Moonshine magic

9:30am Friday 4th July 2008

Moon gardening is increasingly popular.

Just make sure the neighbours know why someone is creeping around in the dead of night.

THE space around your house is not just a place for you to sit out, work on and relax in during the day. There is more to do than entertain and party in the garden in the evenings.

With careful planning, the garden can also be enjoyed until the small hours of the morning, transforming it into an enchanting, magical spot.

This is when it becomes a moon garden.

Moon gardening is not to be confused with planting by the moon, which forms one of the founding principles of bio-dynamic gardening.

This relies on the phases of the moon and the pull of gravity on water in our plants. It is not that complicated once you have grasped the basics and the scientific reasoning behind what at first seems a mystical and slightly mad method of growing plants.

Gardening by the moon is a growing pastime, accelerated by ever decreasing leisure time, increased demands on our spare time and varied shift patterns. Quite often, the only time that we can make it out of the back door and into the peace and tranquillity of our little Edens is once the sun has set and the dark curtain of evening has fallen.

Moon gardening relies on the reflective qualities of moonbeams - or to put it more accurately and less poetically - the sun's light that hits the moon and bounces back down to earth. Our daytime atmosphere emphasises the brighter colours such as red and pink, and the green and yellow tones. Night light makes anything white, blue, silver or certain shades of purple luminesce and almost glow.

BEFORE you rush outside and start planting up in preparation for any nocturnal horticultural activities, you might want to consider location. It should be a relaxing spot with plenty of privacy where you can enjoy the silence of the night and the peace of twilight.

Just make sure that any neighbours know you well enough not to summon the authorities as soon as they see someone sneaking around in the garden after sunset. It should be somewhere that is fairly open and receives a good deal of moonlight.

Plants to consider for moonlight impact include iris, clematis, delphiniums, phlox, lupin and sweet woodfuff, as long as you can find them in white. Annuals such as cosmos, larkspur, foxglove (bi-ennial), pelargoniums, alyssum and lobelia can fill in any gaps. Fragrance mustn't be forgotten either. White flowers tend to be more fragrant in the evening as they do not have to compete with the vibrancy of other plants during the day. Lily of the valley, nicotiana and roses are all good contenders.

Foliage, and especially anything with a silver edge, can add another all-year-round dimension to the lunar-lit garden. This can include plants such as artemisia, the curry plant (although I am not a fan of the lingering scent), stachys, lamium, santolina and silver thyme. Mock orange, spirea, weeping silver pear and dogwoods are lovely backbone shrubs with which to build the garden up.

Supplement the planting with subtle lighting. Uplighters under foliage plants give fantastic effects. White coloured ornaments, bird baths or statues will complement the theme, as will white gravel on pathways and white or silver seating benches, from where you can sit and marvel at the ethereal effect that you have created.

The beauty and the secret about moon gardening is that during the day the garden looks like any other ordinary garden. It is only at dusk, though, that another side reveals itself, and only you know that within an hour or so, it will all come alive in its shimmering glory.

ON Sunday, Newsham village opens its gardens to the public between 1-5pm. Twelve gardens will be available for viewing, as well as a scarecrow trail. Tickets are on sale in the village hall for £3.50 on the day.

ON Tuesday, Great Ayton Flower club meets at the parochial church hall at 2pm for a talk by Mrs Brunton entitled Theatre in Flowers.

SECOND only to the Chelsea Flower Show, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet.

With something for everyone, from an authentic floating market to a climatic change dome, to a feast of edible grow-your-own delights from around the world. There are more than 50 attractive and educational gardens as well as interactive activities throughout the show.

July 8-13, from £13.50. Under-fives free.

www.rhs.orh.uk/flowershows * Brigid co-presents the BBC Tees Gardening show every Sunday from 11-2pm. Questions can be answered on the day by e-mailing brigidpress@bbc.co.uk anytime during the week, or texting 07786- 200995 or phoning 01642- 225511 during the show. Written queries can be addressed to Brigid at East Durham & Houghall College, Houghall, Durham DH1 3SG.

JOBS THIS WEEK

* Fruit trees such as apples and pears naturally shed excess fruit at this time of year, but if there is still too many clustered in one area, then bite the bullet and thin the group out. It might seem hard to do, but you will be guaranteeing yourself bigger, better fruit as opposed to more smaller ones.

* Dig out weeds such as dandelions from the lawn before they set seed and multiply. You may have to do this slowly and by hand, but it will pay off in the long run.

* Feed acid-loving plants such as camellias and rhododendrons which have been growing in pots rather than in the ground. They will benefit from a tonic of sequestered iron or a similar ericaceous plant food.

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