Theme gardens: evening and colonial

By Kathy Hatfield
Gardening Columnist

Editor's note: Our gardening columnist discussed the themes of a cutting garden, children's garden and plants for hummingbirds and butterflies in the March edition. That story and many others are available for reference at the North Forty News web page, Gardening and Landscaping.

Evening garden

The scorching days of summer make it almost impossible to enjoy a garden during midday. But when the sun sinks in the western sky, cooler evening air permeates the landscape.

By designing an evening garden, we can enjoy it when the day's work is done and temperatures are more agreeable. The Victorians called them moon gardens and considered them to be highly romantic. Three elements that make an evening garden memorable are white or light-colored flowers, silver-gray foliage and evening fragrance.

Pale colors, such as soft yellows, pinks and white, glow in the evening light. These lighter flower colors normally serve to blend or accent other colors during daylight hours. During the daytime, bold colors, such as reds, blues and purples, are a welcome addition to the garden. But these colors wane with the fading light.

Moonlight reflects off silvery-gray foliage and white flowers. Not surprisingly, many species that are well adapted to a dry climate, because their leaves reflect sunlight, are equally suited to an evening garden, adding to the overall effect of the evening garden.

Fragrance adds another dimension. Night-blooming flowers generally have a fragrance to attract pollinating moths. Plant fragrant blossoms next to a deck or patio, where you can fully enjoy their perfume.

Consider adding light-colored statuary or gazing globes that reflect moonlight. Add sculptural effects with ornamental grasses and shrubs or trees that have intriguing forms in shadowy light. A small fountain with the soothing sound of softly flowing water or a delicate wind chime will add another sensory element.

The placement of paths and benches for safety and comfort and for the fullest enjoyment of the garden should be considered as well. Additional lighting with small electric lights or candles may be added for safety and ambiance, but too much light can ruin the magic of the evening garden.

The plants listed below are a few that add to the enjoyment of an evening garden, and they are tolerant of dry conditions. To ensure that your garden is visually attractive day and night, include bright colors as well as pastels and white.

• Artemisia spp. (wormwood) - Grown for its silvery foliage, rather than its flowers, most species have a pleasant fragrance.
• Callirhoe alcaeoides 'Logan Calhoun' (white-flowered poppy mallow) - a flat, spreading plant with pure white flowers, related to the familiar prairie wine cup.
• Datura meteloides (angel's trumpet) - a southwestern native with huge white pendulous flowers and an intoxicating fragrance that makes this annual worth growing.
• Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan' - a cousin to purple coneflower, this has white drooping petals surrounding a central golden cone.
• Oenothera caespitosa (white-tufted evening primrose) - a western native with large white fragrant flowers that fade to pink as they age.
• Paeonia spp. (peonies) - tough, fragrant and beautiful, there are several white varieties available.
• Penstemon tubaeflorus (white plains penstemon) - an elongated spike of showy white flowers that blooms in early summer.
• Philadelphus lewisii 'Cheyenne' (mock orange) - a western native shrub with orange blossom-like fragrance and superior drought tolerance.
• Rosa spp. (roses) - many hardy varieties are available with white blossoms and varying degrees of fragrance.
• Syringa spp. (lilac) - there are cultivars of the French lilacs with white flowers and wonderful spring fragrance.

Colonial garden

A good theme garden for those with a penchant for American history is a colonial kitchen garden. These gardens were easily accessible, often called "dooryard gardens," because of their proximity to the kitchen door. In addition to providing food, they were used to raise herbs, fruits and vegetables for flavorings, teas, medicines, insecticides, disinfectants, perfumes and dyes for wool and flax.

Thankfully there were colonists who kept diaries and journals detailing their gardens, so we have a pretty good idea of what they grew. Many of the plants are not suitable for Colorado's dry conditions, but a sampling of some that should do well is listed below, along with some of the reasons the colonists grew them.

• Achillea millefolium (yarrow) - ointments made from yarrow were used to heal wounds; the flowers were used in fresh and dried bouquets.
• Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa (tarragon) - used as a flavoring for meats, fish and vinegars and also as an aid to digestion.
• Borago officinalis (borage) - an annual that will reseed, its cucumber-flavored leaves are a welcome addition to salads.
• Calendula officinalis (pot marigold) - a self-seeding annual used for skin problems and digestive upsets.
• Dianthus caryophyllus (pinks) - used in fresh bouquets and perfumes.
• Galium odoratum (sweet woodruff) - all plant parts were used to produce dyes and the dried leaves made a pleasant-smelling moth repellant.
• Galium verum (lady's bedstraw) - a spreading groundcover used as mattress and pillow stuffing, as a dye plant and to curdle milk.
• Nepeta cataria (catnip) - used as a soothing tea for colds, flu and fever, and to settle the stomach.
• Pulmonaria officinalis (lungwort) - as its common name implies, this herb was used for pulmonary ailments, and was also a remedy for sore throats and asthma.
• Santolina chamaecyparissus (lavender cotton) - the flowers were dried for winter bouquets and the leaves used as a dye plant.
• Stachys spp. (wood betony) - used medicinally, this plant was considered a "cure-all" and considered to have an overall tonic effect on the body.
• Viola odorata (violets) - flowers were used in perfumes and sachets, and a syrup was used to treat coughs, colds and congestion.

E-mail your garden questions to me at ocwildflowers@frii.com.