Try Some White

White in the garden catches your eye!

Purples, pinks, yellows and reds in the Spring garden evoke the feeling of freshness and new life this time of the year, but the color guaranteed to catch your eye every time is white. We need to use white more often.
Mother Nature does in the natural environment. Look around in the early spring and you see white glaring at you from the dogwoods, berry vines, pear trees, and more. White reflects the light and makes it perfect for landscape use. The forest is no longer dull, but dancing with brightness- so can your landscape!
Those of us that live in an area that is condusive to azaleas enjoy a special treat. The Southern Indica types like Formosa, Judge Solomon and George Lindley Taber are some of the most popular, but notice a garden late in the afternoon. Those azalea flowers start to fade or drop out of sight but one Southern Indica, the G.G. Gerbing, is still glistening. This is one of the best old-time white azaleas around.
Varieties like Hershey Red or Hino Crimson look spectacular, but add some Delaware Valley White and the garden becomes complete.
The wisteria with it’s fragrant bluish-purple flowers hanging down like grape clusters are beautiful. Add the often overlooked and underused white wisteria- voila, you have a fantastic display. A white wisteria draping a fence or an arbor is a sight to behold.
White generates a feeling of cleanliness and purity. White blooms will lighten up shady areas, bringing brightness to an otherwise overlooked area. They can be used to frame other colors to bring them out. Placed in strategic positions also gives the impression of “that gardener knows what he/she is doing”! Another great feeling- pride in your handy work.
How about your flower garden? Try some white there also. Whites are available not only in dogwoods, azaleas and wisteria but also in old-fashioned Deutzia, the Tazetta class of narcissus and spiraea.
Please don’t overlook the beauty of white roses. They come in varieties of climbers, shrub, and bushy types which open up a multitude of different uses. Consider an arbor covered with white climbing roses to frame an entryway or a special plant you take pride in. Or, once again, to make other colors stand out.
White bedding plants make their contribution as well. Filtered-light areas can be made to stand out when white is incorporated into the planting scheme. Some of the best are impatiens and begonias. These can be combined with other pastels to really liven up those areas and to give them definition.
Trim your areas out in white. White caladiums make an ideal choice for trim. White Christmas, White Queen and Candidum are some of the best. I must admit those white strapped-leaf types are also very showy and usually have more leaves per plant than the fancy-leafed varieties.
So, enough said, don't overlook white bloomers in your landscape plan this year.

To your gardening enjoyment,

Poppy a/k/a Marvin