Category Archives: Moon Garden

Bold Subtlety: The White Garden

At a time of year when loud, colorful fireworks are happening all over the gardens as much as across patriotic night skies, it’s fair to wonder about the attraction of a single garden dedicated to white-flowering plants. After so many showy Peonies and Tall Bearded Iris, and now Roses galore, why focus on a subtle grouping of paler flowers? Here at White Flower Farm, it comes as no surprise that white flowers have an important story to tell. There is no better place to illustrate this than our White Garden.

The White Garden has been a feature at the farm since the 1940s, when nursery founders William Harris and Jane Grant created a 12-foot by 80-foot perennial border in front of a stone terrace and began filling it with nothing but white flowers. Inspired by the British moon garden, they considered the display to be the epitome of horticultural sophistication. It was so prominent in their minds, in fact, that their first idea for a nursery was to showcase only white-flowering perennials and shrubs — an idea that “lasted about a minute,” they later admitted. The simple yet sophisticated White Garden is nonetheless memorialized in the nursery’s name.

Beyond Color

As you approach the White Garden, the general impression of whites and greens invites further acquaintance. If you look more intently, individual plants begin to stand out for characteristics other than color. It is line, shape, form, texture, and value (light and dark) that begin to set them apart. At the front of the border, dense spikes of Summer Snapdragon (Angelonia angustifolia Archangel™ White) create a well-defined corner. Green stalks of Salvia (S. nemorosa ‘White Profusion’), having dropped most of their snowy flowers, add further linear interest, as do the icicle-like racemes of Speedwell (Veronica ‘White Wands’). Set midway into the border, a stout specimen of Smooth Hydrangea (H. arborescens ‘Haas’ Halo’) punctuates the pools of perennials at its feet, encouraging visitors to pause and enjoy this first section of the garden.

If you linger, you notice the starlike blossoms of Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana alata) borne on tall, wiry stalks, hovering over the other plants like a small meteor shower.

Moving farther down the border and looking back, you’ll see another handsome vignette that borrows a distant, earthen urn for a focal point. A procession of diverse forms and textures unfolds. Spidery flowers of Cleome (C. hassleriana ‘White Queen’) explode in the foreground like miniature fireworks. Beneath them, fuzzy blooms of Ageratum (A. houstonianum ‘White Bouquet’) and the cascading stems of Salvia (S. verticillata ‘White Rain’) soften the edge of the bed. Bright white blossoms of Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum suberbum Amazing Daisies® Daisy May®) pop out against a backdrop of dark green Hydrangea foliage.

In addition to playing with multiple design elements, the White Garden demonstrates the harmonious way in which annuals, perennials, and shrubs can combine in a single space. The simplified color palette makes it easier to see how different plants can work together.

Dramatic Nuances

Juxtapositions of white-flowering plants lead to another interesting discovery, for there is a great diversity of color within the world of white. The pure white of Cleomes contrasts significantly with the lemon-cream flowers of Mullein (Verbascum chaixii ‘Album’) on bold, spear-like stalks. Similarly, the terminal inflorescences of Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus), shown in the background of the photo above, have the appearance of brown butter. Petal-packed bombs of Zinnia (Z. elegans ‘Oklahoma White’) glisten like buttermilk, while small flowers of Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium) gleam like pearls.

White flowers do something else. They help you see nuances of green like never before. Clean white starbursts of Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris ‘Only the Lonely’) and milky blossoms of Floribunda Rose (Rosa ‘Iceberg’) direct your eyes to the supporting foliage — glowing like the zest of fresh limes, on the one hand, and subdued and darker on the other. While the fascinating white flower heads of Gas Plant (Dictamnus albus) are past, their yellow-green seedpods and glossy forest leaves help other white blooms stand out.

Quiet Fireworks

Toward the end of the border, a large Rose bush (Rosa rugosa ‘Alba’) lends some stability to the sea of stems in front of it. There, visitors may spy a single white blossom aglow with light, like a quiet firework in a sky of dark foliage. Perhaps it can serve as a symbol of the White Garden’s bold subtlety.

The White Garden has one other claim to fame. No other garden on the property shines as brightly on a moonlit night.

Night Life: Lighting & Plant Ideas for Evenings in Your Garden

Most of us think about our gardens and outdoor spaces with a keen eye toward how they look during the day. This year, we’ve been thinking of more ways to make our gardens shine in the evening hours.

The first item to think about is outdoor lighting for your plants, and we’ve got several ideas for you to choose. Then there are the plants themselves to consider, and we have a list of those too. We refer to them as Moon Garden plants, and have chosen them specifically because they are gorgeous during the day, and have an enchanting glow at night.

Outdoor Lighting Ideas

Radiant Solar Globe Lanterns

Radiant Solar Globe Lantern - large, copper
These lights resemble traditional paper lanterns seen in Asian gardens, but are handmade of Tyvek™ with stainless steel hardware, making them durable and weather resistant. Hang them above larger stature plants and enjoy the show.

Tea House Lanterns

Tea House Lantern
Sleek, classic, and modern all at once, these handsome, sturdy lanterns are made of black galvanized steel and Mango wood. Bring them outdoors for garden strolls and evening meals al fresco.

Cretan Candle Lanterns

Cretan Candle Lantern
Each ceramic lantern is thrown by hand by artisans on the Greek island of Crete. It is made in 2 pieces: the bottom half holds a candle, and the top half functions as a dome. Both pieces are carefully detailed with round holes just under ½” in diameter that emit light. Use these to light up shorter plants.

 

Plants to Light Up Your Garden at Night

Hydrangea arborescens Incrediball®

Hydrangea arborescens Incrediball®
This incredibly hardy variety boasts amazing blooms (up to 12″ across) held on thick, sturdy stems that dont flop. Flowers progress from lime green to white and back to green. Gorgeous when lit from above with one of our hanging lanterns.

Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’

Leucanthemum x superbum 'Becky'
From July to September, this old-time favorite for summer gardens becomes a living bouquet of huge (4″) daisies that stand 3–4′ tall. Even at this height, staking isn’t required, and its long, strong stems are excellent for cutting. The bright white flowers shine in the evening hours.

Rose Iceberg

Rose Iceberg
The double white flowers on this Floribunda are 3″ across and lightly fragrant, appearing in profusion in mid-June and then repeating steadily. Perfect for hedges or plant just one under a lamppost where you can enjoy their bright white flowers at night.

Reblooming Iris ‘Immortality’

Reblooming Iris 'Immortality'
If you’ve never grown a Reblooming Iris or have had mixed results with other varieties, we suggest you try ‘Immortality,’ for it rarely disappoints. After mounting a good show in June, this sweetly fragrant beauty produces a second crop of pristine white flowers in late summer almost every year and in almost every climate (it even reblooms in Zone 4). ‘Immortality’ is a feature of our Moon Garden at the nursery.