Catching-up with the White Garden

Five years on from the first flowers being planted. The white garden is now needing a bit of a sort out.

As with any new garden, or just new border, some things work out and some things don’t!

You need to give plants a few seasons to see if they settle. Some plants need to put their roots down before they start to grow properly. This usually means after a couple of years of underperforming, I have a stern talk to them. It goes a bit like, “ok, one more year, if you don’t do anything between now and then, you’re out!” I’d say eight times out of ten, it works.

Although sometimes you just have to accept, that you’ve planted the wrong plant in the wrong place! If possible I just move it to a new part of the garden and that normally works. If not or if it’s got too big, I give it away. You can usually find a home for free plants.

‘The Great Wall’ White Shrub Border

The path splits the two borders in the white garden.

The border on the right is planted with perennials, this is so that they die back in the winter. It allows us access for the annual holly trim, as the hedge runs all down that side.

The left hand side, is bordered by ‘the great wall’. This is a six foot high wall that runs 160ft, all down the left side of the garden. As no maintenance is required I have planted white flowering shrubs on this side.

Plants in the white garden

The Skimmia and Viburnum are the first shrubs to flower and the scent from them is devine. You can smell their gorgeous scent way before you get to them. They also offer early nectar to the insects.

Next to flower is a star shaped magnolia, called ‘Stellata’.

I used to know a lovely lady that had one of these in her garden. Every year when it flowered I would say to her, I’m going to have one of those one day. Now I do it’s now a lovely reminder of her.

These shrubs are followed by the white flowering Pieris and Rhododendron. The rhododendron was here in the garden when we came, surrounded by ground elder. There was so much ground elder in the garden we thought we’d never get rid of it, but we pretty much have. The rhododendron was moved twice to temporary homes, whilst we did all the landscaping. It now seems happily settled in its permanent home and has grown really well.

In mid summer there is then a gap in colour from the shrubs, but under the rhododendron is a white Penstomen that starts to flower now. Penstomen are great value perennials as they flower for such a long period.

There are also, tall white Alliums ‘Mount Everest’ in between the shrubs. As their name suggests they are very tall. They’ve been gradually multiplying with more coming up every year.

Last year I went down to the compost bins at around ten o’clock. The white of the alliums was so bright and really stood out.

At the far end of the border is a variegated Euonymus. I always used to think of this shrub as yellow, but this is a white variegated leaf. It’s evergreen and a good ground cover shrub.

The next thing to flower is a climber on the wall, Jasmine officinale. We brought a tiny cutting, from the huge Jasmine we had at our last house. You’d never know it now though as its covering about eight foot of the wall.

The scent it gives off in an evening is intoxicating.

Behind the wall in next doors garden is a huge old cooking apple tree (pictured above). It’s been allowed to get far too big (I wouldn’t like to have to pick the apples), but we benefit from the beautiful apple blossom in the spring. We also get a few free apples dropping over!

Finally we get some late colour from the white Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’. It starts to flower in late summer and goes on flowering into November and most years December.

This was the most tiny little stick of a shrub five years ago, but look at her now. I love the delicate little fairy flowers and it’s my favourite in the border.

Changes in the white garden

I had Spirarea Arguta and although it looked stunning when flowering briefly in the spring. It got far too big and just looked untidy most of the time.

I’m afraid it got dug up last autum and I’m pretty sure a white hydrangea is going in it’s place. I love hydrangeas, and haven’t got one anywhere else in the garden. It will also fill that colour gap from spring to late summer.

I just need to decide which one now!

The other more resent change, is the Hebe in the pointy bit at the start of the border. I never really thought the slightly silvery leaves toned in, but the main problem was the size. Despite being quite a small growing Hebe, it still got too big for its position. When I cut it back it looked woody and untidy, so it’s gone.

It’s been replaced with a delicate, scented phlox and white hardy geraniums around its base. These were cuttings from the right hand border. I hope they root!

Also planted, is Colchicum autumnale (autumn flowering crocus). I bought these at my first ever visit to The RHS Chelsea flower show last autumn. I’m very pleased to have found a place for them, where they can be seen clearly.

The final new edition to the white shrub border, in the form of a bug hotel. It was a project that was started last year, and it’s finally been completed. Well I say completed, I haven’t quite finished filling it yet, and really it’ll only be complete when someone moves in. Here’s hoping it’s a des res!