When it comes to gardens, an all-white theme can be supremely elegant but, to make it work well, you should give the space a sense of depth and interest in other ways, such as with height, size and texture. Grow climbers – roses, wisteria and clematis – over pergolas and plant foxgloves, lilies and alliums for their tall spires. Add billowing clumps of peonies and hydrangeas for a softer element and, for ground cover, don't forget carpets of snowdrops in early spring and arabis in late spring and early summer. It's also important to include plants with eye-catching foliage alongside those with white flowers: variegated and silvery foliage both work well with an all-white scheme, while box, yew, ivy and holly form a good foil to clouds of white blooms. To make a single-colour garden successful, create interest throughout the year. Our list below suggests flowers that will blossom in succession, giving all-round seasonal colour. Finally, complement your plantings with white trellises, arbours and obelisks or, if you prefer, metal and polished steel; alternatively, choose wooden pieces that have silvered with age. When entertaining outdoors, add white tableware, throws and cushions to your garden furniture for a truly magical look.

Spring
Magnolia stellata
Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba' (white bleeding heart)
Tulipa 'White Triumphator'
Hyacinthus 'L'Innocence' and H. 'Carnegie'
Narcissus 'Ice Follies'
Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley)

Summer
Digitalis purpurea (white Excelsior and Foxy groups)
Rosa 'Iceberg' (syn. 'Korbin')
Clematis armandi
Viburnum opulus
Hydrangea arborescens
Leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy)
Lilium regale

Autumn
Yucca gloriosa
Sorbus cashmiriana (white berries)
Anemone x hybrida or japonica (Japanese anemones – white, late-flowering varieties)
Aster divaricatus

Winter
Erica carnea 'Springwood White' (white heather)
Helleborus niger (Christmas rose)
Galanthus nivalis (snowdrop)
Betula utilis var. jacquemontii (Himalayan white birch)
Digitalis purpurea (white Excelsior and Foxy groups)
Rosa 'Iceberg' (syn. 'Korbin')
Clematis armandii
Viburnum opulus
Hydrangea arborescens
Leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy)
Lilium regale

HOW TO MAKE THE ALL-WHITE LOOK WORK
• White gravel helps to make a small space, such as a patio or terrace, look larger, while white-washed walls and Continental-style garden umbrellas create a Mediterranean atmosphere.
• Fill pots and planters with white-flowering bulbs or plants with silver foliage for a miniature seasonal garden.
• Place painted wooden or silver pyramids in borders to encourage white sweet peas or clematis.
• Furnish a terrace or patio with white-painted metal furniture.
• Create evening ambience with flickering white candles, lanterns or strings of fairy lights and perfume the air with white night-scented stocks, jasmine and nicotiana.
• Complete the scene with tablecloths, cushions and throws in white cotton or linen treated for light outdoor use – don't forget to bring them inside.

WHITE GARDENS TO VISIT
• Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Sissinghurst, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 2AB, (01580) 710701. Includes the quintessential English white garden created by Vita Sackville-West.
• Barrington Court Garden, Barrington, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 0NQ, (01460) 241938. Visit the inspirational garden filled with white flowers and silver leaves. Best seen in summer, it is also worth visiting at other times to see the structural foliage
• Baldhorns Park, Rusper, West Sussex RH12 4QU, (01293) 871575. Garden designer Allison Armour Wilson's white and silver Garden of Reflection won a silver medal at the Chelsea Flower Show 2000. Visit it at her home by appointment only.
• Painswick Rococo Gardens, Painswick, Gloucestershire GL6 6TH, (01452) 813204 and Hodsock Priory, Blyth, Worksop, Nottinghamshire S81 0TY, (01909) 591204. Both gardens have wonderful snowdrop displays.

SEPTEMBER 2005
TEXT JACKY HOBBS
PHOTOGRAPHY MICHELLE GARRETT