Mighty Whites

By Adrienne Wild 9/12/2007

White is just right if you want to give your garden a crisp, fresh look, even on the gloomiest winter’s day. And there’s a fantastic selection of winter whites out there, from snowdrops and camellias to cabbages and heathers…

Snowdrops
Snowdrops have specially-hardened tips that enable them to push through frosted ground so can be relied upon to make a beautiful sight on a cold, crisp February morning. They are best planted in bold clumps,but bear in mind they like soils with plenty of humus.
CREATE THE LOOK: Make sure you buy them “in the green” with leaves, or top quality bulbs. Plant them in bold drifts with a few double-flowered varieties dotted between.
HOW MUCH? Available from Cambo Snowdrops prces start at £6.45 for 25 (01333 450054, www.cambosonowdrops.com)

Camellia
Camellia japonica offers some amazing white-flowered varieties including Man Size, which unlike its name suggests produces delightful white miniature  flowers in February right in the depths of winter.
CREATE THE LOOK: This showy plant is not readily available, but worth tracking down. Like all camellias it thrives in the same acid soil conditions as rhododendrons but is less tolerant of cold, so it’s a good idea to grow it in a pot.
HOW MUCH? A specimen plant is available from the Duchy of Cornwall nursery for £90 (01208 672668, www.duchyofcornwallnursery. co.uk)

Birch
Birches are grown for their graceful dappled canopy and of course their startlingly white bark. Jacquemontii is one of the loveliest birches and grows into a medium-sized tree.
CREATE THE LOOK: Plant several birch, or a multi-stemmed variety to create a woodland effect and under-plant with Cyclamen coum.
HOW MUCH? Expect to pay around £15 at garden centres.

Cabbage
Ornamental cabbages are great for giving borders and containers instant impact. They last well until Christmas after which the leaves might start to deteriorate.
CREATE THE LOOK: It's best to buy large plants for containers and plant them so that the rosette of leaves is just above the rim.
HOW MUCH? Expect to pay around £3.95 at garden centres.

Heather
One of the most outstanding of winter heathers is Erica Springwood White, which produces masses of flowers from December to May. It will thrive in sunny locations and well-drained soils and is best clipped after flowering to encourage growth from the centre of the plant.
CREATE THE LOOK: Use in hanging baskets and containers as well as ground cover.
HOW MUCH? Expect to pay around £1.75 at garden centres

Cyclamen
Look for plants of Cyclamen coum that have pure white flowers to create a snowy carpet beneath shrubs from December to March.
CREATE THE LOOK: Plant them with other winter and spring flowers that like the same leafy, humus-rich soil.
HOW MUCH? Prices start at £2.50 from Kevock Garden Plants (07811 321585)

Hellebore
Plant the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, and you’ll enjoy more than three months of gorgeous blooms when the garden is at its lowest ebb from December to March.
CREATE THE LOOK: If the weather is harsh, cover the plant with a cloche now to help force the saucer-shaped blooms to emerge in time for Christmas. The flowers can be cut for the vase for the Christmas table.
HOW MUCH? Plants from £5 at garden centres.