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 he place which can allow for a relaxation of the strict discipline of keeping within one group of whites is, strangely, within the crispness of a formal yew hedged enclosure. This seems to impose enough of its own calm discipline to allow for a loosening of straightlaced strictures. For instance, introducing splashes of another colour can add another dimension to a white garden. By using plum and blood red foliage, deep pools of rich shadows create depth and movement in among the fluttering white. And if you have a hankering for Persil white, then a pinch of blue will bring out the crisp coolness, especially when swished among white edged hostas and other variegated leaves, as seen at Chenies Manor in Buckinghamshire. In one Oxfordshire garden, a skilful melange of white shimmers in front of the dark yew hedge and blurs the edges of the stone retaining wall, together with the classic planting companions of silver leaved plants.
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Pewter and silver hues occur most often in hot Mediterranean habitats and this increasingly popular style of gardening lends itself to yet another way of appreciating
white flowers. The flowing gravel garden, lacking the conventional corset of sharp lawn edges, demands boldness in leaf shape |
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such as jagged yuccas, globe artichokes and melianthus, balanced with sheets of tactile Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' and mounds of glistening Convolvulus cneorum. Strength of flower shape is extra important in the bright reflective light so, by sticking to one colour such as white, dramatic impact can be made with the huge papery petals of Romneya coulteri, datura trumpets, towering tubes of Nicotiana sylvestris, and the exotic crinkled flowers of Hibiscus 'William R. Smith'.
By contrast, the undemanding softness of white can be explored by using veils of gypsophila, swathes of fluffy grasses and wands of burnet in the uncompromising setting of a sleek, metallicised city roof garden. Moonlight in this setting will be bounced off surrounding sheets of glass. A very different glow from that of Sissinghurst but, from old English to new millennium, the white flowers will still give pleasure late in the evening after a long day at work. |
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