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White flowers

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  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039

    I think that white can be a problem, when mixed in with lots of other colours. I know that people say that white goes with everything, but white can shine out, drawing the eye too much, so that you only see the white, not the rest of the border.

    White by itself can work, as long as you have lots of different foliage and preferably some white flowers which have a touch of another colour, eg white Cosmos.

    This of course is just my opinion, based on experience in my garden.

    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Beaus MumBeaus Mum Posts: 3,554

    How about mixing in with the white flowers something like the green and white hostas, sorry don't know names image And that small shrub that has green and white small leaves

    Ill look em up later if no one knows what I'm talking about image

  • Beaus MumBeaus Mum Posts: 3,554

    Oh and just thought as I know you love your veg image Pop in a couple of cauliflowers or that lovely white egg shaped cucumber artjak showed us this week image

    Cant think of any other white vegetables x

  • bekkie hughesbekkie hughes Posts: 5,294
    BM, funny you should say that, im growing white cucumbers! image



    Panda, thats that one that i got mixed up with angels fishing rod isnt it? Was very pretty image



    I know what you mean Punkdoc about them shining over other flowers, the only other real colour in these beds is pink of varing shades which was a fad ive gone off! I noticed ive already got quite alot of white which must have slipped in under the radar! image



    Thanks for all the suggestions, lots of things i hadnt thought of, never thought a camellia would like this sort of spot, but that might be just the ticket image
  • bekkie hughesbekkie hughes Posts: 5,294
    Will have a look at those combos Verdun, got any others? image
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I have a shady border with lots of whites that have already been mentioned, but contrasting foliage is a big factor in uniting an area of predominantly white flowers. Variegated foliage like Euonymous, strong shapes like Fatsia and Hosta, and bright foliage like shrubby honeysuckle -Lonicera. I have one called Golden Glow which is a bright green in shade. I have oak leaf Hydrangeas which have distinctive foliage (clue's in the title!) and great autumn colour.

    Plants like Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle) are also useful because their acidic green colouring works with whites. Some Euphorbias do the same job. 

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Mrs GMrs G Posts: 336

    White and purple is the colour theme of my main garden.  I have white things in a shaded area which includes astilbe, solomon's seal, lily otv, aquilegia, lupin, euphorbia (for the lime green foliage) and purple heuchera.  What I am finding much harder is combining purples because some have a blue tone, some red and when they are directly next to each other it can look really weird.  Need to think about getting some foliage in between the purples next year perhaps.

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039

    Yes Fg, I think it is the foliage that determines whether a white border works. At Sissinghurst, the home of one of the most famous white borders, it works because all the beds are edged by quite tall box hedges. Without these it would look very stark.

    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • 4thPanda4thPanda Posts: 4,145

    Beckie, that is indeed the one you mistook image

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