Victoria County Master         Gardener Association

COLORLESS FAVORITES

White is not a color but it makes for beautiful flowers

Dec. 10, 2021

By Pat Plowman/Victoria County Master Gardener

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PAT PLOWMAN

Bush Morning Glory (Ipomoea fistulosa 'Alba'). Tropical plant which blooms from spring until frost and is root hardy in Zone 9.  Also it is deer resistant.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PAT PLOWMAN

Country Girl Chrysanthemum - perennial.  Flowers are white with pink tinge on the edges.  Bloom in the fall and go dormant in the winter.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PAT PLOWMAN

Tahitian Gardenia:  (Gardenia taitensis.) A small tropical shrub that grows to 4 feet.  Flowers have a citrus fragrance and are used in perfume.

TREES WITH WHITE BLOOMS

Magnolia

Brugmansia (Angel trumpet)

Bridal Bouquet Plumeria

Natchez Crepe myrtle

Large Shrubs

Bush Morning Glory

White hibiscus and althea

Indian carnation

SMALL SHRUBS

White Autumn Sage

White Drift Roses

Clerodendrum-Musical notes

Serrisa

Gardenia

Bulbs

Narcissus/Daffodils

Tuberosa

Rain Lilies

Easter lilies

Vines

Sweet Autumn clematis

White mandevilla

White moonvine

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PAT PLOWMAN

Mexican Tuberose: (Polianthes tuberosa.)

Tall spikes of creamy white flowers with a fragrance that is deep, rich and seductive.

Puffy cumulus clouds and new fallen snow are two examples of the color white in nature. Right? But is white really a color? Since I volunteered to write this article on white flowers, I started my research about the color white. But to my surprise, scientists confirm that white is not technically a color.

Color is the visible spectrum of light waves and actually seen when all wavelengths of light are reflected off an object. White is actually the absence of color. I’m sure I learned this way back in some physics class but never really thought much about it.

Enough for the science lesson, I really love “white” flowers and their varied scents. These scents are an intricate mixture of highly volatile compounds and essential oils that flowers emit into the air.

In life white symbolizes purity or innocence, cleanliness, freshness and simplicity.

The first thing I do every morning is open the draperies and look out onto my front patio to see all my white flowers. Actually, this view is my evening garden but it is also beautiful in the early morning. All my plants in this garden have white blooms. Many of them are fragrant which helps attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies and in the evening, hummingbird moths.

Several small trees — Mexican olive, almond verbena, and Mexican tulip are included in this garden area with all of them displaying wonderful and individual scents. The Mexican tulip and almond verbena may die back in a cold winter but will return when the temperature rises again in spring.

Chinese fringe or Chionanthus retusus, a deciduous tree, is in my front yard and only blooms in late spring. It is magnificent, like clouds on top of the trunk and its lilac fragrance is heavenly. This tree needs full sun and lots of room because it can grow to 20 – 30 feet.

Bush morning glory, also in my front yard grows to 10 feet and is a spectacular white flowering plant which blooms from late spring until freeze. And, good news, the deer don’t touch it.

White butterfly ginger is another favorite of mine. It may reach 4-5 feet and the flowers are so beautiful and the scent is amazing. It makes great cut-flowers to brighten your kitchen and infuse the house with its fragrance.

Spider lilies are pretty common but I just realized this year how entertaining they can be. At about 7 p.m. the flowers begin to open one pedal at a time. This scene is so fascinating.

Several jasmine varieties like lakeview, star and maid of Orleans are part of this evening garden. Lakeview, a bush or small tree, is not cold tolerant but deserves a place in the garden just for the scent. Star or angelwing and maid of Orleans have a vine-like growth habit so they work well on an obelisk.

Another variety of night blooming jasmine is in my back yard. When blooming its sweet scent covers both our back yard and the neighbor’s. Some people hate it because the sweet smell is so strong, but not me. This jasmine will die down in winter but comes back in spring and can grow into a large shrub about 6-7 feet.

In appropriate seasons, I do plant annuals in this front bed which include white petunias, pentas, vincas, alyssum, gerbera daisies and cyclamen. White rain lilies pop up year round.

So do incorporate some white flowers into your garden because they will make colored flowers stand out when they are planted together. You know, “white goes with everything.” By the way, technically black is not a color either.

References:

Personal experiences.

Colormatters.com and U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.


PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PAT PLOWMAN

White Orchid Tree (Bauhinia aculeata.) Tropical plant which grows to 15 feet tall.  Blooms in late spring until frost. 

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PAT PLOWMAN

Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium.) Perennial that blooms from August to December.  It grows 5 to 9 feet tall.