"Vespertine" strictly means evening-blooming but the term is often used to mean night-blooming. Many of these night-blooming plants are pollinated by moths and are white or light colored, fragrant and shimmery so as to be more locatable in the dark. In asking for plants native to the New York area that are night-blooming you are setting a high barrier. Most of the night blooming plants are annuals, tropicals or tender perennials in our area. We are not aware of any of these plants that are perennial in our area that are also native to New York.

If you are interested in expanding your choice to non-native plants, many of the well-known night-flowering plants are tropical and are treated as annuals in this part of the country. A fully night-blooming garden is easier to achieve in warmer climates than ours where the plant options are greater, but just a few fragrant night-blooming plants can create a lovely, evening effect in our area. Here are some plants you could include.

Annuals:

• Nicotiana alata (night scented tobacco)
• Mirabilis longifolia (sweet four o'clocks)
• Matthiola bicornus white cultivar (night scented stock)

Tender perennials:

• Polianthes tuberosa (tuberose) - lift rhizomes and store indoors in fall or grow in containers and shelter during cold season.
• Brugmansia (angel's trumpet) - lift and store in cool area for winter or grow in a container and overwinter indoors. A woody plant.

Bulbs:

• Gladiolus murielae (fragrant gladiolus) - may be left in ground but will often flower best if corms are lifted for winter.

Perennial in USDA zone 7:

• Oenothera speciosa (white evening primrose)
• Artemisia (silver wormwood) - silver leaved plants like Artemisia and Stachys are great for reflecting moonlight.

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Courtesy of NYBG Plant Information Service