I love to take visitors to my home for an afternoon stroll through my backyard.
There is so much to see and hear, to smell and even taste! I grow a little bit of a lot of things, and the variety in my garden and landscape beds usually gets people curious and asking questions.
But for the few lucky souls who visit my backyard paradise at night, the experience is something they are likely going to talk about for months to come.
Let me share five secrets with you that can help to turn your outdoor living and garden space into something truly remarkable and sensual.
1.
Use effective lighting.
This is perhaps the most overlooked part of creating a memorable outdoor space that can be enjoyed at night.
There are many lighting options for garden paths, patios, decks, ponds and landscapes, and employing a few well chosen types of soft light can draw the eye to some magnificent night scenes.
Not only do these lights draw a visitor in to the space and help to define its perimeters, but they can even play a romantic role in creating soft shadows and golden, glowing puddles of light.
Natural sources of light such as torches, candles and lanterns make the shadows dance and the scenery glow with their warmth.
And of course fire pits and outdoor fireplaces are wonderful sensual lighting sources, and make excellent places to gather in cooler temperatures.
2.
Incorporate water features.
Whether it's the dappled, babbling sound of a small waterfall, or the echoing and comforting rhythm of a fountain centered on a patio, the night is the time for water to reach its full and effective potential.
At night, the eye is less bombarded with sensory input, which leaves the ears more free to explore the soundscapes you have created outdoors.
I love to linger around the table with close friends after a fabulous meal, laughing with one another over wine, and listening to the soft tinkling splashes of the fountain that anchors the center of our walled garden.
My heart knows pure contentment in those moments.
3.
Scent the air.
I'm not talking about manufactured scents, although citronella can be helpful in warding off nighttime pests.
I am talking about planning ahead, and giving the olfactory senses a wonderful world of gentle and alluring fragrances to explore.
The sweet smell of jasmine is impossible to resist in the hot evenings of July and August.
And even basil, oregano and sage offer up playful whiffs of scented magic when planted along the edges of walkways and in patio containers where people are likely to brush them while moving past.
4.
Add interesting decor.
Don't let plants do all the work of holding the interest of your evening visitors.
A well-placed swirly glass gazing ball can become pure magic when lit and allowed to take center stage at night.
Garden statues also have an appeal that is much different at night than in the harsh midday sun.
Arbors, pergolas and gazebos take on enchanted proportions as light evening breezes tease the blossoms climbing up among their beams and supports.
Architectural and decorative elements can truly deliver something special at night.
5.
Provide places to linger.
All of the above ways to beautify your back yard at night come to nothing in the end if you have not provided comfortable places for lingering and enjoying the surroundings you have so purposefully crafted.
A seating area, maybe a table and chairs under a string of soft lights, or benches along well-lit paths, or even a pair of Adirondack chairs facing out toward the night scenery; each of these gives you a chance to decide to stay a while, to breathe in the fragrant night air, to listen to the music of a stone waterfall, to see the soft flicker of candle lanterns as they cast warm light and shadows along the edges of the porch.
It would be a shame not to be able to become a settled and immovable part of such a scene.