The Lunar Garden

Around this time of year, many of us are planning and planting our gardens. What we tend to over look (more often than not) is our moon gardens. For the new-comers out there, I should probably explain a moon garden, as it is likely not what you may think it is. This is not one of those areas of Alternative Practitioning that is self-explanatory. Most people see the term 'moon garden' and think: 'Well, it's a garden, that's made for growing mostly from the light from the moon'. The response to that from me would be 'Yes....and no. But, more on the 'no' side'. For many belief systems, the moon itself holds a spiritual meaning. For Alternative belief systems, the moon is quite literally one of the most predominant, and very physical, universal bodies that is relied upon for more than just a lovely evening stroll under the moon light. It is both spiritual, and physical. We can see the moon. Elder APs have an extreme understanding of not only the scientific facts surrounding the moon, and how it has an effect on the Earth, but also the way that the light from the moon can have an effect on all of the living creatures (including humans) that live on the Earth. For example, Native American Indians often used the light of the moon to help guide them during evening hunting trips. They learned that many of the larger animals they would hunt for were nocturnal, and thus, they had to learn how to adapt their hunting skills for evening hunting excursions.

    A lunar garden is much more than a 'cool group of flowers that just happen to have the wow factor in the moon light'. In order to understand the Lunar Garden, we first have to get slightly on the nerdy side. YES, this is the nerd portion of the blog. We get the word 'lunar' from the Latin word for moon, which is 'luna'. The moon is the largest natural satellite in orbit, relative to the size of the object it is orbiting. It is the second most dense moon, of all the known moons in the solar system. It is second only to Jupiter's moon, Io. It is in synchronous rotation with the Earth, which is why we always see the same side of the moon. Now, we all know that the moon does have a gravitational field, as well as a magnetic field. The moon does have a slight atmosphere, but it is so tenuous that it is nearly a vacuum, as it has a total mass of about 10 metric tons. In layman's terms that means 'next to nothing in comparisons with the Earth'. We also know that the moon helps to generate the water tides that we are all too familiar with. The tides on Earth are mostly generated by the gradient in intensity of the Moon's gravitational pull from one side of Earth to the other,the 'tidal forces'.

The original idea for the Lunar Garden came from botanists who noticed that the plant, Datura meteloides, bloomed at night, rather than during the day light hours. Thus, the 'common name' was given - Moonflower. Many botanists started to notice that there were many flowers that did not 'close up', or 'go to sleep' at night, but rather kept their blooms open around the clock. Of course, Elder APs know that this was no big discovery, as rural peoples had known about this for centuries prior to the botany-based 'discoveries'.  Before you even begin to physically create your moon garden, you first have to figure out what, exactly, that garden will be used for. For example: Some people use it for a relaxation and night time meditation area, while other people use it specifically for the cultivation of lunar-type flowers and plants. There are also some who use their moon gardens for both purposes, which I have found has become the 'norm' over the past few decades. Our lovely generation of multi-tasking people have come to the point of never resting, and if we are going to garden, by golly we're going to multi-task that garden to pieces, even if we are sleeping. Well, so it would seem. All joking aside however, the moon garden does have a good place in your yard (or, greenhouse, or even your balcony-based container garden). Plants, no matter when they bloom) are beneficial to not only the air, but also serve as miniature environments for all sorts of other animals.

    I've seen moon gardens that were nearly 2 acres in size, and are specifically designed for both plant cultivation and meditation. One area had flowers. Another had an entire out doors dining set, complete with serving cart and a resting hammock.. Yet, another area had a stone pathway that meandered between the previous two sections, that was designed to help the person relax as they went from table to meditation. Some people add solar-type path lights and decorations to the garden. Some people use glow in the dark paints to help highlight the stepping stones along a path. Some people have even used well hidden black lights that help highlight the natural color schemes of their plants and flowers. For example, a variegated plant under a black light would appear to be darker where the green colors are, and a bright, almost neon, white color (or yellow, pink or peach) where the lighter areas of the plant grew. An example of a variegated plant is shown to the right. White is the most common color used to create a moon garden, simply because the white colors show up better, and appear to be more 'dreamy', when moon light hits the plants. Many people who are quite serious about their moon gardens will plant as many Moonflowers as possible. Moonflower is actually a vine, so if you plant this, you will want to give this plant something that it can climb around and use as a support system. If you don't have room for a trellis, an inverted old rake or a home made trellis will work just fine, not to mention it will add interest to your moon garden.

Try looking for flowers that are on the lighter side, or are completely white. Those flowers will show up best in your moon garden. If you have day time shade spots, use flowers and variegated plants that are specifically for shaded areas. Those will look just as good at night, but will not get unintentionally barbecued by the daytime light from the Sun. For the garden itself, you can place items there that are special to you I do not suggest trying to copy something from a garden design book, or magazine. Simply put, the image that you see was designed specifically for that particular location, and will not necessarily work for the area you live in (regardless of which hemisphere you reside in). Use your best judgement. This will be a trial and error type of garden. Some plants may not look so great under a full moon, while others will look amazing, but maybe they're not the 'fluffiest' plants out there, and need to be planted in bulk, rather than 'spots' of them here and there. Also keep in mind that what looks great during the day, may look like a hideous rat's nest at night. So you may need to do a bit of planning under the full moon in order to really get the idea of what the finished garden will look like.

 Stones that look great under the moon light are: White/Clear/Pink quartz, Moon Stone (of course), lighter colored Agates, lighter shades of Jade and lighter shades of Turquoise. Rocks that have chips of metallic and crystals in them also bring added interest and depth to the moon garden. If you have decorations in the garden, be sure to add a slight bit of light in areas that you may accidentally stub your toe, jam your leg or trip over. Safety first at all times, especially when you're working on something that will be mostly used at night. The idea is to make a garden that is very personal for you (even if you will use it for guests), and has meaning for you. If you wish to add an altar to the garden, that you can use for your offerings and blessings, then by all means add one. Be aware that anything you add to the garden will be fully exposed to the elements, even if those items are seasonal. So take care when adding non-plant items to your moon garden. Above all, design it to be enjoyed. That is the entire purpose of a moon garden. For pure enjoyment and relaxation.