Most flowers open in the morning and close towards evening, but there are also "night owls" — plants that bloom at dusk or during the night. If you have ever walked through a garden or park on a summer evening, you have probably noticed their rich, sweet scent. Here are the flowers that bloom at night, why they do it and how to plant your own moon garden.
It is all about pollinators. Night-blooming flowers are designed for hawk moths and other moths, and in the tropics for bats. That is why they usually have white or pale petals that stand out in the dark and a strong fragrance that carries in the cool evening air. Many of them also produce more nectar than their daytime neighbours.
Don't be fooled by the modest look of this annual (Matthiola longipetala, also sold as M. bicornis) — it is a true queen of fragrance. Its small lilac flowers are barely noticeable by day, but in the evening they fill the air with a sweet scent. The plant is undemanding and tolerates cool weather: sow the seeds directly outdoors in April–May, and it will bloom from June to September.
Mirabilis jalapa comes from tropical America. Its flowers open in the late afternoon, closer to sunset — hence the English name. "Mirabilis" means "wonderful": one plant can carry flowers of different colours — white, yellow, pink, magenta and even streaked. It is grown as an annual, and the tubers can be dug up in autumn and stored until spring.
Flowering tobacco opens its white tubular flowers in the evening and smells strongest on warm, still nights. Evening primrose is famous for flowers that open almost before your eyes — in a minute or two. Moonflower (Ipomoea alba) is a vine with white trumpet flowers up to 12–15 cm across that glow at dusk and smell of vanilla.
This visitor from South Africa (Zaluzianskya) keeps its flowers closed during the day, showing only their reddish-maroon undersides. In the evening, white stars with a honey-vanilla scent open up. It is easy to grow in hanging baskets and window boxes, close to where you relax in the evening.
A climbing cactus native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Its huge white flower with golden outer petals opens after sunset, fills the room with a vanilla scent and fades by morning. Selenicereus can be grown indoors: it needs bright light, a support, moderate watering in summer and a cool, dry winter rest. It usually only flowers once mature, so be patient.
Another "queen of the night" from the cactus family, Epiphyllum oxypetalum. Its fragrant white flowers open late in the evening and last just one night — owners often invite friends round to watch the bloom together.
Balsa grows in the tropical forests of Central and South America and is known for its very light wood, used in model making and for building rafts. Its large cream flowers open in the evening and hold a lot of nectar. Bats are the main pollinators, and kinkajous, olingos, opossums and monkeys also visit the flowers.
Most often the Selenicereus grandiflorus cactus, less often Epiphyllum oxypetalum. In both, each flower opens for a single night.
Pale petals are easier for night pollinators — hawk moths and bats — to see in the dark.
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
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