The white garden

It's the rare gardener who has not been seduced by Vita Sackville-West's famed White Garden at Sissinghurst Castle. Certainly I count myself among their numbers. But though I love white flowers, I like too many other colors to be disciplined enough to limit myself to a one-color garden. Instead I let my white flowers act as dramatic accents. 

A recent article in The Guardian newspaper about The White Garden mentioned that many of its plants are too large for most modern gardens. This full-size, almost 60-year-old McIntosh apple tree is my equivalent. It's huge and scents the entire garden when covered with blossoms as it was this week.

The view of the tree from our neighbor's garden.

Equally fragrant, equally beautiful and even more dramatic in bloom is the diminutive crabapple, Malus sargentii 'Tina'

Tina has red buds which open white. She was blooming in the front garden while the big apple was in flower in the back garden.

I do have one small bed that's mostly white flowers including a white bleeding heart, Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White' and this Korean azalea, Rhododendron yedoense poukhanense 'Alba'

This Paeonia rockii from Seneca Hill has buds like giant marshmallows and massive ruffled flowers.

I've had good luck with foxgloves and just added this one, Digitalis purpurea 'Pam's Choice'

Primula sieboldii invaded by self-sown Trilliums

This massive Trillium grandiflorum was in the garden when we moved here.

One of the tiny "bells" from our Carolina Silverbell tree, Halesia tetrapetra. The falling petals carpet everything around the tree when they come down. We've surprised a lot of visitors with our "flowering" pine tree.

 

Comments

[Jenny]

I have a photo of me standing in the White Garden at Sissinghurst. The white rose was in full bloom. What a magic place as I am sure your garden is with all its white blooms. Such memories. Now to your whites. They are all so beautiful especially the apple blossom. It sends me back in time to our garden in Montreal and to England. No such luck here in Texas.

[Pam/Digging]

I've never seen Sissinghurst -- hope to one day. Your apple trees are like brides in white -- lovely.