Theme gardens are a great way to pull together a landscape. You can design a Japanese garden, an English cottage garden or a Southwestern garden theme that will bring together plants, hardscape (permanent features) and décor into an overall picture. You can also design a garden with a theme color. A theme color can mean that there is only one color used, or one color predominates. An effective design color scheme can be designing all in white.
White can look formal or informal depending on how the design is laid out and the plants chosen. White is particularly effective in the shade as it pops out against the muted greens. Gardens in bright sun will have less impact in white unless you add more contrast with darker foliage and construction materials to set it off.
A garden designed in white can have small, medium and large plants that all bloom in shades of white. You can also use variegated foliage; foliage striped, speckled or splashed with white. Think about the building materials of your garden, too. Either contrast your white flowers with darker woods, paints and stone, or whiten up naturally darker areas with white rock, vinyl or paint.
Just for fun you may want to add a splash of another color to highlight a focal point. An example might be to plant your garden in whites, but greet visitors with some cool colored plants in pinks, purples and blues just at the entryway. Or maybe pepper some hot reds, oranges and yellows around a water feature to catch the eye.
One of the fun parts of designing a garden is coming up with themes or colors. You can stick to your color theme in just a few areas or use it throughout the whole garden. Picture a garden in white around your home. Will it sparkle? Will it brighten up shade or create a handsome foundation to set off your house? Think about white climbing vines on a white arch or trellis, or a pool of white annual flowers clamboring around your front door. Maybe designing a garden in white would be the perfect garden for your landscape.
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