Most gardens settle down after sunset, but night blooming plants can turn your outdoor space into something magical. These nocturnal bloomers open their petals as darkness falls, releasing fragrances and showing off flowers that are made for nighttime pollinators like moths and bats.
Creating a moon garden with plants that bloom after dark lets you enjoy your yard during those cooler evening hours and experience a whole new side of gardening. From fragrant flowers like jasmine and tuberose to striking cacti and orchids, each plant brings something different to the table.
1) Moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
Moonflower is a fast-growing tropical vine with big, fragrant white flowers that unfurl at dusk. The trumpet-shaped blooms can get up to 6 inches across and fill the night air with a sweet scent.
It has heart-shaped leaves and climbs like it means it, so you’ll want to give it a trellis or something sturdy. Moths and other nighttime pollinators can’t resist the flowers, which usually stay open until morning light shuts the show down.
2) Queen of the Night (Epiphyllum oxypetalum)
Queen of the Night is a cactus that puts on a real spectacle! Huge, fragrant white flowers that bloom only at night. You might only see them once or twice a year, and by morning, they’re gone.
This epiphytic cactus has long, flat stems that can stretch up to 20 feet. It does well in containers if you give it well-draining soil and keep it warm and humid, pretty much like its native Central and South American digs.
3) Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Evening primrose lights up the night with bright yellow flowers that open at dusk and close by late morning. The blooms are about 2 inches across and have a faint lemony scent that draws in moths.
This biennial grows anywhere from 3 to 6 feet tall and blooms profusely from early summer through early fall. It’s pretty adaptable and naturalizes easily once it’s happy in your garden.
4) Datura (Datura inoxia)
Datura inoxia, sometimes called moonflower or pricklyburr, puts out big white trumpet-shaped flowers that pop open at dusk. The blooms have a sweet fragrance and really catch the moonlight, making them hard to miss at night.
The flowers open in the evening and usually last until the next noon. This plant, part of the Solanaceae family, can get up to six feet tall; definitely not shy in the landscape!
5) Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia)
Angel’s Trumpet is all about drama, with huge, dangling flowers that can reach 20 inches long. They hang down and save their strongest fragrance for the evening, which makes them perfect for night gardens.
These tropical plants bloom from midsummer through fall, and their flowers open and close on their own schedule. Available in white, yellow, pink, or orange, they draw in night-pollinating moths with their sweet scent.
6) Night-Scented Stock (Matthiola longipetala)
Night-scented stock is an annual that saves its powerful, sweet scent for the evening. The flowers are small and delicate, in shades of lilac, pink, or white, on loose stems with gray-green leaves.
Grow it in full sun with well-draining soil. It blooms from spring through fall and works in borders, containers, or even as cut flowers. It’s pretty low-maintenance and just wants the occasional watering.
7) Four O’Clock Flower (Mirabilis jalapa)
The Four O’Clock Flower is named for its odd habit of opening late in the afternoon, usually around 4 PM, and staying open through the night until morning.
This bushy perennial does best in warm climates and can get 2 to 3 feet tall. The fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers love full sun and well-drained soil.
It’s native to South America and sometimes goes by Marvel of Peru.
8) Night Phlox (Zaluzianskya capensis)
Night Phlox, originally from South Africa, is pretty unremarkable during the day, but come sunset, its maroon buds open into starry white flowers.
The blooms give off a sweet vanilla scent that’s a magnet for moths. You can grow it as an annual or short-lived perennial, and it tops out around 40 centimeters, with sticky, narrow leaves.
9) Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa)
Tuberose is a perennial from Mexico that sends up tall flowering spikes – sometimes up to four feet! Clusters of waxy white tubular flowers release their strongest fragrance after dark.
Plant tuberose bulbs in spring after the last frost, in a sunny, well-drained spot. You’ll get blooms from late summer through autumn. Its intense scent is perfect for patios or moon gardens where you actually hang out at night.
10) Night Blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum)
Night blooming jasmine, also known as queen of the night, is famous for its strong sweet scent after sunset. This woody shrub from the Solanaceae family produces small tubular greenish-white or yellow flowers that only open at night.
It usually grows 4 to 8 feet tall, with glossy evergreen leaves. Night blooming jasmine likes warm weather, partial sun, and moderate watering, so it’s not too fussy if you meet its basic needs.
11) Bat Flower (Tacca chantrieri)
The Bat Flower gets its name from its wild, dark purple blooms that look a lot like a bat in flight. Native to Southeast Asian forests, this tropical perennial has flowers up to 12 inches across, with long whisker-like filaments trailing below.
It prefers shaded, humid spots – think rainforest! Its unique color and scent attract nocturnal pollinators like bats and flies.
12) Casa Blanca Lily (Lilium ‘Casa Blanca’)
Casa Blanca lilies are all about elegant, pure white flowers that can get 8 to 10 inches across. These oriental hybrids bloom in mid-summer on stems up to 3 or 4 feet tall.
Their fragrance is strongest at night, and the blooms show off reddish-brown anthers against crisp white petals.
They need 6 to 8 hours of sun and well-drained soil to really thrive.
13) Chocolate Daisy (Berlandiera lyrata)
Chocolate Daisy opens its yellow, daisy-like flowers at night or early morning, then closes them by midday. Each flower is 1 to 2 inches across, with yellow petals and a maroon-brown center.
The blooms give off a chocolate scent that’s most noticeable on warm mornings. This hardy perennial blooms from late spring through fall, so you get months of nighttime fragrance.
14) Night Gladiolus (Gladiolus tristis)
Night gladiolus has creamy white to pale yellow funnel-shaped flowers that open in late afternoon and evening. They give off a sweet scent after dark, often compared to honey or clove. This cormous perennial grows on wiry stems about 24 inches tall.
It does well in zones 7 to 10, and fits right in with rock gardens or moon gardens. The flowers bloom progressively in spring and early summer.
15) Lady of the Night Orchid (Brassavola nodosa)
The Lady of the Night orchid stands out for its citrusy scent that ramps up after sunset. Native to Central and South America, it’s an epiphytic orchid with white flowers about four inches across, featuring slender petals and a heart-shaped lip.
It does well indoors with bright, indirect light and high humidity. It’ll bloom several times a year, so it’s a solid pick for beginners who want a fragrant night-bloomer.
16) Evening Primrose Oenothera speciosa
Evening primrose puts out fragrant, bowl-shaped flowers, usually 2 to 3 inches across. The blooms start off satiny white with yellow centers, then fade to rose pink with deeper pink veins.
This sprawling perennial has four delicate petals with a crumpled silk look. The flowers open in the evening and stick around through the night. You can grow it in USDA zones 3 to 11; it does best in full sun and well-drained soil.
17) Cereus Cactus (Selenicereus grandiflorus)
The Cereus cactus, sometimes called Queen of the Night, produces massive white flowers that only bloom after dark. Native to Central America and the Caribbean, it’s a climbing cactus with stems that can reach up to 20 feet long.
Each flower opens for a single night, then wilts by dawn. The blooms can be up to 14 inches across, some of the biggest among night-blooming cacti. It likes tropical and subtropical conditions best.
18) Night-Blooming Cereus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum)
The Night-Blooming Cereus, also known as Queen of the Night, puts out large white flowers that open after sunset and close by dawn. Each one blooms for just a single night.
This epiphytic cactus is native from Mexico to Nicaragua. The blooms can reach up to 12 inches long and 8 inches wide. In the wild, bats and moths pollinate the flowers during their brief nighttime show.
19) Four O’clock Mirabilis
Four o’clock flowers (Mirabilis jalapa) get their name thanks to their quirky blooming pattern. The fragrant blossoms tend to pop open in late afternoon, usually around 4 PM, and then stick around through the night before shutting again in the morning.
Originally from South America, these bushy perennials usually reach about 2 to 3 feet tall. The flowers come in a bunch of colors: pink, yellow, white, red. Sometimes, a single plant will even surprise you with multiple colors right on the same stem.
20) Night Tulip (Hesperis matronalis)
Despite the name, the Night Tulip isn’t a tulip at all, it’s actually Dame’s Rocket, a perennial or biennial that pops up in early spring. Its flowers show off shades of purple, pink, and white, and honestly, they look a lot more like phlox than any tulip I’ve ever seen.
The scent really comes alive after dark, so if you’re someone who likes to wander the garden at dusk, this one’s a treat. Dame’s Rocket fits right in with wildflower patches or cottage gardens, and it tends to make itself at home pretty quickly.
