These beauties of the West, at dusk, and even at night, really shine in the gardenBy MAUREEN GILMER
Scripps Howard News Service
Scripps Howard News Service
(Photo: The Western yucca species are among the best of all night-pollinated flowers. This plant of the American West is pollinated by night-flying moths, and its white color is an adaptation to draw them “like a moth to a flame.”)
White is the most underestimated color in the garden.
It is often overlooked as a non-color, sacrificed for blues and reds and much hotter hues. But there is far more to white, as an English author explains so perfectly: "White ... is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. ..."
And when white is used in the arid garden, its presence can be profound, particularly out West where it is the last hue to disappear at dusk. During those long dry evenings, these great white flowers are the toast of the garden.
White is the most underestimated color in the garden.
It is often overlooked as a non-color, sacrificed for blues and reds and much hotter hues. But there is far more to white, as an English author explains so perfectly: "White ... is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. ..."
And when white is used in the arid garden, its presence can be profound, particularly out West where it is the last hue to disappear at dusk. During those long dry evenings, these great white flowers are the toast of the garden.
Study any garden at sunset — and into the increasing darkness. The blues are the first to fade to black, then the reds. Golden yellow fades before pale lemon yellow, and only then do the creams and whites lose their luster. These pale petals, like night-vision goggles, reflect what little light is shed by the moon.
Sometimes they can appear luminescent in the moonlight, as with the yucca.
This plant of the American West is pollinated by night-flying moths, and its white color is an adaptation to draw them "like a moth to a flame." Yucca has always been queen of the night garden, but there are other drought-resistant plants that are nearly as lovely day or night.
This plant of the American West is pollinated by night-flying moths, and its white color is an adaptation to draw them "like a moth to a flame." Yucca has always been queen of the night garden, but there are other drought-resistant plants that are nearly as lovely day or night.
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