Goddess in Her Garden: Artemis

The Goddess in Her Garden
Plant a Moon Garden for Artemis
Silver leaves, white plants and contrasting foliage make the huntress' garden glow at dusk.
Written by Cauldron Living staff writer Stephanie Hainsfurther

A few years ago, my husband built a raised bed near the back patio so that we could see flowers and foliage easily from our outdoor table and chairs. But what to put in the new garden? My xeric plants were arrayed happily around the yard, and their riot of red and pink and purple made yet another flower bed seem redundant.

I thought for a long time about how we actually use the patio. It can be brutally hot here on a summer day, but the desert cools off at night. We tend to have dinner outside and chat there into the evening, enjoying the virtually pest-free atmosphere and the soft sounds of summer. Envisioning a fragrant garden that would glow like candlelight as night came on, I began to think about a white-and-silver combination.

That summer, the nurseries and home centers offered big, gorgeous white geraniums, those abundant petunias and all of the tall, white daisies you can imagine. I gathered them up. I already loved the perennial 'Dusty Miller' for edging, and the silvery Artemisia 'Powis Castle' that serves as a backdrop throughout my gardens. Anything I could get my hands on that was white or silver, I planted in the raised bed.
http://www.cauldronliving.com/images...es/artemis.jpg

photo: Named for the goddess, Artemisia's lacey foliage is a perfect backdrop for white flowers in a moon garden.


Then I stood back-and watched it all disappear.

That's what will happen to an all-white-and-silver garden if you don't put in something darker for contrast. Who knew? Hey, I'm a writer, not a designer.

It was a very expensive lesson. I ran out and bought Heuchera 'Purple Ruffles' and added Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' with its dark red stems, glossy green leaves and tiny white flowers. Then I stuck in a couple of burgundy grasses, to back it all up with texture and contrast. Some low-growing 'Dragon's Blood' Sedum twined around the 'Dusty Miller' brought the edges to life.

Now I had a garden that gleamed. I called it the white garden-until I saw it smolder one night at sunset and continue to shine under the clear light of the Goddess' moon.

A moon garden! Plant one. It will be your summer delight.

My moon garden is in full sun. If you have a partially shady spot, you can use Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba' (white Bleeding Heart), Lamium maculatum 'White Nancy' or 'Beacon Silver,' and white Astilbe. Back up the white flowering plants with the lacy chartreuse foliage of Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) or 'Abbotswood,' the white-flowered form of Potentilla fruticosa. Edge your shady moon garden with 'Silver Beauty,' a cultivar of Ajuga reptans. In sun or part-shade, nothing beats Lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) for texture, color and sheer stroke-ability.

Place a garden bench or a large, flat rock nearby, relax and enjoy the twilight show. But before you rest, perform a simple ritual to dedicate this garden to Artemis, moon goddess and virgin huntress.

Bathe and dress in nighttime garments. Place a few rocks of hematite or mica on the edge of the garden, or place there a smooth, round stone that reminds you of the moon. Light a white candle; sprinkle a handful of salt on the ground nearby (don't salt the plants). Stretch out your arms, spreading your hands above the garden.

Intone these words or ones that have special meaning to you:

"Welcome Goddess, Artemis, silver sister of the sun. Light this garden, awash in your moonlight. Fierce protector, watch over all who dwell here and hold them safe in your love. As we tend this garden for you, tend to our worries so that we may put them aside at the close of day. Blessed Be."

Blow out the candle. Water the plants, soaking the earth.

Rest beside your moon garden, tired from your day's work and grateful for the serenity of evening. Sleep well!

-Stephanie Hainsfurther is the author of Pocket Gardening for Your Outdoor Spaces (Hobby House Press, 2004).

More plants for your moon garden:
Anything with silver-gray or blue-gray foliage and purple flowers will shore up gracefully the white flowers in your moon garden. Catmint (Nepeta sp.) looks splendid with its light purple spikes; so does Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) if your space is larger. For more white-flowering choices, try Phlox 'David,' or white Oriental poppies. If you like herbs in your garden, Feverfew's tiny white daisies add spark and their yellow centers are good for contrast.