An alarming quiet has replaced the familiar buzzing from pollen to petals as populations of honey bees and other pollinators rapidly decline. Nothing, it seems, can bring them back, not even colorful, nectar-rich flowers that greet the morning sun with open petals and should lure bees and butterflies.
In response, and perhaps in quiet defiance, moon gardens are starting to bloom. The ethereal, nighttime gardens support nocturnal wildlife and offer a sense of otherworldly beauty after sunset.
Sometimes called “twilight” or “dream” gardens, moon gardens feature plants with blooms or foliage in shades of white, cream, silver, soft yellow, lavender or blush pink. Designed to glow under moonlight or in dusk, they invoke visual serenity and attract nocturnal pollinators such as moths. Many of the plants are fragrant, another appeal for insects.
It’s a tradition with deep historical roots. As long ago as 1530, India’s Mahtab Bagh, or “Moonlight Garden,” near the Taj Mahal used night-blooming red cedars, magnolias, and cockscombs to lure songbirds and fragrance the night air.
Local gardeners can use practical options including common evening primrose which blooms after sunset. Take care with moonflower, a dramatic white bloom that spreads easily, because it’s toxic when ingested by children and pets.
Those with space for shrubs might try common elderberry, a native plant that produces fruit for humans and birds and serves as a host plant for the Cecropia moth. Native silver-toned grasses can provide shelter and breeding grounds for beneficial insects.
Other pollinator-friendly natives include goat’s beard, a host for the Dusky Azure butterfly, buttonbush, whose spherical shape mimics the moon and scented accent plants such as lavender or flowering tobacco.
You could even take it a step by adding a moon plot in the crescent or full shape of the moon.
Such gardens provide vital habitats for moths, which are efficient nighttime pollinators. A 2023 study by the University of Sussex found that moths may surpass bees in pollination efficiency, thanks to their long, meandering routes through flowering landscapes at night.
In turn, moths serve as food for bats, another embattled species. Many bats in New York have suffered from white-nose syndrome and face the threat of renewed outbreaks. Local bat populations, including the little brown bat, help control mosquito populations and can eat up to half their weight in moths, beetles and flies each night.
Supporting them can be as simple as installing a wooden bat house near your garden or growing plants that attract their preferred prey. In Woodstock, for instance, yarrow attracts lacewings, a favorite snack of the little brown bat. A white variety of yarrow not only fits the moon garden aesthetic but also spreads easily by underground roots.
A moon garden allows you to enjoy your landscape at all hours. You might just help restore some of the ecological harmony that once buzzed so easily through our days—and our nights.
Mia Quick is an intern and contributing reporter. You can reach her at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.
