WHITE FLOWER BORDER, EDINBURGH
THE BRIEF
To create a white-flowering border that would look attractive all year round.
THE SPACE
A west-facing rectangular area set against the garage wall.
THE DESIGN
To add drama to the planting scheme, I introduced diversity in heights by placing a birch and shrubs at the back of the border and cascading perennials at the front.
Plants were carefully selected to provide structure during winter and interest during the warmer months. In winter, the eye will enjoy the gently peeling white bark of the birch, the evergreen rhododendron and escalonia shrubs, the thick dark green foliage of agapanthus africanus (African lily), dry globe thistles, and early flowering helleborus (Christmas rose).
In spring, rhododendron dresses in silky white flowers, polygonatums ring their bells, and the globes of alliums ‘Mont Blanc’ bring in a playful mood. In summer, hydrangeas, foxgloves, and camassias fill the border with scent and make you admire the beauty of their diverse shapes and textures. Rustling leaves of the birch and grasses fill the border with soothing sounds of nature.
The season is concluded by a show of the elegant arrows of white flowers produced by African lilies in late summer and autumn.
