“Tell me about the garden.” [Graydon] seemed to know that the sight and smell of growing things were for her an aphrodisiac … “Lilium regale,” he said. “Rising white in the moonlight. We could drink wine in the garden under the stars with the scent of lilies all around us.”

— From Stephanie Barron’s “The White Garden: A Novel of Virginia Woolf,” 2009

The protagonist in Stephanie Barron’s novel, Jo Bellamy, is a landscape designer who, in the passage above, is talking with her client Graydon Westlake about recreating the renowned White Garden at Sissinghurst Castle in his Long Island backyard. Jo criticizes Gray for not fully appreciating the difficulty of selecting plants that would grow well in the Hamptons’ climate; instead, he seems more intent on seducing her.

It’s strange that after Jo arrives at Sissinghurst to develop her landscape plans for Gray, she never actually visits the garden at night to see for herself how all the white flowers and silvery foliage shimmer in the moonlight. Gray did, indeed, have ulterior motives, but at least he was thinking about the romantic effect that a White Garden on a moonlit night would have on its visitors.

Speaking of the moon’s effects, I thought I would round out my discussion of moonlight gardens this month with a column about gardening by different phases of the moon. I’d heard about this ancient horticultural practice but didn’t know much about it, so I did some research, and here’s what I learned:

The basic premise of lunar phase gardening is that the moon affects plants according to its position in relation to the Earth and sun. The moon orbits the Earth every 29.5 days, and each complete rotation consists of four primary phases: the new moon, first quarter moon, full moon, and third quarter moon. In addition, there are four intermediate phases: waxing crescent and waxing gibbous (which means “humpback”) leading up to the full moon and waning crescent and waning gibbous leading to the new moon.

According to some scientists, water in plant tissue moves more vigorously and water weight increases up to 10% during the waxing and full moon phases; on the other hand, water in plant tissue slows and water weight decreases during the waning and new moon periods. The reason for this is still under debate.

Some researchers say the moon’s gravitational pull affects the water in plants and animals similar to the way it affects the tides, whereas others say the moon may exert subtle electromagnetic effects on the surface tension of water. Another hypothesis is that moonlight has special qualities, different from the sun’s far more powerful light, that trigger plant growth and reproduction.

Whatever the cause, lunar phase gardeners recommend timing planting and harvesting crops with the moisture content of seeds, plants or fruits. For example, a full moon occurs Wednesday, Aug. 30, and around that time is when water content in plants is said to be most robust.

While the full moon is a good time to harvest above-ground crops that will be eaten fresh, it’s best to avoid harvesting crops intended for storage. Cutting perennial edible (or ornamental) plants during this time may also increase the plant’s vulnerability to insect pests and diseases.

Between the full moon and third quarter moon, which next occurs Sept. 6, it’s a good time to harvest root crops, storage crops and seeds and to improve your garden soil. Sow or transplant leafy annuals for fall/overwintering crops around the new moon Sept. 14, and sow or transplant green manure crops around the first quarter moon, set next for Sept. 20. The first quarter moon phase is also a good time to sow or transplant fruiting annuals in the spring and summer.

Historical evidence shows that many ancient cultures around the world practiced gardening by the phases of the moon. Today, it’s an important feature of biodynamic gardening and agriculture, with about 15 wineries in Oregon currently registered as certified biodynamic operations.

I would like to experiment with lunar phase gardening to see whether it makes a noticeable difference. If anyone has a story to share on this topic, I’d love to hear about it. In the meantime, I know that thinking about planting and harvesting according to the moon’s cycles will feed my desire to be more in tune with the enduring rhythms of nature.