White flowers: 12 elegant choices for beautiful borders and pots
White flowers: 12 elegant choices for beautiful borders and pots
Choosing all white flowers for your garden might seem a little too simple. But the results can be truly spectacular and in fact, even more dramatic than a scheme that's bursting with color.
One of the most well-known examples of a white garden is at the famous Sissinghurst Castle in England. Gardening expert Monty Don also has one of his own, complete with a shed at one end and a red brick path. Done well, they are a beautiful thing – offering a cool and soothing subtlety yet still with plenty of interest.
Of course, you don't have to apply this look to the whole of your plot. White plants are a lovely pick for just one border or flowerbeds, or even a container display to brighten a patio. And when it comes to the plants themselves, you won't be stuck for choice – there are so many gorgeous varieties in all different shapes and sizes and in some cases, scents.
To help you get started creating your own pared-back planting scheme, we've brought together some of our very favorite white plants, plus plenty of expert advice.
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BY LOUISE CURLEY, HOLLY CROSSLEY
1. Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert'
Japanese anemones are nothing short of elegant and are wonderful for providing late summer blooms.
This particular variety showcases tall, wiry stems holding pure white, cup-shaped flowers with bright yellow centers from August to October. It's an excellent herbaceous perennial for areas of dappled light, so try adding it to your shade garden.
Height: 5ft (1.5m). Spread: 27in (70cm).
2. Penstemon 'White Bedder'
'White bedder' is a great semi-evergreen perennial for extending an all-white theme into the autumn months. It sends up masses of erect stems that have funnel-shaped, foxglove-like flowers from midsummer to the first frosts.
It is borderline hardy, so give it a good mulching to protect the roots.
Height: 27in (70cm). Spread: 20in (50cm).
3. Nicotiana sylvestris
Nicotiana is a well-loved choice for cottage garden, offering sweetly-fragranced blooms on long stems.
This variety is perfect if you're looking to add height and drama to your scheme. A half-hardy annual, it forms a low-growing rosette of large leaves and has towering stems of drooping, white, trumpet-shaped blooms.
Height: 5ft (1.5m). Spread: (20in) 50cm.
4. Digitalis purpurea albiflora
This white variety of foxglove will add plenty of vertical interest to your borders with its statuesque stems and tubular flowers. And, it's a favorite of pollinators, so is a fabulous choice if you're looking to fill your space with more bee-friendly plants.
This biennial will self-sow and is happy in part shade.
Height: 7ft (2m). Spread: 20in (50cm).
5. Erigeron annuus
This perennial makes a haze of small, white, daisy-like flowers from June to November. It's perfect for creating a wilder, laid-back look.
It will gently self-sow about the border, but it's easily controlled. The tall stems benefit from being staked in mid-spring.
Height: 3ft 3in (1m). Spread: 24in (60cm).
6. Gaura lindheimeri 'The Bride'
The abundance of white flowers on this bushy perennial looks like a mass of dainty butterflies dancing in the breeze. And, the tinge of pink offers a pleasing visual effect. If you're looking for cottage garden plants, this is a good contender.
It blooms from July to November and is hardy in most gardens.
Height: 5ft (1.5m). Spread: 24in (60cm).
7. Hesperis matronalis var. albiflora
Otherwise known as sweet rocket, this short-lived perennial forms a clump of dark green leaves from which tall stems arise. In late spring and early summer, these are topped with clusters of fragrant white blooms.
It's fantastic for pollinators and will readily self-seed if allowed. Plant in full sun or part shade.
Height: 36in (90cm). Spread: 16in (45cm).
8. Cosmos bipinnatus 'Purity'
This floriferous, half-hardy annual creates a froth of feathery, green foliage and a succession of elegant white blooms between July and October. It's a magnet for pollinating insects and very easy to grow from seed. And, it makes one of the best cutting garden flowers for brightening up indoors.
Height: 4ft (1.2m). Spread: 24in (60cm).
9. Rosa 'Madame Alfred Carrière'
Strong-growing and almost thornless, if you're sticking to an all-white theme, this is one of the best climbing plants to brighten up a pergola or garden wall.
It's studded with blousy, creamy-white blooms that repeat flower throughout summer and into fall. Plus, you can expect an especially strong, fruity fragrance.
Height: 13–26ft (4–8m). Spread: 8ft (2.5m).
10. Trachelospermum jasminoides
Trachelospermum jasminoides, otherwise known as the star jasmine, is another gorgeous climber.
It has twining stems covered in glossy, dark green leaves that take on red tints in winter. And, in midsummer, it's smothered in a profusion of fragrant, white flowers. Try training it up a trellis for a beautiful backdrop to your border or seating space.
Height and spread: 13–26ft (4–8m).
11. Ammi majus
Ammi majus looks similar to the cow parsley you see lining summertime hedgerows in the English countryside. A hardy annual, it is wonderful for filling gaps in your garden with its clouds of frothy blooms from June to September.
Its height will add architectural structure to your borders. It's a good idea to provide stakes for support as it grows.
Height: 4ft 11in (1.5m). Spread: 1ft 8in (0.5m).
12. Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
If you're looking for a shrub to bring into your white-themed border or garden, then this is a gorgeous (and currently, very popular) choice.
Deciduous yet fully hardy, it offers huge globes of flowerheads from July to September in a sparkling white, which gradually fade to green. It's ideal for a partly shaded spot, but will grow in full sun too.
Height and spread: 8ft 2in (2.5m).
These are our favorite white flowers, from scented show-stoppers to spring bulbs