Though white is not considered a color, it plays a critical role in any artistic composition. In the garden, white a design tool that can be used to create many different moods and styles, from crisp and modern to cottage garden casual. Here are some creative ways for using white in your flower garden.
Shades of White
Flowers that we call “white” are rarely pure white. In most cases they are either cool whites (with tints of blue) or warm whites (with tints of yellow or pink). As you may imagine, cool white flowers usually look best paired with cool colors, and warm white flowers with warm colors. When you know which direction your white flowers lean, you can locate them for best effect. Keep in mind that white flowers reflect light, so their tint is also influenced by whatever colors are nearby.
The white garden at Sissinghurst Castle in England.
Using White Flowers to Create a Mood
In garden design, color can be used to influence the look and feel of a particular space. White can make a garden feel cool, quiet and calm. White flowers against green foliage is easy on the eyes and has a pleasing simplicity and elegance.
Quiet and Calm. White flowers reflect light and dark colors absorb it. In the morning and evening when the light is low, white flowers seem to come toward us while dark colors recede. Their soft, moon-like glow is serene and it feels natural to slow down, listen, and speak softly.
A shady nook in the garden of Derry Watkins, Wiltshire, England.
Cool and Fresh. In hot climates, shady gardens provide a welcome escape from the heat. White flowers can be used to accentuate this feeling of coolness. The contrast of white flowers against green foliage makes it easier to appreciate textural variations. Consider the smoothness of hosta leaves, the roughness of hydrangea foliage, the paper-like petals of a white clematis, and the waxy flowers of an all white Oriental lily.
Clematis montana alba growing with wisteria.
Chic and Elegant. Like a crisp white shirt or a simple strand of pearls, white flowers can make a garden look upscale and refined. There’s a classic, timeless quality to white flowers and they tend to look more sophisticated than their rainbow-colored relatives. Hosting a summer wedding or evening soiree? White flowers are a must.
The creamy white flowers of Aruncus, also known as goatsbeard.
The Importance of Foliage
White flowers look their best when accompanied by interesting foliage. A backdrop of green leaves gives white flowers volume and a light, ethereal feeling. Cool white flowers look wonderful paired with foliage plants that have a blue cast, such as silvery artemisia, stachys and grey-blue hosta. Plants with grey or silver foliage tend to soften white flowers and help them blend rather than stand out.
Clethera's cool white flowers and blue-green foliage.
Creamy white flowers work especially well with plants that have warm green leaves, including shades of olive or lime green. Think alchemilla, hydrangeas, euphorbia and hakonechloa. Foliage with bronze or brown tones, such as heucheras, ajuga, and rodgersia, bring out the best in warm whites.
Grasses can be excellent companions for white flowers and help integrate them into the landscape. Consider grasses with variegated foliage such as Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Cosmopolitan’ and Calamagrostis ‘Overdam’.
Pampas grass in Bressingham Gardens, Norfork, England.
Using White Flowers for Accents and Pacing
White flowers grab our attention -- even more so than reds and oranges. So it's important to use them judiciously: for creating pacing and rhythm, for emphasizing a focal point, or to create an interruption.
Shape is another important design consideration. When the flowers are in bloom, are they vertical, horizontal, or loose and mounding? When viewed from a distance, white flowers should create pleasing shapes in the landscape.
The summer-blooming bulb Eucomis autumnalis.
Another way to introduce white into the garden is through structures and hardscaping. A white pergola or obelisk, a white garden bench or a section of white picket fence can help you carry the theme through your garden. There are many white flowers that look great in pots and planters. This also makes it easy to move them around wherever you need to inject a bit of cool and freshness. Good candidates for pots include: Pelargonium (white geraniums), Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost', petunias and Eucomis autumnalis.
The late summer flowers of Acidanthera, commonly known as peacock orchids. In the background are the creamy white flowers of hydrangea 'Limelight.'
Plants with White Flowers or Foliage
The list below includes more than seventy annuals, perennials and bulbs with white flowers, plus two dozen shrubs and trees. Some of the species are only available in white. In other cases, you will want to seek out the white cultivars. White Annual Flowers and Bulbs Acidanthera, Allium Mt Everest, Allium nigrum, Alyssum, Amaryllis, Ammi majus, Baby’s breath (annual), Caladium, Calla, Camassia leichtlinii, Cleome Helen Campbell, Cosmos, Crocus, Daffodils, Dahlias, Datura. Eucomis autumnalis, Geranium (Pelargonium), Gladiolus, Hyacinths, Impatiens, Leucojum, Moonflower (Ipomoea violacea), Nicotiana alata, Petunias, Snowdrops, Stock, Sweet peas, Tulips, White lace flower (Orlaya grandiflora), Zinnias.
The frosty white flowers of Oriental Lily 'Casa Blanca'
Perennials with White Flowers
Achillea, Actaea, Agapanthus, Anemone nemerosa, Arabis, Aruncus, Aster, Astilbe, Baby’s breath, Campanula, Candytuft (Iberis), Chamomile (Anthemis cupaniana), Centranthus valerian, Chrysanthemum, Crambe cordifolia, Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata). Delphinium, Dianthus, Dicentra, Echinacea, Foxglove (Digitalis), Galtonia, Gaura, Geranium, Gillenia, Gypsophilia., Hellebore, Hollyhock, Hosta, Iris, Japanese anemone, Jasmine, Lilies, Lily of the Valley Peonies, Phlox paniculata, Primula, Salvia Victoria White, Sanguinaria (bloodroot), Shasta daisy ‘Becky’ (Leucanthemum), Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’), Tiarella, Trillium, Veronicastrum.
Sweet autumn clematis.
Vines, Shrubs and Small Trees with White Flowers
Amelanchier, Azalea, Buddleia, Cherry, Clematis, Clethra, Climbing hydrangea (hydrangea petiolaris), Climbing roses, Crab, Deutzia gracilis, Dogwood, Euonymus Emerald Gaiety, Fringe tree (Chionanthus), Hydrangeas, Lilac, Magnolia, Mock orange (Philadelphus), Pear, Rhododendron, Shrub roses, Snowberry, Spirea, Sweet autumn clematis, Viburnums, Wisteria floribunda Alba.
To learn more about using color in your flower garden, you may be interested in reading: How to Use Burgundy in Your Flower Garden, How to Use Pink in Your Flower Garden and How to Use Orange in Your Flower Garden.
