WHITE-A GOOD BUFFER BETWEEN STRONG-COLORED PLANTS

WHITE has always been one of my favorite colors in the garden.  I learned early, however, that white needs to be used in mass to to avoid a 'spotty' effect.  It is a good buffer color, but planting one plant here and one plant there to break up other colors just doesn't create a good effect.  You can plant several white plants and use them between bright colors, though, and it can create harmony in your bed.  Another thing I like about white blooms is that they show up well at night, they add a feeling of elegance and calm, and can make your area look larger than it is.  I have some wonderful white flowers:  goatsbeard, daisy, candytuft, peony, oriental poppy, phlox, dahlia, gladiola, baby's breath, Siberian iris, tall bearded iris, tulips, snowball tree, lilac, poppy, rose, hyacinth, obedient plant, white bleeding heart, mum, Jacob's ladder, heuchera, and hibiscus.  A visit to an "all-white" garden years ago still remains one of my favorite gardens I have viewed--it was simply elegant, and restful.  This collage shows some of my favorite white blooms in our flower beds.  Just remember that white can unite, if used wisely in your beds.