Thank you all - they are definitely very me whatever that is. I actually had more of a color scheme going originally but somehow they have multiplied into every color and I like it. I do have more pastels in the front and hotter colors as you move behind the deck. The house is not really that big but it's spread out and has a lot of volume. I really like things rather neat if you can imagine that with all this disorder and I like to see a repetition down the garden of something that is starring at the moment - daffodils in a similar tone in the spring, then the peonies and iris, then the daylilies, later it's asters and phlox. You know the funny thing about that CindySunshine name is I totally made it up as I was registering on gardenweb out of nothing - but I am definitely a sunshine girl always have loved summer and sunshine. If you look at that first picture with the front borders, I am standing on the driveway - if you look thru the daylilies (and BTW that is "Cherry Chapeau" that is the brilliant burst of color in the foreground) past the flowers around the lamppost and then the line of big trees, that's where the orchard is - you drive up through it as you go up toward the house. If you turn to your left that's where the butterfly garden is that I posted earlier. We built the house 20 years ago - we literally crawled thru the brush and hacked things down to find that there was a lovely spot up here to build. I was thrilled to find the combination of trees in the background, but sunny areas around the house for my gardens. The ground was really not very good at all - we built it up mostly with just work, compost, mulch, weeding, weeding, weeding, weeding - sometimes I feel like I've spent half my life weeding - LOL. Here's the vegie garden a couple weeks ago before the corn got so tall... Quick view of the pond - I took this several weeks ago (notice the same gazing ball that is now engulfed in stuff in those shots this morning - I was worried at the time about the pedestel it stood on and whether I should paint it - like why bother - LOL. And finally behind the deck - I took this in the spring right after the japanese maples leafed out - my easiest least maintenance area of the garden - all I do is put a handful of fertilizer around them in the spring. They don't even ever get watered, hostas do great. Thank you all. :)

The discription at the top of the post says the moon garden holds interest at night. I bet it could be anyone of those things you mentioned. Another reason I think it might be so popular- so many folks are gone all day and can't enjoy the fruits of their labor as much as they want- hence, a garden "alive" at night extends the pleasure... Julie

To me a moon garden would consist of white, fragrant, plants like Moonflower (impomea) vine, the fragrant nicotiana, maybe some grasses if you have lots of space like gayfeather, abelia, and so on. I don't have a lot of space so I mostly stick to the moonflower vine with its heavenly scent (blooms late in day and stays till morning) bacopia which spreads nicely and is problem-free.

Hi Kallie, I wouldn't say there are must haves, the only thing must have is that you like it. Hardy, inexpensive and fragrant are great requirements. In my garden I try for primarily white flowers, now adding white foliage by way of hosta to prolong the light in the garden when things are not in bloom. Asiatic lilies are great, bloom before the Orientals. Asiatics are generally inexpensive and bloom for a long time, I don't find them fragrant though, at least not like the trumpets or the Orientals. I see you listed Lollypop, that is an Asiatic, it blooms first here for me..then followed by the Stargazer which is an Oriental and fragrant, later in the season my Casa Blanca open, my favorite lily. Actually I can't say that, Madonna lilies are wonderful too. I think annuals carry the show alot, so I use a lot of them too. You can count on them to reflect the light..expecially the shiny white impatiens. Any way you look at it or do it, I am sure you'll enjoy it. The thing is, if you are looking for constant white in bloom you need to vary what you have in there..for the most part, annuals bloom all summer long, so if you have favorite shrubs or scents include them. If it were me I'd chose my Dwarf Mockorange Minnesota Snowflake, blooms for a long time, entire shrub covered in deliciously fragrant double white blooms. Maybe a white peony, some white daffodils for the spring..Mt Hood, Polar ice, Colblanc, maybe some frittilaria melagris alba...all not too expensive if you start out slow. White iris are pretty, stand out and are inexpensive. There are white garden mums for later in the season, and of course there are the annuals, just about everything comes in white ( ok, an exageration, but there are a lot) Just be mindful of your sun/shade/moisture and mature plant size when planting. Of course, the moonflower is not to be left out, you should experience it at least once. ( Annual vine ) Well, good luck, hope this helps somewhat...JoAnn