Garden themes: White garden
I used to think white flowers were boring. With all the colors of the rainbow out there for the planting, why choose white?
The answer is the same reason why you would choose red or blue… To get a particular feeling from it, because each color can subconsciously tell us different things. Anyone who has looked into paint colors for their walls can tell you that there are categories out there. Cool colors like blue or green are supposed to be calming. Hot colors like red, orange and yellow are thought to be feel warm to people. But what does white say to you?
To me it meant purity, class. I think now that I have a greater appreciation for it and I see it as a clean kind of color, or non-color if you will. It’s a great accent around the home, inside and out, to make things crisp or make other colors pop. Like the white molding around a my doorways, against green painted walls. Or white flowers against green foliage!
White also shows up better than any other color when light is waning. If you entertain outdoors into the evening, how pretty would white flowers look on the borders of your space? Don’t forget the affects of moonlight on white flowers either. One of my favorite white flowers is called the Moonflower vine. It gets it’s common name because instead of blooming in the morning like other flowers, it blooms through the night.
Beautiful, isn’t it? It smells great too. You might be thinking that it looks a lot like the Morning Glory vine, and for good reason. It is Ipomoea Alba, in the same family. But these flowers are larger and fragrant. It can be aggressive so if you do let it go to seed, proceed with caution. You will have it around for a long time, whether you want it or not.
If you think you might want to plant a white garden, consider that you don’t have to be rigid on your choices. There are many flowers that are dazzling white but also others that have some color in them. Take, for example, Anemone Andrea Atkinson, which is growing in my full sun border. This is the photo at the top of this blog. The orange and green in the center is what draws me to this flower. The foliage isn’t much to write home about but what makes this Anemone flower special is that it’s one of very few plants that start to bloom in Autumn.
White doesn’t have to be about just flowers. There are a lot of plants out there with blotches or steaks of white in their leaves. This is called variegation, and I’ve seen much more variegated plants in recent years than before. When I was planning the shrub border outside my new white fence, I purposely chose plants that had both white and green in them:

The tree in the middle is a white flowering Dogwood. Flanking the ends are variegated ornamental grasses, then Euonymus, and Spirea. Although the Spirea isn’t variegated, the flowers are white, so it goes with the theme. Since my fence is only 4 feet tall, I wanted plants that would provide some privacy but not be as bold or impenetrable as a line of evergreens. I wanted to have nice plants, but not have them be focal points per se, so the white blends in with the fence better.
While they don’t look substantial in this photo because they were newly planted, they have grown a lot, and the ornamental grass in particular is a monster.

Here it is with another variegated plant, a butterfly bush. The ornamental grass is now five feet tall and the butterfly bush over six feet tall. But they don’t seem as dense as they are because the form of the plant and the white edging lend a sort of airy, light feel to them.
Another great performer for me that is in the white family is Anthemis E.C. Buxton. I did have some challenges with flopping on the outer edges of this plant this year, so I’m going to get supports for next season. It does like good drainage and I don’t think I’m giving it enough, so that could also be my problem. It’s a very lush plant and it actually does flower as much as the picture shows.
Besides the usual flowering cherry trees and dogwoods you see in spring, my neighbor has a beautiful white Crape Myrtle named ‘Natchez’. It blooms in summer, and as you can see, it’s stunning.

White doesn’t have to be strictly white either. Certain plants have a silvery sheen to them and can compliment a white garden by breaking it up and accenting other plants. Take the white and green Brunnera Jack Frost and the purple and silver Heuchera Silver Scrolls in the below picture… These are shade plants and can brighten up a spot under a tree or in the shadow of your home.

Whatever kind of plants you like, you will probably find a white version. All the classics like Tulip, Crocus, Hyacinth, Hydrangea, etc. all have beautiful white colors available also.
Please feel free to share your favorite white plants, I would love to know what you like too.
Happy gardening!
Tricia
















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