How to Create a Moon Garden

If you find that you spend most of your time in your garden in the evening, you may love a moon garden! A moon garden is a breathtaking garden that shines in the moonlight. Primarily, the color white is used to reflect the moonlight.

In addition to adding whites, to create a moon garden, you need an abundance of light in the evening, specifically from the moon. It's important to create your moon garden where you do not have a lot of trees hindering the natural evening light.

Exceptional Plants to Add to a Moon Garden

Plants that feature white blooms or silvery foliage add to the ethereal, magical feel of a moon garden.

Annuals:

Angelonia (AngelMist Spreading White Angelonia or Archangel White Angelonia)
Begonia ('Cocktail Whiskey' Begonia or 'Prelude White' Begonia)
Dichondra ('Silver Falls' Dichondra)
Dusty Miller ('Silver Dust' Dusty Miller)
Impatiens (for shade: 'Divine White' New Guinea Impatiens or for sun: Sunpatiens Compact White Impatiens)
Vinca ('Titan Pure White' Vinca or 'Titan Polka Dot' Vinca)
Zinnia ('Profusion White' Zinnia)

Perennials:

Candytuft ('Purity' Candytuft or 'Snow Cone' Candytuft)
Coneflower ('White Kismet' Coneflower or 'PowWow White' Coneflower)
Light-colored, variegated Hosta ('Blue Ivory' Hosta (NEW in 2025!) or 'Fire and Ice' Hosta)
Jack Frost (Jack Frost Bugloss)
Lamb's Ear ('Helene Von Stein' Lamb's Ear or 'Silky Fleece' Lamb's Ear)
Phlox ('Early Spring White' Phlox)
Shasta Daisy ('Becky' Shasta Daisy)

Flowering Vines:

Clematis ('Henryi' Clematis) perennial vine
Mandevilla ('Sun Parasol Giant White' Mandevilla) annual vine
Moonflower annual vine

Deciduous Shrubs:

Azalea ('Delaware Valley White' Azalea)
Butterfly Bush ('Pugster White' Butterfly Bush)
Hydrangea ('Annabelle' Hydrangea or 'Pee Gee' Hydrangea)
Lilac ('Betsy Ross' Hydrangea)
Rose ('White Dawn' Rose)
Rose of Sharon ('White Pillar' Rose of Sharon)
Snowball bush (Sterile Chinese Snowball Viburnum)

Evergreen Shrubs:

Abelia ('Francis Mason' Abelia)
Encore Azalea (Encore 'Autumn Moonlight' Azalea)

Plant in masses/ groupings for more effect! Also, remember that you can plant vertically (think trellises with flowering white vines, for example).

Tips to Create a Moon Garden:

If you have a small space or just want to try out a moon garden, our suggestion would be to create one with several container pots. Fill 3-5 pots with white-blooming flowers (use several mentioned above) and see how the moonlight hits them in the evenings this summer. This can be a great way to see if you like the look and feel of a small moon garden before committing to dedicating a larger gardening bed to one.

Besides adding white blooms and light foliage in your garden, think about other items such as: