The other day, I was driving home from the grocery store, took a different route and came across this garden that is everything that mine is not. Extremely manicured and with a very limited color palette of two colors, green and white.
On the right side of this picture in the middle, between the house and fence, those taller whit flowers belong to a canna. Did you know that there where white cannas?
These pictures really don't do justice to the garden. It's quite striking from the street and the whiteness of the plantings with the white trim of the house really stands out.
Notice how the two trees in the background echo the shape of the house and chimney. Happy accident as these were in neighboring gardens.
The fragrance of the sweet alyssum flanking the front steps was divine!
Behind the box was a sedum with white flowers.
behind that, white geraniums (Pelargonum) and then yew.
Cascading over the retaining wall was a plant that I didn't recognize but it was charming.
Continuing around th side of the house.
A shade garden featuring the signature color.
All of the plants looked so healthy, happy, and well tended. It would be nice to have a bit of this control in my garden but alas, someone keeps buying plants in every hue and throws them in wherever there's a hint of space. I could never pull this off but admire the gardener who does. What do you think?
I admire it very much too. It does show a degree of discipline that we both seem to lack.
ReplyDeleteCool and refreshing. Nice. Not my style either, but I appreciate it. Is that bacopa cascading down? Hard to tell.
ReplyDeleteI so could not do this in my own garden but I enjoy the serenity of this one.
ReplyDeletePretty. I realized the chimney doesn't match the color scheme...should we tell? I wonder if that discipline continues inside.
ReplyDeleteI envy and admire this level of control, but I'd never pull it off--not would I want to. My philosophy is pretty much like yours: buy what you like and find room for it later.
ReplyDeleteAs chavliness wrote I wonder about the indoors, are the rooms tightly color themed? I respect what they've created but there's no way I could pull it off...I'm too much of a plant addict!
ReplyDeleteI love and admire (from a distance) minimalism done well, but this strikes me as...dare I say it?..rigid. There is something almost cottagey about some of the plant choices that I find at odds with straight lines and no color.
ReplyDeleteRicki - you beat me to it. That is EXACTLY what I was thinking too.
DeleteI had two thoughts when I saw these photos -- besides being amazed by the gardener's restraint: 1) this looks like a location Wes Anderson would use in one of his films 2) I once saw a segment on Gardening By the Yard in which the gardener said that she was only interested in growing "black" plants. That person should live across the street from this house.
ReplyDeleteSure looks cool, all that green and white. Kewl, too.
ReplyDeleteAll white is what I am striving for in my back gardens. It takes a lot of self discipline not to throw in some bright and gaudy things just for fun. The hard part is planning for five seasons.
This feels really anal retentive/OCD to me. I bet the inside is surgically clean and precisely maintained. It is pretty but it has a 'Do not touch' feel to it. I agree that it looks like a movie set.
ReplyDeleteI do love white gardens...they are especially lovely at dusk as they reflect the waning light of the day. I could never have one...I am more of a pretty shining thing when it comes to selecting plants.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely garden, but I could never pull it off at home. I always admire the restraint of buying only white flowered plants en masse. I'm like you; colour, one of each colour plant type if you please and then find room for it....!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could even put together a vase in only green and white, much less an entire garden. If I had acres and acres, maybe I could manage a garden "room" with that limited palette, although I strongly suspect some pale pinks and blues would creep in as accents.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely to look at but I think it would bore me to live with it. And no, I didn't know there were white Cannas. And now that I know, I have to have some. This is why this sort of restraint could never work for me...
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree with most of the others' comments. There's something about it that I like, but then I think if I lived across the street from it or in it, I would become tired of it very fast. It's not my style, but yest I appreciate it--on first glance. I much prefer gardens with a more vibrant color palette. With that said, Kris' comment about a garden "room" makes sense. Perhaps a moon garden with a reflecting pond. White works well in moon gardens.
ReplyDeleteIt looks very nice. And of course there are many shades of green.
ReplyDeletePretty and very well cared for, but much too pale and cool for my taste.
ReplyDeleteYou say the pics don't do it justice, but I dunno, it looks pretty striking! I can see it on a magazine cover.
ReplyDeleteI think Ricki nailed it - rigid is the perfect word. It looks pretty, but gardening to me means exuberance and joie de vivre. This garden has neither. I love Alan's idea of putting the black garden across the street. No doubt they would drive each other nuts!!! :)
ReplyDeleteA lovely garden to visit, but not for me to live in. I need more color and variation. We tried a white garden in one part of our yard, but I kept putting purple in it.
ReplyDeleteI admire their self-control and dedication to design, even as I shy away from the thought of limiting myself in such strict fashion. I need more variety. Too many cool plants to grow!
ReplyDeleteGreat white garden! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI guess it makes your buying decisions easier when you only buy one color. For me, there's too much rigidity in this garden, but it's maintained beautifully, and it's always nice to see someone taking such good care of their garden.
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