Take inspiration from this selection of RHS Partner Gardens and create your own white garden at home, or just let yourself be carried away by the sense of calm and freshness this dreamy colour palette brings
There’s something truly magical about a white garden. Perhaps the most elegant garden design of all, it offers a freshness and purity that’s hard to achieve with other colours. If you’re planning to create a feast of white in your own space, consider including a variety of white flowers that bloom at different times of the year, with diverse textures, heights and forms. Our top picks of RHS Partner Gardens, showcased at their summer best, can provide plenty of ideas – or simply a peaceful sanctuary for those seeking a moment of calm.
The white garden at Loseley Park is a tranquil oasis surrounding a central water feature
Tucked away in the heart of the stunning walled garden at Loseley Park lies an elegant and enchanting white garden – a serene sanctuary for garden lovers, designed to evoke peace and purity with borders of white, cream and silver surrouding a water feature. The perfect place to take in the beauty of the garden is the café, which offers a menu of homemade, seasonal delights that celebrate the finest ingredients.
Annuals are plants that complete their life cycle in one growing season. They are generally easy to grow from seed or can be bought as young plants from garden centres. Annuals are ideal for growing in summer containers and filling gaps in borders. Some examples of annuals include sunflowers, cosmos, sweet peas and zinnia.
annuals accompany them, including cosmos, white sunflowers and hibiscus.
Free days out for RHS members: Sunday–Thursday, 4 August–31 August 2025
The white garden is one of the key areas at Helmsley Walled Garden
The white garden at Helmsley Walled Garden features the striking Eryngium giganteum, also known as Miss Willmott’s ghost, which adds a unique, silvery elegance to the landscape. Some of other favourites of Helmsley’s Executive Director June Tainsh are Lyssimachia clethroides, Eryngiumgiganteum, Agrostemma githago ‘Bianca’, Digitalis purpurea ‘Alba’ and Cornus kousa var. chinensis. White and silver blooms, from tall lilies to delicate roses, create a fresh and elegant atmosphere.
Free days out for RHS members: Wednesday in March–December 2025, daily in October 2025
Choose one colour for a touch of contrast – deep blue or purple and pink in subtle touches here and there can enhance white flowers. A lovely plant to demonstrate this is Centaurea montana ‘Amethyst In Snow’
Arboretum Kalmthout is a botanical paradise situated in the north of Antwerp, in Belgium
When visiting Arboretum Kalmthout in summer, you’ll see elegant white-flowering shrubs woven through the mixed borders, attracting butterflies and pollinating insects in abundance. A dedicated butterfly garden and a tranquil botanical pond add to the sense of calm.
“Arboretum Kalmthout has had a white garden for around 40 years,” said curator Abraham Rammeloo. “When I arrived in 2000, one of the first plants I added in that specific location was Hibiscus syriacus ‘Notwoodtwo’ . It has been growing there ever since. It’s a strong and resilient garden shrub with lots of flowers, ideal in a changing climate as it tolerates dry and hot summers very well.”
Hibiscus syriacus ‘Notwoodtwo’ is a strong and resilient shrub with lots of flowers, ideal in a changing climate.
Abraham recommends two other white plants that grow well at Arboretum Kalmthout. “Obviously, we love Hydrangea paniculata cultivars. Jelena De Belder, our former owner and a great plantswoman, did a lot of selection work with them. One of her selections is Hydrangea paniculata ‘White Moth’. She was exceptionally good in naming plants and she proves it here: the sterile flowers seem to form a cloud of little white butterflies, dancing in the garden. Just wonderful!”
Abraham is a fan of trees with
Variegated means having leaves or other plant parts with streaks, blotches or patches of different colours. Typically, these would be a combination of two colours, such as green and gold or green and white.
variegated leaves, which of course grow in the white garden. “My favourite is Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Snow Bird’,” he said. “I planted it ten years ago, so now I can really say it develops well. It’s a quick grower, drought-tolerant and, very importantly, stable in its variegation. It doesn’t turn yellow like most of the multi-coloured Liriodendron do. It stays white and pale.”
Free days out for RHS members: daily, 1 January–31 December 2025
A hardwood obelisk and high-backed bench feature in Winterbourne’s white garden
Winterbourne’s white garden is enjoying a fresh lease of life following a complete transformation. Visit in summer to see it in full bloom. It’s a picture of serenity, with white-flowered
Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.
perennials lighting up the borders, all framed by the striking backdrop of a brilliant purple beech hedge. New focal points include a beautifully crafted hardwood obelisk and a high-backed bench, offering ideal spots to pause and soak up the scene.
The white garden is one of the many outdoor ‘rooms’ that make up Hidcote’s intricate design
In the heart of Hidcote’s famous garden rooms, the White Garden is blooming with Veroniscastrum’s slender, airy spikes of white flowers, Phlox boasting tightly packed rounded clusters of white flowers and Dianthus holding pure white, richly fragrant
A type of flower that has extra petals, often having a fuller appearance. Plants with double flowers are often considered more ornamental and showy than those with single flowers, though they are generally not as good for wildlife, having little or no pollen. Some plants naturally produce double flowers, while others may be bred for this trait. Examples of plants with double flowers include roses, sunflowers, dahlias, and zinnias.
double flowers on stiff stems above blue-green foliage.
“Once known as the Phlox Garden, the White Garden uses a small group of plants to create a ‘wow’ factor in mid-July, when most of them are in bloom. For the rest of the year, this garden room is a transitional space between the Maple Garden and the Old Garden borders,” said Hidcote’s Head Gardener, Lottie Allen.
The white border is one of the eight distinct gardens at Crathes Castle
Within the magnificent walled garden at Crathes Castle lies the elegant Double White Border, one of eight distinct garden rooms in this historic Scottish estate.
Free days out for RHS members: Wednesday and Thursday when open
Please note: All white gardens flower at different times, depending on the planting. We recommend checking in advance with the RHS Partner Garden you plan to visit when their white garden is at its best, to avoid disappointment.
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.
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