ON THE MOON & FLWRS,

In our second entry, we're looking up into the moonlight, exploring how flora thrives under cosmic skies.

Hello again, this ones for the night-owls and moon loving girlies..

As the summer fades, pencil cases and water bottles fill supermarket shelves, BBQs burn out, we swap suncream for scarves and watch the leaves curl and crisp. It's both reflective and bittersweet, forgetting the sensation of dry grass scratching at our legs and instead noticing the damp in the air, the smell of dewy mornings.

There is however, still plenty of light through the Autumn, you just have to look a little harder for it.

With a harvest moon just around the corner, in our latest journal entry we're looking up to the night sky, and then back down to the ground, considering all the ways in which flora and celestial life are intertwined.

A MOONBOARD

Image sources (Georgia O'Keefe, Perfume Head, @endlesspiral, Pinterest)

FLWRS OF THE MOON

The moon is more than just another reflection of the sun, where plants, flowers and crops can transform, blooming under natures rhythms during the lunar cycle.

You may be surprised to find that there are flowers and plants growing in amongst your flower beds, who prefer sunsets to sunrises. Flowers that stay up all night whispering to each other, plants who have seen far more shooting stars than we could even imagine. A secret community thriving under glowing craters, growing whilst we’re dreaming.

Many of these nocturnal blooms are pale in colour, designed by mother nature to catch, then reflect the moonlight, making them more visible to night-time pollinators like moths and bats. There’s something so beautifully poetic about the qualities of moon flowers, their petals sharing the same soft, glowing tones as the moon itself.

So, here are a few of our favourite moon flowers..

LADY OF THE NIGHT

Lady of the Night also known as Night Blooming Jasmine, is an evergreen shrub with greenish-white flowers. The flowers are long and tube shaped, like tiny little golf t's. You’ll usually spot this variety with its trailing vines wrapping around railings, climbing fences and taking over the bricks of a house. When the sun sets, the small flowers bloom and release a highly scented perfume into the night.

NIGHT-SCENTED ORCHID

A personal favourite of ours.. these delicate and star shaped orchids only bloom at night, and release a beautiful, delicate scent when they do. Their petals are slender and delicate, mimicking the aesthetic qualities of a cosmic sky.

MAKING A MOON GARDEN

Imagine a sanctuary where these nocturnal flowers could shine. Where their etherealness would be as clear as night skies in the countryside. A place for you to exist alongside them, from dusk ‘til dark, where the smell of dew-kissed jasmine lingers, and silvers and whites dance around your line of sight.

“A flower is not a flower. It is made only of non-flower elements - sunshine, clouds, time, space, earth, minerals, gardeners, and so on. A true flower contains the whole universe.” – Thich Nhat Hanh (2015)

In moonlight, our eyes perceive the world differently. Hues and tones otherwise hidden in daylight or artificial lighting come alive, revealing a dream-like beauty unique to the night-time.

A moon garden is comprised of silvery foliage and white petals, sweet scents and is, of course - spilling with moonlight. Whether it’s just a small space for personal reflection, or an expansive garden for moonlit gatherings, there are only a few simple rules for creating a moon garden: glowing flowers, fragrance, and a sense of tranquility.

What would yours look like?

Thank you for being here, we’ll leave you to reflect on our reflections, and we’ll play you out with a bit of Neil Young..