I started thinking about this when all of my white shrubs bloomed at once this spring. They are supposed to bloom in a kind of sequence. The absence of color was just as, if not more powerful, than a garden full of color.
Just the spireas–lilacs & fothergilla were blooming too
I know the idea is not new, but white has a symbolic power beyond the absence of color and I think it’s appropriate for our times.
The staircase at Chanel for the 2009 Haute Couture collectionphoto via Chanel
A puff of dandelion seeds (plenty of those around here)
A lace table cloth
Santorini
Nautical ropes
Weathered Picket Fence
Dodecatheon meadia–native and beautiful
Photo via Vanderbilt.edu
Photo via Vanderbilt.edu
White wicker
The White Garden at Sissinghurstphoto via Meade/flickr.com
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Nice pictures. Love the dandelion. I love white amongst the green of spring. There is a fresh, crisp feel to it… my mock orange and abelia are blooming now.
What a lovely collection of pictures. Really does make you appreciate what white can do in the landscape.
I’d love to see that white garden at Sissinghurst.
Larkwhistle, a garden in Bruce Peninsula, Ontario has one and it’s lovely.
I tend to be a little prejudiced against white flowers, (although I love them on shrubs!) and always gravitate towards deep coloured shades, particularly blues and purples, so thanks for this.
Chloe and Sarah–it’s easy to forget simplicity sometimes.