and the beauty of your gardening skills. Incorporate more magic into your lives and the lives of your loved ones. To continue the conversation about moon gardens, join our Facebook Group here.
Happy moon gardening!
Welcome to July, gardeners! Summer is in full swing and the days are heating up after a wet, cool spring.
"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."
~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
Check these July gardening tips off your to-do lists. It’s always helpful to know what to do in the garden this month! If you missed our tips last month, you can find them here.
Temperatures are rising and insects are getting hungry! Keep an eye out for diseases and pests including powdery mildew, peach twig borers (on peach, nectarine, cherry, and apricot trees), and codling moth (on apple and pear trees). The codling moth’s larvae are the ones to blame for wormy apples.
Watch out for red spider mites. If you suspect that you may have spider mites, flick a branch or leaf onto white paper and look carefully to see if any of the specks move. 
There are a few options when it comes to getting rid of spider mites. Consider using a hard spray of water to knock them back, dormant oil, or organic insecticides.
Continue deep soaking newly planted trees and shrubs 2 to 3 times per week and fully established plants 2 to 3 times per month. Check out our watering guide for more tips.
Remove faded flowers from annuals and roses to promote re-blooming. Removing the spent flowers will encourage the plants to produce more and more beautiful blooms. You can also remove spent flowers from your perennials, though it likely won't help to extend their bloom season.
It may not be your favorite chore, but keep up on the weeding! A little prevention by pulling them early prevents weeds from going to seed. Once they go to seed they’ll start growing like…well, weeds.
Give your Hanging baskets and planters a refresh. . They may need some sprucing up. Cut back overgrown plants and replace any spent plants as needed. A few pops of new color mixed in with the cleaned-up flowers will keep your planters and baskets looking as beautiful as the day you bought them.
Hanging baskets may need extra water in the summer heat so test the soil in the morning and again in the evening.
A lot of folks are reducing (or even eliminating) lawn from their yards these days. But, one thing to keep in mind - a healthy lawn does help to keep the yard cooler.
Lawn care doesn’t have to use up excessive amounts of water. Creating a strong root system with healthy soil allows your lawn to look great with far less water than you might think. Now is also a good time to apply products like Revive, Groundbreaker, Hydretain, and TurfMax - four products to help your lawn in the heat.
For more tips, check out our Seasonal Tips page.
Welcome to the month of June, gardeners! Spring days are here and we are SO ready to get our hands dirty in the garden. Spring has sprung, blooms are blooming, summer is right around the corner, and it’s time to get to work.
"I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature's rebirth?"
~ Edward Giobbi, Artist
Check these June gardening tips off of your June to-do lists and check back in with us next month for more! If you missed our tips earlier this spring, you can find there here.
This month, keep an eye out for pests and infestations as the temperatures rise and the pests get hungry! At the first sign of aphids, treat your fruit and shade trees. Signs of aphids include curling and misshapen leaves. Look for them on the undersides of leaves. When possible, use organic treatments such as a homemade soap spray or the introduction of beneficials such as ladybugs.
Another pest to look out for around this time of year is the codling moth in your apple trees. The moth’s larvae are the ones to blame for wormy apples. On other fruit trees including apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarine, grapes, pears, roses, and euonymus, watch for and control powdery mildew with fungicides.
We should be through our cold frosty nights but just in case, remember to cover tender annuals with newspaper or other covers, to protect from frost.
We are past the typical last frost date, which is May 15 in northern Utah so summer flowering tubers like cannas, begonia, and dahlias can be safely set out.
Keep dead blooms off of your annuals and perennials in order to keep them bushy, full, and blooming!
Apply plant supports to newly emerging perennials and annuals that tend to flop over, such as peonies. Support them before they grow tall enough to fall over.
It’s sprinkler time! Now is the time to start watering your lawn, but don’t overdo it. Lawns don’t need to be watered every day, or even every other day. For guidance on proper lawn watering in your area, be sure to check this weekly watering guide.
If you haven’t already, be sure to aerate your lawn.
Fertilize your lawn every 30 to 90 days starting now but be careful not to over-fertilize. Always follow the label. Now is also a good time to apply iron to your lawn. Iron helps to ensure a healthy, lovely green lawn that doesn't grow excessively and is easier to maintain.
As the weather warms up, keep your lawn mowed between 2-3″.
For more tips, check out our Seasonal Tips page!
Get Ready for Spring: March Gardening Tips
Your To-Do List: April Gardening Tips
Ask any gardening professional to narrow down their favorite late summer blooms and you’d better be ready to sit back and spend a few hours...probably best to have a cold beverage in hand too. There are so many beautiful plants that will keep blooming strong right up to winter. While we would love to list every single one of them here, it would be faster to read the entire Game of Thrones book series.
So, we shall give you a short, but very sweet, list of late summer blooms that you can plant now, enjoy now, enjoy in the fall, and (since they are all perennials) enjoy again next year. Yes, they are all that good.
1 – Asters
Asters have daisy-like flowers which bloom in late-summer through fall. They come in a wide variety of colors and sizes, pollinators with their bright colors and are disease and deer resistant. There are a wide variety of asters with colors that range from white and pastels of blues and pinks, to hybrids of deep scarlet and purple.
2 – Plumbago
An incredibly versatile groundcover for cold climates, Plumbago does well in both sun and shade and can handle most soil types very well. The blooms start in late summer with numerous, long-lasting, deep blue flowers. As the flowering finishes, the leaves change to a vivid mahogany red color, continuing their colorful display until winter.
3 – Centranthus
Also known as Jupiter’s Beard or Valerian, Centranthus is an everblooming Old World wildflower. It has clusters of tiny dark red flowers with deep green foliage. This butterfly attracting plant is a great addition to any water-wise landscape as, once it is established, it does well with minimal water. It is an extremely versatile plant that can be used in a wide variety of landscapes, and the beautiful blooms make great a great addition to bouquets due to its long vase life.
4 – Echinacea
Well known for its healing properties, Echinacea is also 
commonly known as Coneflower. This powerhouse perennial has flowers that attract birds, butterflies, and bees. It is extremely easy to grow and makes excellent cut flowers. Echinacea has been popular in landscapes for decades, both for it’s ease of care and for it’s beautiful and versatile blooms. They come in a variety of colors: white, red, orange, yellow, pink and the most popular Purple Coneflower that you have likely seen when traveling through any prairie land. It is a great native plant.
5 – Ornamental Oregano
Though it is most commonly known for its culinary use, Oregano has some ornamental varieties that are absolutely beautiful. These perennial herbs do well in rock gardens as well as areas with well-drained soil. Ornamental oregano is an attractive flowering perennial that's easy to grow. The flavor isn’t as strong as the culinary variety but it has an unmatched appearance in its colorful bracts that develop in a host of pastel hues. We have seen Ornamental Oregano referred to as “a peacock of the herb family”.
6 – Fall Anemone
Fall-blooming anemones bring an elegant touch of ethereal beauty to an autumn landscape with their delicate looking flowers topping off the willowy stems. As the petals drop off the blossom they leave behind a globe-shaped seed head, the combination of which provides a delightful showing for several weeks between late July and October, depending on the cultivar.
7 – Gaillardia
Also known as Blanket Flower, this powerhouse of a plant blooms from early summer right through the entire season. The flower is daisy-like, but the petal ends have a slightly ruffled appearance. These easy-to-grow perennials come in many colors from yellow to deep red and are most known for their showy, banded flowers. Gaillardia do well in hot, sunny gardens. Oh, and they happen to be a butterfly favorite.
There are more, so many more, but this is a great list if you are looking for that power flower to add some pop to your garden now.
If these 7 late-summer through fall stunners aren’t enough to satisfy your thirst for color, check out this blog post from last year https://glovernursery.com/top_10_end_of_summer_blooms/
Now, if neither of these lists are enough to get the garden color you are seeking, come on down and we’ll show you the many more options available – after all, we are here to help and we have hundreds of beautiful plants in stock with more arriving every week. It’s a good time to be at Glover Nursery.
9275 South 1300 West
See you soon!
Updates, Sales, and Gardening Tips
9275 S. 1300 W. West Jordan, UT 84088
Phone: (801) 562-5496
Fax: (801) 562-5595
Email: [email protected]
Updates, Sales, and Gardening Tips
