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Moonlit nights have their own beauty. Imagine a beautiful night with cool breeze touching the cheeks softly, sweet fragrance of night blooming flowers spread in the air, a mug of coffee or tea steaming in your hands and your family by your side. Nothing can be more beautiful, pleasing and  comforting than this after a hard day at work. I find night blooming flowers as an integral part of lawns and gardens. I have listed down a few of such enamoring flowers.

10. Evening Primrose

Evening Primrose

Evening Primrose (Botanical name: Oenothera biennis) is a plant from Onagraceae famiy origionaly indigenous to North America, but is now found in Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Australia too. The beautiful yellow flowered is named Evening Primrose because the flower blossoms only at night. The plant is famous medically. It’s seeds, leaves, oil of the seeds and root are used in medicines. Night-time insects like nocturnal sphinx moth pollinate these plants. The plant grows between 3 and 5 feet tall. The flowers are between 0.78 to 2 inches.

9. Night Bloom Water Lilies

Nymphaea Red Flare

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This tropical night-bloomer flower can never go unnoticed in any pond. This is a water lily deep crimson red or pink or purple in color. It blossoms in the evening twilight. This beautiful bright flower floating in water looks most mysterious against a dark background. The tropical lilies are larger than the hardy lilies and in most cases, the colors are more intense than the hardy lilies. The flowers are 7” – 10” in size. Each flower has 19 – 20 petals and a faint but pungent smell.

8. Moon Flowers

Moon Flower Starting To Bloom

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Moon flowers (Botanical name: Ipomoea) are called moon flowers because they bloom in moonlight. These are beautiful pink or white flowers. The flowers quickly open at night and last the entire night. They close when the sunlight touches their petals. The plant has a height of up to 15 feet. The propagation is by seed. The flower should by planted when the moon is new or increasing.

7. Night Gladiolus

Night Gladiolus

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The beautiful Night Gladiolus(Botanical name: Gladiolus Tristis ) is a creamy yellow flower with a very nice spicy fragrance. It is usually grown in dense areas with heavy rainfall. These are also found near sea level to high elevations. Usual height is 36 to 48 inches. The bloom in late spring and early to mid summers. It’s name comprises of two words; Night and Gladiolus. Gladiolus is a word of Latin origin meaning sword. Parts of this plant are poisonous and can cause skin irritations and allergic reactions. The plant is attractive to butterflies, bees and insects.

6. Casablanca Lily

Casablanca Lily

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The Casablanca Lily is a very expensive and fragrant flower used in perfumes and weddings. It is a part of Lilium Genus which has more than 110 species. The flower has 6 petals and the colors vary from white, yellow, orange and purple to pink. If all types are planted, the garden will look like a splash of colors from the color palette of a painter. The flower is elegant, delicate and has an excellent fragrance.

5. Nottingham Catchfly

Nottingham Catchfly

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Nottingham is a white wildflower with a pink tint and hairy leaves. It’s heavy fragrance  fills the evening air. It is attractive to night-flying insects and moths. The walls of Nottingham Castle were once covered with these beautiful flowers and so they got their name. These flowers were destroyed during construction and renovation works of the castle in the 19th century. Nottingham catchfly has narrow and lance-shaped stem and  spoon-shaped lower leaves.

4. Four O’ Clocks

Four O’ Clocks

These beautiful night blooming flowers are tender perennial. They bloom in spring and summers. These flowers are available in a number of colors ranging from red, yellow, pink and blue to white. The need full sun exposure to grow and start blooming at 4 pm hence got their name. They make excellent hedges and barriers. They have an outstanding fragrance when open.

3. Saussurea obvallata / Brahma Kamal

Brahma Kamal

Saussurea Obvallata is also known as Brahma Kamal. It is a beautiful night blooming flower named after the Hindu god Brahma. It is native to China, India and Burma. It blooms once a year at night time and has many medical uses. The flower grows in mountains and cold areas. The flower heads are actually purple and are enclosed in layers of greenish-yellow boat-shaped cover papery in nature.

2. Dragon Fruit Flowers

Dragon Fruit Flower Starting To Bloom

Dragon Fruit Flower in Full Bloom

Dragon Fruit Flower Petals Closing

Dragon Fruit is native to Mexico and Central and South America. The fruit is also cultivated in Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia. They are also produced in Taiwan, Israel and southern China. It’s plant has beautiful flowers which bloom at night. The start blooming at 7 pm and reach full bloom at 12 am. The beautiful big flowers give bloom against the green leaves, dark black background and along with the fruit and give a magnificent look. The start blooming in October and continue blooming till May.

1. Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus

Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus

Epiphyllum Oxypetalum or Dutchman’s-Pipe Cactus, is a large floral variety of cactus native from Mexico to Brazil. Plant can grow as tall as 20 feet (6.1 m) in height. It’s branches are dark green and it requires moist soil. It grows in late spring and early summer, somewhere around May 30th. It blooms for only 1-2 days. Individual flowers can be up to 11 inches (27.9 cm) long and 5 inches (12.7 cm) wide. It opens as the sun goes down. It has a very deep and fresh fragrance which spreads as soon as it blooms.