I’m planning to have a moon garden this year… lots of white — evening blooming flowers that will reflect the beautiful goddess in all her splender. I hope to be able to have full moon rituals there…
Also, in addition to a normal garden with tomatos and such, I want to have a herb garden.. various herbs.. but it might not be a “normal” garden, as I might just plant my herbs in various places in my yard.. including that wooden barrel near my front porch… :)
Big plans for gardens.. and a chance to be closer to mother nature… and the great outdoors!!
Hand In Hand With Nature
Healing Gardens
Time spent in nature’s embrace is a soothing reminder of the fact that we also are products of the natural world’s ingenuity. We feel at home in a quiet forest and are comforted by the pounding surf of the seaside. In both the sunny meadow and the shaded waterfall’s grotto, stress and tension we have long retained melts away. Finding opportunities to reconnect with nature to enjoy its healing benefits can be difficult, however. Planting and tending a garden allows us to spend time with Mother Nature in a very personal and hands-on way. We work in tandem with nature while gardening-honoring the seasons, participating in the life cycle of various organisms, experiencing the unique biorhythms of our environments, and transcending all that divides us from the natural world. As we interact with the soil, we are free to be ourselves and reflect upon meditative topics. Fresh air invigorates us, while our visceral connection to the earth grounds us.
Though you may plant a garden to grow food or herbs, or for the pleasure of seeing fresh flowers in bloom, you will likely discover that the time you spend working in your plot feels somehow more significant than many of the seemingly more important tasks you perform each day. Whether your garden can be measured in feet or is a collection of plants in pots, tending it can be a highly spiritual experience. You, by necessity, develop a closer relationship with the soil, seeds, water, and sunlight. Nurturing just a single plant means cultivating a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that permit it to thrive. A true healing garden is simply one where you feel comfortable plunging your hands into the earth, lingering over seedlings and plants to observe their growth. And yes, even caressing and talking to plants. Creating beauty through the creative use of space, and giving yourself over to awe when you realize that you have worked hand in hand with nature to give birth to som! ething, is truly wonderful.
The partnership that is formed when you collaborate with Mother Nature through gardening is wonderful in that it provides you with so many opportunities to be outdoors. You will be reminded of not only your connection to the earth but also of your unique gifts that allow you to give back to the earth.
Night Blooming Flowers Offer Evening Enjoyment
During the day, most people are hard at work and don’t have time to enjoy their gardens. Evenings may be the only time you get a chance to sit back and relax. What could be more relaxing at the end of a long day than a fragrant, luminous garden?
Gardens designed for evening enjoyment are called moon gardens. Plants used in moon gardens have one or more of the following characteristics: evening bloom time, fragrance, and white flowers or foliage. Plants that bloom in the late afternoon or night allow for evening enjoyment. Fragrant flowers provide aromatherapy at the end of a hard day. Illuminated only by moonlight, white or pale flowers, and foliage add an celestial quality to a garden. Several night-blooming flowers ideal for a moon garden are listed below. Night blooming flowers rely on a strong fragrance, rather than bright colors, to attract pollinators. Other plant possibilities for a moon garden include artemesia, lamb’s ear, fragrant roses, dusty miller, and white flowered annuals and perennials.
Moonflower (Ipomeaalba)— This fragrant flowering vine has large heart shaped leaves. Showy flowers open in the evening and last until the next morning. Moonflowers have a sweet fragrance and can be up to five to six inches across. Closely related to morning glory, this quick growing annual may climb to 15 feet. Although it takes a longer and warmer soil conditions to become established, it is every bit as vigorous as the morning glory. Four o’clocks (Mirabilisjalapa)— This flower is appropriately named. Its blossoms open in late afternoon, scenting the air with a sweet fragrance before closing the next morning. Plants grow to three-feet tall with a bushy habit and blossom continuously from late spring through fall. The 1-inch trumpet-shaped flowers come in shades of red, yellow, white, or rose. Yucca (Yuccafilamentosa)— Flowers of this spiky perennial are open all day but at night the droopy blossoms lift and release a soapy smell. Yucca is a broad leaved evergreen that forms a low cluster of long, pointed leaves. During the growing season, a long stalk will grow to six feet tall and produce large numbers of white bell shaped flowers. Once established it may be difficult to remove from the landscape. Yucca is hardy in zones 4 to 9.Flowering tobacco (Nicotianaalata)— Nicotiana is an annual plant that produces fragrant, tubular flowers that open in evening. Flowers are borne on draping branches and come in pink, purple, red, white, and yellow. Plants grow in any garden soil and prefer full sun to partial shade. (MJM)