Theme gardens have become very popular in the gardening community during recent years. Many, such as rose, cottage, butterfly and herb gardens, are well known.

Others, like pizza gardens, might be less widely recognized and are designed for a targeted audience or educational experience. The basis of a theme garden is limited only to your imagination.

Last summer I visited a wonderful garden, which was noted for its numerous theme components. There the avid gardener had used many familiar themes in the garden, but also had incorporated some very unusual and whimsical variations, such as a chocolate garden and a cocktail garden, by using plants named after some type of liquor or chocolate. There are actually many plant cultivars that reference chocolate, for instance chocolate mint, 'Chocolate Chip' ajuga, chocolate cosmos, 'Chocolate Drop' coleus, 'Mint Chocolate' tiarella, and 'Chocolate Ruffles' heuchera. Some examples of plants that could be used in an "adult beverage" garden might include 'Merlot' coneflower, 'Pink Champagne' foxglove, 'Peppermint Schnapps' hibiscus, 'Frozen Margarita' hosta, and 'Pinot Noir', 'Pinot Gris', or 'Southern Comfort' heucheras.

Since we are about to celebrate Valentine's Day, I thought it appropriate and a challenge to consider designing a romance theme garden. My good-natured husband just smiled and laughed when I shared this inspiration with him. He said I had an uncanny ability to turn any event into a need for more garden space - a remark that I don't believe was intended as a sincere compliment!

A romance garden could be as simple as a display of plants having romance-related names, a garden with heart-shaped leaves, or such plants could be combined and interspersed throughout the garden. A moon garden could also be a component of the design.

When I started to list plants with romantic-sounding names and themes, I was surprised how many immediately came to mind: bleeding heart, love lies bleeding, love in a mist, passion vine, cupid's dart, kiss me over the garden gate, love in a puff, forget me not, bachelor's button, maiden pinks, hearts a'burstin, bridalwreath spirea, 'Falling in Love' rose, 'Love is Forever' daylily, 'Loves Touch' peony, 'First Kiss' vinca, 'First Love' dianthus, and 'Sweetie' hosta. Additional research could provide limitless possibilities for plant material.

While plants such as bleeding heart may already be in your garden, there are exciting new cultivars which could be used to add unique interest to your landscape. For example, 'Gold Heart' is a bleeding heart cultivar that has beautiful gold foliage. Many of the other plants mentioned may not be as widely used today. Love in a mist is an old-fashioned annual that blooms in spring and early summer. Its flowers are bright to pale blue, but some are white, pink or lavender. The flowers are followed by attractive, balloon-shaped seed pods with purple or bronze stripes. Once established love in a mist will self sow. Both the flowers and seed pods work well in floral arrangements.

Love lies bleeding receives its name from the tiny blood red petal-less flowers that bloom in narrow, drooping, tassel-like panicles. The panicles range from one to two feet long. The plant typically grows two to four feet tall. This unusual annual plant works well in hanging baskets too, where its drooping flowers are best seen.

Of course, there are a multitude of plants with heart-shaped leaves that could be incorporated into the garden. Some options would be heartleaf bergenia, hosta, brunnera, caladium, elephant ears, alocasia, heuchera, heucherella, tiarella, violets, wild ginger, climbing hydrangea, epimedium, morning glory, moonflower, and ligularia. Lilac, linden and redbud trees have heart-shaped leaves too.

Select a quiet, peaceful section of the garden as a location for installing a moon garden. A hedge or fence enclosing the area will offer a sense of privacy. When choosing plants for a moon garden, concentrate on plants that have white blooms or white foliage which will stand out in the evening darkness. Silver foliage, like that of lamb's ear, also works very well. Variegated plants can be considered too. White flowers and silver foliage show up especially well when highlighted against a dark evergreen or brick background.

Since the moon garden is designed for restful lingering, incorporating plants with fragrance will offer an additional pleasant dimension to the garden. Some plants recommended for their fragrance are moonflower (Ipomoea alba), datura, angel's trumpet (brugmansia), flowering tobacco, jasmine, and sweet autumn clematis. White roses in a moon garden provide a touch of elegance and offer nice fragrance as well. 'White Iceberg', 'White Dawn', 'Whisper', and 'Moondance' are reliable white rose cultivars.

Shrubs are also important components of the moon garden and provide needed structure. White flowering hydrangeas, hibiscus, spirea, viburnums or most variegated shrubs will work well. For a pleasing visual impact, be sure to include plants with different textures in the garden; for example, combine bold plants such as white caladiums with finely textured border plants like white sweet alyssum.

Consider using the last few days of February to plan your own whimsical theme garden. Soon spring will be here! "Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle … a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream."

- Barbara Winkler