White flowers and plants for a Moonlight Garden in AZ

11 years ago

List of plants for Moonlight gardens

Thanks to GCorman for compiling this list and other members of our forum for their contributions.

If you can't make a nice garden out of this lot, you ain't trying very hard!

Night bloomers

Cereus spp.
Datura wrightii "Sacred datura", "Jimson weed"
Echinopsis spp.
Hesperaloe nocturna
Moraea iridoides Fortnight lily
Oenothera caespitosa "Tufted evening primrose"
Peniocereus greggii "Queen of the night"

White/pale blue flowered perennials

Asclepias linaria "Pineleaf milkweed"
Bauhinia lunarioides (congesta) "Anacacho orchid tree"
Convolvulus cneorum "Bush morning glory"
Cordia boissieri "Texas olive"
Cordia parvifolia "Little leaf cordia"
Gaura lindheimeri "Gaura"
Jasminum sambac "Arabian jasmine"
Lantana montevidensis (white)
Lonicera japonica v. halliana "Japanese honeysuckle"
Moraea iridoides Fortnight lily
Plumbago auriculata
Plumbago scandens "Plumbago"
Ruellia brittoniana w/white flowers
Trachelospermum jasminioides "Star jasmine"
Zephyranthes candida
Zinnia acerosa "Desert zinnia"

Gray foliage plants

Acacia aneura "Mulga"
Acacia cultriformis
Artemisia ludoviciana "Western mugwort"
Asclepias subulata "Desert milkweed"
Atriplex canescens "Fourwing saltbush"
Atriplex hymenelytra "Desert holly"
Atriplex lentiformis "Quail brush"
Atriplex nummularia "Old man saltbush"
Bahia absinthifolia "Bahia"
Baileya multiradiata "Desert marigold"
Brahea armata "Blue hesper palm"
Buddleia marrubifolia "Wooly butterfly bush"
Cassia artemisioides "Desert cassia"
Convolvulus cneorum "Bush morning glory"
Cupressus arizonica "Arizona cypress" "Sabino"
Dalea greggii "Trailing indigo bush"
Dalea pulchra "Bush dalea"
Eremophila cv. Valentine "Emu bush"
Euphorbia rigida "Gopher weed"
Gazania rigens v. leucolaena "Trailing gazania"
Hyptis emoryi "Desert lavender"
Lavandula species "Lavender"
Leucophyllum pruinosum "Fragrant rain sage"
Olea europea cv. Swan Hill "Swan Hill olive"
Pedilanthus macrocarpus "Slipper plant"
Perovskia atriplicifolia "Russian sage"
Psorothamnus spinosus "Smoke bush"
Salvia clevelandii "Cleveland sage"
Santolina chamaecyparissus "Lavender cotton"
Simmondsia chinensis "Jojoba"
Sophora secundiflora "Texas mountain laurel" (Silver Peso)
Teucrium fruticans "Bush germander"
Yucca rigida "Blue yucca"

White barked trees

Acacia willardiana "Palo blanco"
Eucalyptus erythronema "Red-flowered mallee"
Eucalyptus papuana (aparrerinja) "Ghost gum"

Accent plants for lighting and shadow effects

Cereus peruvianus (and v. Monstrosus)
Cleistocactus spp.
Dasylirion wheeleri "Desert spoon"
Nolina microcarpa "Beargrass"
Oreocereus spp. "Old man of the Andes"
Pedilanthus macrocarpus "Slipper plant"
Yucca elata "Soaptree yucca"
Yucca rigida "Blue yucca"

White/pale blue flowered annuals

Antirrhinum varieties "Snapdragon"
Cyclamen varieties "Cyclamen"
Lobularia varieties "Sweet alyssum"
Matthiola varieties "Stock"
Papaver nudicaule "Iceland poppy"
Petunia varieties "Petunia"
Viola varieties "Viola, Violet, Pansy"

I've thought of some more - I might add Agave spp. and Palo brea to your accent plants. Does the Abutilon palmerii have gray enough foliage to make the list? I guess it's still pretty green... ? How about Asclepias subulata for accent or gray? And Artemisia x Powis castle -

Ok, I know how everyone feels about oleander but I inherited a hedge of petite whites and right now they are beautiful day and night.

One to add to your list. Maireana sedifolia or Pearl Bluebush. It's native to Australia and has the most interesting silver/blue foliage. The leaves are about 1/2 inch long and almost succulent-looking and are covered with very short hairs, making it look soft.

I had two of these plants at my last house where they received full sun till about 4pm. The plant has a sprawling growth habit to about 4 feet wide and three feet tall. The oldest plant, which was three years in the ground, flowered the spring before I moved. It had tiny inconspicuous tan flowers. Now that I'm in another home, I've planted one on a western exposure about four feet from a block wall.

Comment

Related Discussions
strange yellow/white flower from botanical garden
Q
Comments (3)
I have not seen anything like it! The flower shape, except for the elongated upper part , and colors look similar to some Nemesia. Do you have pictures of the foliage? Here is a link that might be useful:
...See More
Flowers for a Moonlight Garden
Q
Comments (4)
Sharon, there's a recent thread or two on the lily forum about places from which to order lilies. I last ordered from Van Engelen (can only order from them in the fall) and Brent and Becky, who are shipping now. I ordered a long time ago from a place called the Lily Pad, don't know if they're still in business. The Lily Garden seems to be one of the most popular, if a bit pricy. Oh, and I've ordered lilies from White Flower Farm, not recently; they're too expensive. They replaced something that was mislabeled. Parks -- I've ordered lilies from Parks, not recently. Nell
...See More
Garden swap - mystery white flower not a mystery anymore
Q
Comments (1)
Thanks Remy...this has been driving me crazy since I too received it at the summer exchange, and now it has bloomed. Very sweet and thanks for finding and sharing this information. Ginny B.
...See More
Building garden in Phoenix AZ
Q
Comments (6)
Microclimates are very important here. Much more so than any place I've lived, NY, FL, TX, AK, CA. Unfortunately a pond by itself doesn't really do enough to create a meaningful microclimate. Right next to a water fall does though. Mostly we use shade as the biggest microclimate tool. Unfortunately many kinds of bamboo struggle. They normally survive given enough water but leaves turn brown. Oldhamii does OK in good conditions. Bamboo Ranch in Tucson grows over a 100 kinds but they're a lot cooler, 99-101F avg high in summer while we're 104-107F. If not Bougainvillea then what? It's not a perfect substitute, just as close as I've been able to think of. Pruning will be key though and of course it can't be close to viewers. Moss is a curious plant here. It actually does grow in surprising abundance. Also algae. It's not a great moss, very small, thin layer. It does need shade and overhead watering. Here is some growing on stack of clay brick, horizontal. This was last Sept so still pretty hot. West facing so full sun from say 12-4pm. This grew after some rain but this gets no irrigation. Surprised me. The big difference may be humidity, we get more, 20-40% range, in the fall than spring. Maybe pH? Don't know. The hillside slopes away from the sun but isn't steep enough to shade the soil. But plants and rocks will cast a longer shadow on the soil. I think the key for any moss hope will be overhead watering and not disturbing the soil when weeding, pruning and walking. I've buried wood steps in the hillside for staying off most of the soil. Beyond that I'll just have to try whatever I can. The parts of Japanese, and Chinese for that matter gardens, that interest me in order: 1. Pruned pine trees. I grew up on a fruit farm and learned tree pruning early, but I never learned about pines. I want to see how they react and how they can be controlled. 2. The concept of controlling different views. I've always looked at gardens as art, controlling the view though is new to me and interesting. 3. Using fewer kinds of plants. I've always been a plant collector, trying to jam as many kinds as I could into a space. That was fun, but creating a garden with only a few kinds of plants seems more of a challenge which I like. However the concept of jamming different kinds of gardens, forest, mountain, plains, etc., is kind of the same thing. So still trying to put a lot in a small space. Living in the desert helps me here. The Japanese garden will be almost surrounded by desert garden. The transition I think is interesting. Also, the contrast I hope will help the Japanese areas look more lush. Next a garden in Portland OR it isn't, but next to desert maybe relatively lush. 4. Spend more time in the garden. The current garden I made is desert. It's nice but almost nothing to do. I like working in a garden more than just sitting in a garden. I like weeding, pruning, etc. 5. The challenge of having such a garden in Phoenix. Finding plants that work, creating microclimates for that to happen is fun for me. Like a puzzle. Lots to learn about. 6. How rocks are used. I've built many ponds using lots of rocks but never really thought much about it. Looking at rocks differently now. 7. Use of roof tiles for paths, etc. I'd been doing that for awhile when I found out Japanese had been doing the same thing for a long time. Made me feel like I had a connection to gardeners of hundreds of years ago. Like the way I've come to create gardens is the same way they did. Reuse of what's available. I probably won't be using any lanterns. No raked stone areas, basins, arched bridge, Japanese style fence or other structures or red paint. Thanks for your time.
...See More

White flowers and plants for a Moonlight Garden in AZ

Comment

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US