Wednesday 31 October 2012

White Flowered Plants




Cool colours are often used in the English garden as they are well suited to the light and climate. White flowers are especially beautiful and there are many lovely plants to choose from. I try to include a good mix of plants in the garden that flower at different times of the year.
For spring flowers I have planted the lovely white Narcissus 'Thalia' which is an easily grown daffodil of medium height. It has pendant flowers with palest cream back swept petals and a white cup. Each stem carries up to three blooms. This is a prolific plant and will flower regularly without being lifted. It is a welcome addition to the spring garden, suitable for growing in the border or in containers.
In summer the annual Marguerite is a popular plant for patio containers but can be just as easily grown in the garden. It has lovely white daisy like flowers and feathery grey green foliage. I love this plant as it will flower prolifically and continuously through the summer months and into autumn. Dead head the flowers regularly to ensure an abundant supply of blooms. If you want a perennial plant with white daisy like flowers I would strongly recommend Chrysanthemum maximum, also known as the Shasta Daisy. I grow this in the herbaceous border where it flowers abundantly and is a really stunning plant.
Another favourite of mine is the very popular white floribunda rose 'Iceberg'. It grows to around 4 -5 feet in height with glossy mid green foliage and slightly fragrant medium sized blooms. A vigorous and free branching shrub, it makes a lovely specimen bush but is also a good choice for hedging. I moved my two floribunda Iceberg roses last autumn from the front garden to a larger border in the rear garden in order to give them more space to grow. Despite the dreadful summer weather we have suffered this year, both roses rewarded me with some beautiful blooms.