White garden ideas

See the range of options available with a monochromatic garden design with these creative white garden designs.

In actuality, there is a wide range of greens and greys in the foliage of a white garden, as well as a wide range of “shades” of white flowers, from the very lightest yellow to ivory, cream, oyster white, greenish-white, bluish-white, and the very most delicate blue.

For timeless arrangements that will fit with both modern and classic gardens, consider using solely white flowers.

There is no doubt that a white garden is an option that should be considered when choosing a garden colour scheme, and it is especially well-suited to a formal garden design.

The colour white is striking and versatile. Garden designer Jo Thompson explains this concept in her new book The Gardener’s Palette: Creating Color Harmony in the Garden, using the example of white flowers against green foliage.

When designing a white garden, there are many factors to consider, such as which flowers to include in your flower bed ideas, which evergreen shrubs to use, and how to ensure a long blooming season.

The self-illuminating and reflective features of the white flowers can assist in lightening dark regions, making a white design a notably effective concept for a small or narrow garden.\

1. PLAN A STRONG LAYOUT

The success of a white landscape design relies heavily on its solid plan.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden, created in the 1930s by novelist and poet Vita Sackville-West, is known worldwide thanks to head gardener Troy Scott-Smith.

According to Troy, “the white garden at Sissinghurst is quite formal in essence,” with its “structural layout” consisting of a series of paths and trim box hedges on a grid pattern, and this is what “holds the garden all through the year,” regardless of the season or the availability of white flowers.

The white flowers in this garden’s parterre fill the space between the evergreen hedges.

Designer Claudia de Yong agrees that whites will “pop” when framed by evergreens like yew (Taxus baccata).

Topiary can be used to add structure and contrast to a garden full of white flowers.

2. CONTRAST TEXTURE AND FORM

Plants of varying heights and shapes can help break up the monotony of a white garden.

Flowers with whole, voluminous blossoms, such as the peonies in the Paeonia lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’, provide visual heft to shorter, more delicate blooms. If you want to create a uniform look, garden designer Claudia De Yong suggests planting similar species in massive clusters and then repeating the arrangement.

Three different kinds of plants can be found at Sissinghurst. Lots of grey-leaved, mound-forming plants like artemisia and Eryngium giganteum Miss Willmott’s Ghost; beautiful delphiniums, lupins, Verbascum, and white foxgloves; and, for contrast, gypsum and poppies;’ says Troy.

The white colour scheme of the garden brings out the best in many white cottage garden plants.

3. DENSELY PLANT

Flowers in a white landscape should be planted densely to provide the desired effect.

“Vita said, “cram, cram, cram,” and that’s not a bad philosophy in the white garden sense. This year, Troy explains that we have had two of our most productive beds despite lacking soil.

To have an effect, be generous, but all plants should complement one another and not compete. Honour a single stunning specimen plant or a group of plants that fit together well nearby; a “fruit salad” planting effect isn’t necessarily appealing, as Troy points out.

Plan your flower bed out and educate yourself on how to plant flowers.

Our overflowing flowerbeds have a steady cadence, with the same signature plants appearing in different parts of the garden. This gives the viewer something to focus on as they scan the space. Because “form is everything in a white border,” taking photos in monochrome might help you analyze their composition more effectively, as Troy explains.

“In terms of layering or grouping, it is fairly crucial that you have a degree of contrast, but not so much that it becomes distracting or confusing,” says garden designer Dan Pearson.

4. CREATE A MOOD

To achieve a serene and uncluttered aesthetic, I would plant white flowers and grasses like cow parsley rather than pink varieties. On the other hand, I’d choose whites that lean toward cream and yellow. According to Dan Pearson, this will ensure a peaceful and uncomplicated environment.

Include plants that attract pollinators, such as birds and butterflies, to make your garden a sensory experience, complete with the chirping of insects and the sight of passing wildlife.

Adding even a tiny amount of another hue can change the chilly feeling that white evokes, as Jo Thompson puts it.

It is because white items do not absorb any wavelengths of light that they are considered white.

5. USE FOLIAGE

“Foliage plants are essential in a white garden,” says Claudia de Yong. “Use evergreen topiary and dark leaf flowering shrubs, like the smoke bush, Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple,” for contrast.

Various leaf colours and textures, such as white, silver, variegated, and dark, will make your plantings look lush and full of blossoms. Weeping pears (Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’) and other trees with a bluish-green hue go well with Claudia’s proposed all-white landscape.

“Even though I know some people are against using variegated foliage, I will continue to advocate for it. Euonymus fortunei ‘Silver Queen,’ a variegated evergreen, thrives in low light, practically brightening the area. According to Jo Thompson, you may train it to stay in a mound and let it scramble through its neighbours or up against a wall—any of these things it loves to do.

The variegated and wonderfully textured leaf is a hallmark of the most excellent shade-loving shrubs.

“Vita always referred to the garden at Sissinghurst as the grey, green, and white garden, never the white garden, since there are so many plants with grey leaves,” explains Troy.

6. WORK WITH WALLS

To maximize the visual impact of a white landscape, consider using vertical planting techniques.

The tall spires and heads of Lilium regale ‘Album’ create a dramatic effect when planted next to brick walls. Include blooming climbers like the aromatic evergreen Trachelospermum jasminoides, Wisteria floribunda f. alba, clematis cultivars like ‘Duchess of Edinburgh,’ and roses like ‘Madame Alfred Carrière,’ which bloom best when planted against a north-facing wall or fence, as Claudia says.

Make sure you know how to prune clematis and climbing roses, so they continue to bloom beautifully.

7. PLAN A LONG SEASON OF INTEREST

Spread out flowering to keep everything looking good for longer.

To get a head start on the growing season, we put narcissus and tulips in the ground in early winter to emerge later in the year through a ground cover of silvery foliage. Repeat sowings of plants are also possible; for example, the exquisite airy umbels of Ammi majus are grown from seeds planted in September and bloom at the end of March or early April. However, part of these seeds is replanted in February to ensure continuity and avoid a hiatus in the growing season.

Flowers of the late summer variety are planted beside more permanent and durable repeat-flowering roses, such as R. Penelope,’ for rose garden design ideas.

As a result, “it is vital to plan ahead and think about subsequent sowings and the shape you want to develop,” as Troy puts it.

In addition to evergreen trees and shrubs, such as Myrtus communis, Osmanthus delavayi, and Sarcococca hookeriana, Claudia suggests taking a look at ground cover species.

Claudia advises, “Plant as many annuals as you can, such Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata White’ and Nigella ‘Miss Jekyll White,’ as well as biennials like Digitalis purpurea ‘Albiflora’ and fragile perennials like Nicotiana sylvestris, which will flower in light shade.

8. MIX WHITES

“We speak about avoiding matching creamy white and white,” says Jo Thompson, “but I feel that mixing the two can work beautifully as long as there is a contrast of greenery.”

Along with Cornus kousa and Viburnum opulus, Rosa Macmillan Nurse = ‘Beaman. The dark green of the rose’s leaves acts as a foil, setting it out from its white-flowering neighbours without completely isolating it. The rose’s creamy blossoms have a little trace of pink, and the contrast between the two colours is striking.

When planning a white garden, it’s essential to consider factors such as the good or undesirable presence of yellow in the centre of certain flowers (such as daisies) and the many “shades” of white flowers. ‘You either accept it or chop it all down and do without the feature later in the year,’ adds Troy, “as is the case with gallinea, which produces exquisite flowers like a swarm of hovering white flies but has a noticeable red calyx.”

9. PLANT AROUND SEATING AREAS

Troy Scott-Smith says that because white flowers naturally reflect light, they are perfect for a nighttime centrepiece near an outdoor eating area.

“The white garden was purposefully planted where it was at Sissinghurst because it was near the dining and kitchen rooms, so they could sit out and get some natural reflection from the white blooms as dusk encroached,” he explains.

Include white flowers like fragrant roses and night-scented plants in your garden for extra pleasure and to complement your patio design ideas. Troy chimes in, “Night-scented stock is fantastic, so they are nice to introduce.”

10. CHOOSE FLOWERS FOR SHADE AND SUN

White flowers exposed to direct sunlight may look unappealing or even irritating to the eye. “But many white blooms originate from grey-leaved plants, which require sun,” explains Troy. “So you need to understand how sunlight moves around your garden, where are the places of full sun, and those in dappled light and shade.”

In contrast to other white garden alternatives, Hydrangea arborescent ‘Annabelle’ does well in full sun to moderate shade and features creamy white flowers.

HOW DO I MAKE MY GARDEN WHITE?

If you plan strategically, you may fill your garden with white flowers throughout the year. These flowers can vary in height, width, and texture to create visual interest.

Because of how rapidly they can fade to brown, white flowers require frequent attention from a gardener in the form of deadheading and tidying. White flowers have a short lifespan, so when they fade, you’ll need to remove their spent flower heads to keep your yard looking neat, as warned by Troy.

HOW DO I MAKE A WHITE BORDER IN MY GARDEN?

Create a beautiful white garden border with various complementary white flowering plants of varying heights and shapes.

For partially shaded areas, Claudia de Yong recommends the following plant combinations:

Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’
Astrantia major ‘Large White’
Digitalis purpurea ‘Alba’
Galanthus
Hosta ‘Fire and Ice’
Helleborus ‘Niger’
Hydrangea aborescens ‘Annabelle’
Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Nivea’
Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’

Claudia suggests the following ingredients for a sunny location:

Agapanthus africanus ‘Albus’
Anemone Wild Swan
Lychnis coronaria ‘Alba’
Dianthus ‘Mrs Sinkins’
Allium stipitatum ‘Mount Everest’
Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’
Penstemon ‘White Bedder’
Cistus x hybridus
Centranthus ruber ‘Albus’

White garden ideas – 10 elegant designs full of shape and texture