For the Wimbledon finals weekend it seemed fitting to choose six white flowers. Fortunately I have six in flower this week, I do have some white sweet peas but they were late to germinate and go out into the garden this year so I am still waiting for them to flower. Meanwhile I have two empty beds as I cleared out the Mallow flowers featured a few weeks ago – they were pretty much finished with flowering and had also developed a very ugly looking rust. Any suggestions of what to put in for the rest of the summer?
From the new ‘White’ bed this year I have a few for the vase, though I actually rarely cut any flowers for inside other than sweet peas.
(click on any image to view larger)
- Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Psyche’ – a ruffled variety semi-double flowers and a lovely deep yellow centre, if you look closely the inner petals are very silky. A lot taller than previous Cosmos I have had, but then until now they have always been in pots.
- Scabiosa ‘White’ (Pincushion flower) – which start off green and the develop a creamy centre before all the petals open up. I am astonished to see that even the stamens are white. Another very tall plant which I have had to stake in my windy garden.
Scabiosa ‘White’
- Ammi Majus (Bishop’s Flower) – Another tall flower, full of blooms and has been for several weeks now. Very similar to Cow Parsley, but perhaps more sophisticated.
Ammi majus (Bishop’s flower)
Ammi, Cosmos and Scabiosa - Achillea millefolium (Common Yarrow). Leaving the ‘White Garden’ behind the next white I have is a weed. One you probably don’t want in your lawn, but fortunately mine grows on top of the low granite wall. I am thinking of digging it up this year and planting something more interesting.
- In the area close to the ‘Zen Patio’ which I think might have contained a pond once upon a time is Filipendula ulmaria (Meadowsweet) a perennial herb in the family Rosaceae that grows in damp meadows. Also known as Bridewort, Meadow Queen and Meadow Wort. Meadowsweet was a celebrated herb in Celtic times, representing the Flowerbride, otherwise known as “Blodeuwedd” – the maiden aspect of the triple goddess. Used to attract love, peace and happiness it was often added to a bridal bouquet. I think I’d better keep this one! Not entirely white, more of an ivory colour with a slight musky scent. It comes with a list of medicinal benefits too.
Filipenula ulmaria - And moving into the north-facing courtyard we find the final white of the month, my Dad’s White Mop-head Hydrangea. He gave me a cutting of this plant probably over 30 years ago. I grew it in my garden for 15 years and when I moved I took a small rooted cutting with me. It has been in pots for the last 15 years and this year is looking better than ever. I really need to get it out of the pot it has been in for the last 7 years and into the garden, but I’m not sure after all this time it will even come out! I do top it up with compost every couple of years, but have never fed it.
HydrangeaAs the flowers mature they take on a pink tinge and by autumn are almost totally dark pink.
And if you are getting a little weary of the warm weather and the impact it is having on your garden then have a look at the Garden Rules below and have yourself a very happy and relaxing weekend 🙂
See here for the participant’s guide.
Cornwall in Colours 
Lovely flowers Jude. The Bishop’s Flower is similar to an Australian Native plant that grows at my place. A pretty flowering bush but sparse flowers. Other similar species are called Snowballs, Rice Flowers but mine is White Dogwood. I was hoping for a prettier name
Haha… what is it about names of plants that turn us on or off? Nothing wrong with a white dogwood except getting it confused with the Cornus trees which I assume it isn’t.
Not at all. MyWhite Dogwood only grows to about 2M. It dies off after about 3 years. I have it on the margins of the forest. Ozothamnus diosmifolius http://anpsa.org.au/o-dio.html This calls it Rice Flkower. My local species is White Dogwood.
Yes the nae can be a turn off
What a pretty flower!
Hopefully some lovely splashes of white in the forest later this Winter 😉
A lovely symphony of whiteness. I especially like the fact that you still gave your dad’s hydrangea. Not so sure about a double cosmos though – by any other name I’d love it!
You dislike the name? Sadly this only has the one name, but to me she looks like a ballerina in a tutu 🙂
A cosmos needs to be simply single!
But she is only semi-double, the bees still love her and that’s what counts. Sorry to have ruffled your feathers 😉 😉
This is a lovely selection of flowers, and just looking at photos of them gives quite cooline effect. 🙂 I particularly like the cosmos.
Cosmos is a favourite. I have only grown the pale and deep pink before and loved them. These whites are very pretty.
I remember that in our first year in our UK house, there was a huge bed which had been the previous owner’s veg patch and I scattered a packet of cosmos over it and crossed my fingers. The resulting show of colours was lovely. 🙂 Another year I had a chocolate scented cosmos in a garden tub – that was lovely too.
That photo of the Scabious is wonderful Jude. So textured and detailed. Good blog as always.
Beautiful photos, Jude! Your first scabious photo is especially wonderful. There are so many whites! And they encourage you to appreciate structure and form, with no colour to distract. I love your garden rules.
The garden rules was in a nursery, I should have bought it! I’m not so good on lawn mowing, though there isn’t that much left now I have dug half of it up to plant flowers! Glad you like the photos, I took the macro lens for a walk 🙂
Very nice choice of white flowers this week. My favorite is this pretty semi-double cosmos … I’ve just grown simple ones so far but looking at this one makes me want!
I figured we all need some cooling off! I like singles too in the darker colours, but happy experimenting 🙂
Lovely Jude, I really like scabious and cosmos, less keen on hydrangea. You have everything in your garden, it’s wonderful. A white garden is so peaceful, I’ll never forget that one in Kent, that I can’t remember the name of at this senior moment 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’m so cross that I didn’t lift up some of my dad’s irises to take with me, then I could have ditched the hydrangea, but I didn’t so it has become a sentimental plant to me now. You are possibly thinking of Sissinghurst white garden. I would have to transform my whole garden to equal that one – I only have one small bed 😀
Yes Sissinghurst is the one!
Lovely theme for the week!
Thanks Patch!
All lovely. As the Wimbledon results have been mainly disappointing (from my point of view anyway) I shall take comfort in these.
A lovely looking garden. No splashes of Wimbledon green and purple?
I thought the green and purple a bit much this year when even the score thingy on the TV screen was in those colours! But actually I do rather like purple plants and green goes without saying 😉