Tips for creating a night garden

Check out our tips for creating a night garden, below.

Choose plants with pale flowers and foliage

Pale colours reflect light. So as the day fades, whites, creams, pale blues and lilacs have a luminous glow long after darker colours have disappeared. Silver and variegated foliage has a similar effect. Plants to consider include Clematis 'Maria Cornelia', 'Gaura lindheimeri 'The Bride', Hosta 'El Niño Green', Artemisia 'Powis Castle' and Petunia 'Surfinia Lime'.

Grow plants with evening scent

Many plants release their scent at dusk in order to attract the night-flying moths that pollinate them. Scented plants are most potent in warm, still air, so maximise their fragrance by growing them in a sheltered location that gets lots of sun. Go for scented plants that are also pale for the best effect, such as honeysuckle, night phlox, night-scented stock, jasmine, summer phlox and nicotianas.

Use garden lighting

A garden lit up at night makes an attractive, atmospheric space. Having an outdoor power source gives you the most options, but you could also use candle lanterns, solar fairy lights and solar spike lights. Use them to highlight particular plants or position next to paths and seating. Homemade options include tin can lanterns and glass jar lanterns.

Cut flowers for fragrance

The following cut flowers will produce a delicious fragrance:

• Sweet peas
• Phlox
• Lilies
• Dianthus
• Night-scented stocks
• Nicotiana