Moon Garden Kit

A garden kit is a collection of plants pre-selected by our nursery to meet a certain purpose to make gardening goals easy. Kits can be used as a quick way and economical to start gardening native without having to do as much research. Plants come pre-arranged in a tray so you can plant them just as they are for an instant garden design, with tall plants in the back and short, showy plants in the front. Or, since each plant is labeled with plant name and height, you can arrange them to suit your space.
 
When people think pollinators, they tend to picture bees and butterflies. However, half of pollination occurs at night by the light of the moon, while bees and butterflies are sleeping. Moths are the primary pollinators of the night, but beetles, including fireflies, nocturnal bees, and even mosquitos pollinate by moonlight. Moths and their associates don't generally use pollen (that we know of), but their fuzzy bodies carry it effectively, usually much farther than the pollen could be carried by bees tied to a small territory around a nest site. One study found that around 50% of the pollination of apple tree flowers was done by moths. Without moths and their nocturnal brethren, our crops and many native plants would not be fully pollinated. It's time we started gardening for them, just like we do for their flashy butterfly cousins. 
 
There are two ways plants help moths - they can host (be eaten by) moth caterpillars, or they can provide nectar to night-flying adults. Moths specialize just like butterflies: their caterpillars can only eat certain plants. Goldenrods, asters, oak trees, and other are considered "keystone" pollinator plants mostly because of the number of moth species they host. The other way native plants can support moths is providing nectar that is available at night. 
 
Not all plants have nectar available at all times. They tend to offer rewards at certain times and in certain ways to attract their favored pollinators, to better ensure that their pollen gets to a plant of the same species. Signs that a plant provides nectar to moths include a light-colored or white flower, easier to detect in dim light, and a scent that intensifies in the evening to lure awakening pollinators. Some flowers even stay closed during the day and open in the evening to reserve the nectar for their night pollinators. These flowers are often scented in the dark and easily visible in the moonlight, making your moon garden appealing for people as well as pollinators.
 
This Moon Garden Kit is designed for average garden soil and full to part sun during the day. It will contain 2 to 5 of each species, usually of the following mix of plants, but one way we keep the per plant costs low on garden kits is by reserving the right to substitute plants based on our current inventory. Your kit may differ from the list below in exact species, but the plants included are guaranteed to meet the stated goals, in this case, supporting moths and other nighttime pollinators while providing flowers that appeal to people under low light conditions. If you need specific plants for your garden goals, consider supplementing your garden kit with quarts:
 
Evening Primrose - the secret is in the name; these open and offer nectar in the evening
Common Milkweed - pale flower with a delicious scent that intensifies in the evening
Stiff and/or Showy Goldenrod - Goldenrod importance to moths as both nectar and host plants cannot be overstated, so when possible we include two favorites
Black-eyed Susan - nectar and host plant
Panicled Aster - nectar and host plant with light flowers
Big Bluestem or Early Fen Sedge - moth host plant
Hairy Beardtongue - nectar plant with moonlit flowers
Rose Mallow Hibiscus, Boneset, or Culver's Root - dramatic nectar and host plants that glow in the light of the moon
Early Sunflower - nectar and host plant with a lot of caterpillar real estate
Pearly Everlasting, Prairie Sage, or Pussytoes - white/light flowers and gray foliage make these night-time stand-outs
Foxglove Beardtongue or Yarrow - nectar and host plant with white flowers
Meadowsweet or New Jersey Tea - large flower clusters and host plants
Canada Milkvetch or Columbine - host plant and nectar source 
 
If substitutions are necessary, they may include Blue Vervain, Calico or other asters, Giant or Paleleaf Sunflower, Meadow Rue, Virgins Bower, Violets, Dogbane, Blazingstars, Northern Bush Honeysuckle, Iris, sedges, grasses, Thimbleweed, Compass Plant, goldenrods, or others. These plants are also recommended if you wish to expand your Nighttime Pollinator collection. If the list seems long and varied, it is. Like butterflies and bees, there are nocturnal pollinators that are specialists - pollinating only one type of plant, or whose caterpillars feed on only one type of leaf or plant family. While goldenrods, asters, and sunflowers host the broadest range of moths, there are many plants beneficial to more specialist nocturnal pollinators. One thing not on the list are trees and larger shrubs. Many, many moths and nocturnal pollinators use trees and shrubs as their habitat and host plant. Replacing non-native landscaping with native plants will always pay off in richer habitat.
 
This economical kit includes 38 plant plugs that fill 50 square feet at 1-foot spacing - about a 5'x10' bed (assuming an 8" border); or up to 86 square feet at 1.5 sq. ft. spacing - a 6'x14' bed. Each kit comes with a planting guide. The plants are individually tagged for identification and all tags include height so you can alter the layout to suit your space.  
*Picture is an example kit of a different type. This kit will differ from the picture.