Who doesn’t love a green and white garden? Done well, it’s hard to beat this simple yet elegant look. Normally we associate green and white with either very traditional or formal gardens. Indeed, clipped hedges enclosing white roses and foxgloves is a classic, and very English, combination.
While the British may be the best known exhibitors of this style, there are lots of ways to combine green and white. Narrowing down your plant choices is a good way to make the planning more manageable.
Moon Gardens
Creating a “moon” garden is one approach and often what many people envision when they hear green and white. I consider a moon garden, or all-white garden a first cousin to green and white, but not the same thing. Moon gardens rely heavily on pale colors in order to show up well in low or fading light, so the primary focus is on white-flowering plants and variegated or silver foliage– often to the exclusion of all else.
Besides white, moon gardens often feature cream, shell pink, ivory and silver hues. A common mistake is not including enough darker tones. In strong sunlight a pale palette can lack dimension and look flat. For this reason, moon gardens are not the easiest to pull off well.
I won’t be discussing moon gardens in this article but if you choose to make one, be sure to include enough deep greens for balance.
Focus on Contrast
On the other hand, what I call “green and white” is really a high contrast garden featuring just two colors. White is a critical component of this look but it doesn’t dominate. Handsome green foliage with good texture is deliberately and liberally employed along with cool white. The result is a crisp, invigorated look that goes with nearly everything.
Green-and-white combinations work especially well in urban settings where there’s a lot of hardscape and competing colors. Whether embellishing a country estate or a modern glass office building, green and white high contrast is always in style.
Here I’ve tried to narrow down the choices so the mix-and-match of which plants go with what is made somewhat easier. (I apologize, this is a long article — feel free to skip around.)
Easy to Live With
Limiting color so severely can challenge the gardener, but once done, the result becomes endlessly versatile. You can embellish the neutral look with additional color in pots, for instance. Then change it up again with an entirely new scheme later in the season. But first let’s look at just green and white.
This backyard concept from Proven Winners is high contrast and doubles as a mini-moon garden. Notice how the white house, accent lights, gravel and luminaries reinforce the contrast in values. Boxwood (which I don’t recommend), shrubbery and lawn not only provide uniform darker tones, they knit disparate elements into a cohesive whole. The impression feels warm, clean and welcoming. (If I were to replicate this look I would use inkberry or Japanese hollies in lieu of boxwood.)
Sophisticated Patio Treatment
This inviting terrace sports a vivacious green and white border lightly flecked with magenta and purple. Despite the minor secondary colors the overall feel is definitely green and white.
What makes it work is the juxtaposition of three dimensions at once: color, form, texture. Pointy foxgloves break up the clipped hedge which would feel heavy, even claustrophobic otherwise. A froth of white roses interrupts the smooth plane of the patio; their informal habit keeping everything casual. Finally, a pair of chaises invites the visitor to relax. The result is a thoroughly modern take on a classic combination. Genius!
Below are a few more images, some from off the web and one from my own garden, of green and white high contrast gardens, formal and informal. Notice how texture and form leap forward when color is limited. Spherical shapes are particularly important because they stand out and add unexpected whimsy.
The formal treatment below uses cascading Sweet Autumn clematis to great effect, but this particular clematis needs frequent tending to stay like this. Notice how the hedges visually anchor the whites to the ground, including the house itself.
By limiting your plant options to a few tried and true performers (say, a dozen or two of whites and greens each) the task of what to combine them with gets much easier. Growing conditions will whittle them down even more. What’s left makes the final decision a snap, letting you try various pairings as you please without fear of failure. I hope this strategy works for you as well as it does for me.
DESIGN TIP: Restrict the line-of-sight planting area to no more than two to five cultivars and repeat them for a unified, impressive result. This will also make a small space seem bigger than it really is. The busier the house details or surroundings, the simpler the planting should be.
A Few Caveats
Before we get to plant recommendations there are a few things every gardener should know before attempting a green and white “high contrast” planting.
[Go directly to Recommended Whites or Favorite Greens].
Keep An open mind. The first thing most of us do when we embark on something new is surf the Internet for inspiration. Pinterest’s white garden images alone are enough to keep me envious for a lifetime! Green and white is an endlessly versatile look that’s popular for everything from weddings to cafe planters to golf course clubhouses.
Like anything else online, not all of what you will see is grounded in reality, nor will it easily translate to all circumstances. This is particularly true of green and white container gardening. Some of the combinations seem quite contrived.
There’s nothing wrong with manipulated looks, but trust your gut if something looks too perfect to be true. Extremely tight arrangements seldom stay looking good for long when actually planted that way.
TIP: For long-lasting color, nest potted plants inside an outer container and change up as needed. This lets you have an evolving display all summer. Just remember to water daily in hot weather, make sure everything has drain holes and fertilize more often than you would in-ground plantings.
Don’t be afraid to substitute. Maybe that photo of a white-flowering meadow you covet is actually growing in California or the UK, meaning those cultivars may not do well here. Don’t want boxwood with all its problems? Use a Japanese or inkberry holly instead. In other words, borrow the concept but do your own interpretation.
Consider theme variations like green and cream instead of white, or add blue-needled conifers or silver foliage. Black or white objects like pots, wrought iron and painted furniture can help emphasize contrast.
Simplicity is harder than it looks. Working with a restricted palette can mean fewer choices and less flexibility. It’s easy to underestimate the effort, skill and cash flow needed for this kind of garden. After all, that’s why there are professional landscape designers. Just know such an undertaking is not a casual endeavor, but it is worth it and you can do it. Making a list of plant possibilities before you start will help focus your decisions.
This elegant side garden relies on just hydrangea and box (or Japanese soft-touch holly) to create a green and cream composition. The key is choosing the right cultivars and maintaining them. These mophead hydrangeas match the trim and gate perfectly. It may seem really simple but I guarantee you, a look like this wasn’t left to chance.
Okay, on to the plants!
RECOMMENDED WHITES
There are thousands of white-flowering plants. If you really love something and want it in your garden, by all means include it. That said, for this particular effect I prefer a few robust performers I can count on.
I look for plants with good form, heavy flowering, clean foliage and above all, purity of color. This is not the time for erratic growth, airy habits or diminuitive blossoms. Aim for visual heft, real substance and dependable disease resistance.
To make reading faster and simpler, here are twenty-one choices presented as a photo collection. Keep reading for my comments about each choice, or skip down to “greens” at the link provided.
My primary critera after hardiness and form are the purist whites I can find. Growing conditions, exposure and preferences will further limit my final selections.
Skip to Favorite Greens or keep reading for more on each white cultivar.
TREES
(American) flowering dogwood – Cornus florida White Cloud or similar. Our native dogwood blooms a brilliant cool white before the leaves emerge, giving it a purity that’s hard to beat. (Some specimens are whiter than others — be sure to shop around.)
This type of dogwood has some susceptibility to anthracnose but healthy trees in suburbia are rarely affected. Generally they are tough trees with strong branches. Cornus floridas are easy to grow in full sun to part shade. They have wonderful form and burgundy fall foliage.
- A word on Kousas – Some people prefer the Kousa dogwood, an Asian import; I do not, especially for a high contrast garden. Kousas bloom in horizontal layers with the leaves, creating a greenish or creamy-hued effect, and the form can be highly unpredictable. It might work fine in a cream and green scheme.
Star Magnolia – Magnolia stellata Royal Star. Ribbony petals light up this lovely shrub ahead of leaf emergence. Smaller than many flowering trees, star magnolias are ideal for tight spots. Usually multi-stemmed, they can be left as is or trained to a single trunk. The main drawback is the flowers are sometimes marred by late frosts, and the pretty show is regrettably over quite early.
There are other white-flowering understory trees such as serviceberry and Carolina silverbell but their delicate blossoms don’t carry the same heft unless massed in groves. Inclusion is up to you.
What about birch? I do not recommend white-barked birches such as paper birch or Himalayan birch, gorgeous as they can be. The reason is they have high susceptibility to pests, disease, storm damage and humidity, as well as naturally short lifespans. It is heartbreaking to lose a birch a few short years after planting it, totally wrecking your design. The exception would be at higher elevations in acidic, semi-open woods.
SHRUBS
Clematis – Henryi is a large-flowered clematis for full or part sun. Pure white flowers borne in profusion make a very beautiful choice for early summer.
I don’t recommend Sweet Autumn clematis because it’s an aggressive grower that can quickly become invasive without consistent, regular maintenance. It is also creamy rather than pure white.
Rhododendron –There are numerous white cultivars available. If your site is partly shady pick one with larger leaves, all-white flowers, deep green foliage and good hardiness. Rhodies make an elegant background or foundation plant. Be sure it gets some sun to avoid legginess.
A word on azaleas — While there are heavy-blooming whites I avoid them for several reasons: (1) Azalea foliage often turns yellowish and is more prone to disease and storm damage. (2) Fading blossoms turn brown, frequently marring the display as the flowers “go over”. But feel free to include them if they work for you.
Spirea prunifolia Bridal Veil. This is a large deciduous shrub that’s handy for hiding unwanted views or creating privacy. Stunning in bloom but boring out of flower, bridal veil works best as a background shrub, especially if framed by conifers or other dark background to show off the display. Creamy cascades form a waterfall of frothy blooms as you can see by the photo, usually fading to white but not always. Bridal Veil is easy to grow in average soil and full to part sun. The textural value is an added benefit. It does have a tendency to sucker, a consideration in limited spaces.
Hydrangeas are prized for their long period of flowering, shade tolerance, substantial presence and massive flowerheads (really bracts). Many cultivars start out pure white but quickly age cream, green, pink, or red. This means not all of them are suitable for high contrast gardens. Choose carefully! Panicle-type hydrangeas offer the best hardiness and sun tolerance.
Here are three cultivars that remain green or a creamy white all season (clockwise from top right): Gatsby Moon, an 8-foot panicle oakleaf with white coneheads; Candy Apple, a compact 5-foot light green hybrid that ages white; and Hass Halo, a 5-foot native with large flat lacecaps that turn all green.
There are certainly others likely to be suitable; just know what you’re getting to avoid disappointment. If you don’t mind a color shift there are many more choices such as Incrediball, a popular snowball-type that does well in full sun. It tints light pink in fall. Little Lime is another..
Summer Snowflake Plicatum tomentosum is an early summer-flowering viburnum that’s ideal for part sun, dappled shade and woodsy spots. It often reblooms lightly. It does have a light green tinge at first. Other white viburnums to consider are Opening Day Doublefile, Snowball, Steady Eddy, etc. Try to buy one in bloom to ensure strong white color and even coverage. Many viburnums are too yellowish or greenish to work well here.
Shrub rose Iceberg, floribunda form. A reliably repeating white rose with excellent disease resistance and elongated buds. Despite the rather off-white photo here, I can assure you the actual color is a bright, cool white.
Iceberg is exceptionally clean and neat, very hardy and free-flowering all summer. As if that’s not enough praise for a rose, it has shiny light green foliage that always looks healthy. I adore this rose, having grown it happily under tough conditions where other roses promptly died. It’s one drawback is the blooms are sometimes erratic and few rather than heavy.
White landscape roses such as White Meidiland (left) White Flower Carpet (right) or NItty Gritty White (not shown), a new improved strain from Monrovia, are all good choices. So-called landscape roses are basically low-growing floribundas with prolific flowering habits that bloom on and off all summer. The individual flowers are small and borne in fat clusters, giving them extra fullness.
Unfortunately white landscape roses are becoming a real challenge to locate. (Drift, a popular landscape strain, features yellow-white and pink-white cultivars; there is supposedly a pure white too, but I haven’t seen it in years.)
Rose of Sharon (Hybiscus syriacus) is a terrific choice for green and white plantings. Possibilities include Chiffon (not shown) a white single; Althea (right) a pure white double; Morning Star (left) is semi-double with a hidden burgundy center. I have six Morning Stars in my garden and I wouldn’t be without them. They bloom their heads off from July to October.
PERENNIALS & BIENNIALS
Foxglove, Digitalis Snow Thimble. The only pure white foxglove, Snow Thimble is indispensible in an English-style or cottage garden. It is biennial which makes sustaining it year to year somewhat tricky, but it can be done. (For more on how, see my article Growing Foxgloves.)
There are near-white foxgloves too, but Snow Thimble is the whitest to date. Available by mail order if you can’t find it at a local nursery. This cultivar is very natural looking, unlike some of the newer hybrids.
Peachleaf Bellflower – Campanula Alba. A slim 2- to 3-foot tall perennial with acorn-sized, scalloped cups on straight stems. Peachleafs have excellent presence when massed. Architectural and very fresh looking, the period of bloom is limited to early summer unless the weather stays cool, in which case it will bloom a bit longer. Short-lived (2 -3 years) but worth growing. A personal favorite.
Tall Phlox: David, Midsummer White, Sweet Summer White– You probably know that tall garden phlox are virtual color machines, providing long-lasting interest from mid to late summer. Find a white you like; these are just three possibilities. Or plant several since their bloom periods overlap, to keep the color coming for months on end.
Minnie Pearl is an excellent spring white which spreads rather quickly; David is absolutely tops from August into fall (where deer are not present). Delta Snow is a strong midsummer lavender-hued white, but it “reads” cool white in the garden. Excellent for baking hot locations where other phlox may struggle.
Allium Mount Everest – A charming late spring bulb with baseball-sized infloresences that seem to float about the garden. They remind me of giant blown dandelions on steroids! While the tiny flowers are definitely white, their green pedicels give the balls a misty, translucent quality. When backlit by the setting sun, they glow like paper lanterns. A really fun addition to the spring garden.
Shasta daisy Becky – A massed clump of Shastas draws the eye with its dewy-freshness; deep green foliage shows off the flowers particularly well. This is a really nice choice for a less formal look. Since the centers are gold, do take that into consideration; however they generally don’t clash. One drawback of Becky or any white daisy is the fading flowers become unsightly, so regular deadheading is a must.
Candytuft – Iberis sempervirens – I like candytuft as much for its evergreen foliage as its snowy carpet of white in spring, allowing it to double as a handsome groundcover. There are several cultivars available; pick one with heavy coverage and mass it. For best effect, shear off the spent flower stalks before the foliage deteriorates too much, and give it an all-purpose feed to rejuvenate foliage growth.
White creeping phlox is another possibility, as it has very similar flower coverage as candytuft. However, it lacks the foliage value of Iberis. Snow-in-summer (Cerastium) is another snowy-white groundcover in spring, but its foliage can be too silvery for a green and white garden.
Japanese Anemone – A lovely white perennial for fall is Honorine Jobert. Anemone foliage is maple-leaf shaped and seldom bothered by pests creating a tough, deciduous groundcover most of the season. The flower stems arise in late July and bloom August and September, often well into October. Striking in front of conifers or other dark backdrops.
ANNUALS
Impatiens of course! We all know these workhorses. I much prefer Impatiens walleriana, the regular 12″ to 18″ tall impatiens, not the dwarf form. While somewhat overused it’s still the best white annual for semi-shade, hands down. New Guinea impatiens are good too, and they tolerate more sun than the regulars. Either way, indispensable.
Cleome, white – A blowsy addition for informal settings, massed cleome will bob and wave in the breeze from midsummer to frost. For continuous year to year presence, allow some to self-seed freely. Unwanted volunteers are easy to weed out. I love cleome come August and September. The bumblebees and hummers do too.
White petunias like Easy Wave or Calibrachoa Superbells – There are at least ten all-white cultivars, so take your pick. Mass close together for best effect, and fertilize regularly. Provide afternoon shade in hot locations. Petunias and calibrachoas do best when it’s cool, though they will perform admirably in full sun with regular watering. If transplanting from cell-packs, try to get them established in the ground before the weather gets too hot, or they may suddenly die on you.
Chrysanthemums – Various cultivars, no explanation needed. Choose the purest white you can find and plant en masse for a stunning fall display. Most whites are not hardy in zone 6b or even 7a, so work with a nursery if you’re looking to locate a white cultivar to overwinter.
FAVORITE GREENS
Even more than whites, green-foliage options can feel overwhelming when standing at the garden center among hundreds of plants. For a high contrast garden, after hardiness look for saturated green color and a tidy or distinct habit. Skip the yellow and blue foliage, as lovely as they might be, unless you are doing a variation.
Next, consider growth habit: Plants with uniform texture and healthy leaves are important if you’re creating a hedge, for instance. Those with a distinctive shape or trait like long needles or an irregular silhouette make excellent focal points. Think about upkeep, pruning, screening, and winter. Do you want a strong design in winter? If so, evergreens and conifers are the answer.
Here are thirteen of my favorite “true greens”, nearly all conifers, for year round interest. Of course there are many more that would fill the bill. Commentary on each follows the photo gallery.
Both broadleaf and needled evergreens offer an excellent selection. NOTE: While I initially recommended improved box cultivars like Green Mountain when I wrote this article, I no longer do because of the invasive box tree moth and blight issues that continue to plague boxwoods. I much prefer inkberry hollies, plum yews, bayberry, rhododendron, dwarf arborvitae and many more.
I don’t recommend Schipp laurel or cherry laurel because the flowers are too creamy and can come off as “dirty” when paired with strong spring whites. But they make fine choices if the color scheme is cream and green.
You will notice Japanese selections among the conifers. Why is that? Because Japan has a similar climate to ours, so their natives are hardy here as well. Japan also has a strong tradition of plant cultivation and breeding going back centuries, especially among conifers and maples. We are the lucky beneficiaries! Japanese hollies in particular are great for sheared looks.
If you’re lucky enough to live near a nursery that specializes in conifers or has extensive shrub inventory, that’s a great place to start. Mail order tree nurseries have the harder to find selections.
Dwarf Scots pine — A tough, dense, small conifer that can be sheared as desired or left natural. Good green color and hardiness for our zone.
Birds Nest Spruce -“Birds Nest” or Picea abies Nidiformis is easy to find and a wonderful choice. Rich emerald new growth turns deep green in summer. Slow growing and neat, these spruces eventually reach 3 X 6 feet over a decade or more. The form stays round and tight with a flat top. No pruning required! Best in full sun to mostly sun. A great specimen for small spaces that takes baking heat well.
Nellie Stevens Holly – I like Nellie Stevens for its gorgeous mildly prickly foliage. (Berry production is disappointing). It is best used where there are no deer and placed in part to full sun. Nellies form a broad rounded cone and take well to pruning if needed. A fast grower, give Nellie room to reach 15 to 25 feet tall. A great backdrop or screen choice, it will do fine in half shade to full sun. Protect from harsh winter winds. For berries use a male pollinator or plant several.
Inkberry hollies (Ilex glabra) Strongbox, Gembox, Compacta, Densa, Nigra, Forever Emerald. This is a fantastic group for high contrast gardens. Inkberry cultivars are basically improved native hollies resembling English box, minus the problems.
Disease resistant, tough and shearable, inkberries make superb hedges and foundation backdrops. They will take any condition from full sun to shade and tolerate heat and humidity well. Offering rich deep green color all season, some show bronzing in winter but otherwise make handsome plantings year round. Be prepared to shape and feed them occasionally, and do mulch. Otherwise they are virtually carefree.
Rhododendron – For this theme pick one with a true white flower. Rule of thumb when selecting: The larger the leaf the better a rhodie will tolerate shade; the smaller the leaf, the more sun it can handle. Full shade makes for a leggy, sprawling habit, so make sure a rhododendron gets at least 3 – 5 hours of sun. I like rhodies for their textural foliage value and easy care.
Dwarf Alberta Spruce – Yes, very common and perhaps a bit boring. However, these are very tough plants that can take just about any condition, they fit into tight spots, have great color year round and a conical form that rarely needs trimming. Mature specimens eventually get lumpy and develop holes but being very slow growers, Albertas can anchor a garden for many years before needing replacement. In other words, don’t overlook the obvious. Their dense pointy shape is endlessly useful.
Arborvitae Little Giant (Thuja occidentalis) is a versatile size that only gets 4 X 4 feet. All arbs are useful in high contrast gardens, so consider larger choices too if you have the space for them. They do need at least a half day of sun to look their best.
Green Mountain Buxus – An improved, disease resistant boxwood. As much as I love boxwoods, box blight is still very problematic. Be sure to go with a disease resistant variety like Green Mountain or similars. (Some people cannot tolerate the smell of sheared box; I happen to love it.)
Hostas – The only deciduous choice among my top choices, hostas come in many colors and sizes. They often have attractive puckered leaves, adding textural interest and plenty of heft to difficult shady spots. While you should consider foliage first, choose cultivars with white flowers such as fragrant August Lily (Hosta plantaginea) for this design. There are at least two dozen available.
Japanese Dwarf Pines –Thunderhead Black Pine, Aoi White Pine, Glaucus Nana Japanese White Pine and similars. All of these pines have wonderful irregular forms, fantastic color and very tough countenances. Pick whichever one suits your design and growing conditions best. A few are pricey but a unique specimen can serve as a cherished focal point for many years.
Whew! I hope I’ve given you some ideas on how to create a lovely green and white high contrast garden of your own. There are many suitable choices in addition to what’s listed here. Enjoy creating your own combinations!
