While few plants have pure white foliage, many have variegations that make them appear all or mostly white.Many plants with silver foliage are so pale a gray as to also appear white.
Trees and Shrubs
The variegated willow, ‘Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki’ is nearly pure a white in spring and so is quite suitable for a white garden early in the season – but unless cut back severely in late winter can get too green to be quite right as summer progresses. More suitable is the Japanese maple ‘Floating Clouds’ (Acer palmatum 'Ukigumo') which has leaves prodemonantly white with the faintest shadings of pink and green – altogether a dreamlike mix that stays mostly white all summer.
Ferns
Athyrium niponicum ‘Ursula’s Red’ is bright silver with a red flush and red mid-vein. Athyrium 'Ghost' (Hybrid Fern) has silvery white fronds, hence the aptness of the name. But all Japanese painted ferns have a bright silvery color that adds brightness to a shady garden.
Grasses
Grasses can also give the impression of mostly white.
- Miscanthus variegatus will give the impression with great vigor as it expands from a gallon pot size to dinner table sized in record time – but hey – it’s really white!
- So is Phalaris arundinacea var. picta--Ribbon Grass which has white leaves with thin green center stripes – but which also makes the Miscanthus look like a veritable laggard in the growth department.
- For something tamer get a Carex muskingumensis ‘Ice Fountains’ PPAF which has wispy white branches and an elegant overall appearance. Arrhenatherum elatius 'Variegatum' (bulbous oat grass) is another almost pure white grass.
- The mondo grass, Ophiopogon jaburan ‘Vittatus’ is green but so heavily variegated it may as well be white. The more familiar Ophiopogon is O. planiscapus 'arabicus/nigricens (black mondo grass) which is about as black as a plant can get – and which might make the perfect edging for this garden if one intends it to be a memorial or an Art Deco designed garden.
Perennials
- Fairy Bells - Disporum smilacinum ‘Silver Moon’ is almost an all white plant except for a very thin green edge around each leaf, while Disporum sessile ‘White Lightning’ has a slightly wider edge to its white centered foliage – neither green is obvious at a casual glance, and both plants have pure white flowers.
- Another interesting new plant is Jacob’s Ladder, Polemonium caeruleum ‘White Ghost’ which has mostly white foliage with a bit of purple variegation – this one is so lovely it’s tempting to cheat and allow it in.
- Perovskias (Russian sage) have silver leaves and stems and blue flowers
- And then there are the Pulmonaria, many of which can be found with almost all white or silver leaves. ‘Roy Davidson’, ‘British Sterling’, ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Silver Streamers’ (PPAF) all have silver centers and green edges – some have less green than others. P. ‘Cool Cotton’s leaves are almost pure silver.
- And speaking of silver, we have a wide variety of silvery white artemisias to choose from. A.'Valerie Finnis' and ‘Silver Brocade’ are not as inclined to run out of bounds as their rowdier relatives. Artemisia absinthium 'Powis Castle' is also good if you can give it almost perfect drainage.
- Closer to the ground is a wealth of silvery ground cover plants, such as many of the Lamiums. ‘White Nancy’ is close to perfect for ta white garden since it also blooms in white.
- Plant Lamb's Ears - Stachys byzantina - at the front of the garden for a border of ruffled silvery white. Make sure to get the non-flowering kind so it doesn't sow itself everywhere.
And don't forget hostas. There are literally dozens with bright white centers or edgings. Among the whitest are H. 'Fire and Ice', H. 'Patriot' and the new introduction, h. 'Island Charm'. White hostas require shade or they get sunburnt - but they really brighten up dimmer areas of the garden.
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