blueangel, you have enough choices there for a whole yard of gardens but how much of your views would be predominantly green? For instance, tradescantia..a nice back of the border plant has tiny flowers that just don't deliver enough white 'punch'. It's hard to keep a single color garden blooming progressively especially when we have funky frosts and droughts.
I'm planning a small white garden, a tiny vignette-type tucked in a corner fronting tall shrubs. Some perennials intersperced with white annuals. If we ever get rain again.
White chrysanthemums as they grow can be masked by alyssum then petunias and taller white geraniums and white gaura and white carpet roses. Alyssum and petunias get pulled (alyssum should reseed itself),gaura gets clipped back and by the time the chrysanthemum is ready to bloom the geranium is full of fall blooms. You can always fill in with white begonia as well if deer are attacking your petunias.
I'd consider adding streaks of white in the form of grasses or sweet flag and silver dragon liriope (not spicata or it will take over everything)
The carpet roses have been real workhorses this year of strange weather. One alone gives airyness and height to a border and marvelous aroma. I have a border of 14 and they are very easy care.
I prefer to punctuate all that white of the roses with underplantings of solid color verbena.

Dottie, you mentioned white gaura. Does that grow well up here? I have it in my Fl gardens for the butterflies, but never thought it would make it through the winter up here, so I hadn't thought of trying it. What has been your experience with it?

oh, yeah- it's perfectly hardy here coorscat. it's a very pretty plant if you give it room. doesn't look so hot when squashed in like i tried. lol. plant away!

I have the pink guara and it does extremely well here. I even had it years ago in Baltimore and it was happy there. It is a warm weather plant, but super hardy. It was actually (formerly) considered a nuisance because it spreads so quickly and lives through almost anything! How long does your white guara stay in bloom?

I am so excited to find this post - we have been doing an all white garden in our back yard and I came searching for more ideas that would grow best in this area. I have a number of the same plants in mine already.

Can you tell me, of your list, what perrenials flower early and what flowers latest?

Also, I may have missed these on your list, but I have enjoyed morning glories, ginger lillys and a carpet rose that I believe is called Sea Spray. Just discovered white (creamy really) marigolds and plan to add those next year. We also add a Japanese Anenome which is a lovely late bloomer. And I used some black elephant ears for a little contrast.

Of your alliums, are they both white-white? I am trying to find the name of one that is white but sort of green.

Again - love your list. Thanks for the inspiration!

My white gaura is in the edge of a foundation bed with a full sized vitex tree and other perennials. None of this area gets any water but rain and is in full sun from 11 AM on.
The gaura has not stopped blooming all throughout this drought. It does very well with or without regular watering.

The bed I am planning for white flowers will be edged by black liriope if I can find some edging that will keep the lawn guys from trimming it down to nothing.

Dottie - thanks for the info on the white guara. May just have to work that one in!!! I experienced the same thing this year with my carpet roses as you mentioned above. At one point, they were the only thing going! Never heard of black liriope, so now I will have to look for that too.

What we did on our beds for edging was we dug a trench - a deep trench, like 3 or 4 inches deep. Once the lawn mower went over that edge once, they stayed away from it :o) I have also just recently seen the Quickrete has a new molded form out now for edging. I don't imagine they would mow over concrete!

Dottie, what about black mondo grass? It is really short or at least there is a short form available. I love the look but in my shade it would get lost. Shannon/Dirtrx

This is a nice tiny white flower bloom's in spring,
Iberis Sempervirens ( candy Tuft )
Olgaflowers,

Shannon, what I did at my other house was create an edging of blocks,the three inch tall types, two high and fill the dirt up halfway and plant the black liriope along the edge backing it with hot pink (oops..we were talking white) impatiens with varigated foliage and behind that was a cascade of white gaura. If you put some sort of separator between the rows, it's easier to plant the row of annuals without disturbing the roots of the perennials.
For a white garden, it could be white impatiens after white alyssum. The white alyssum looks great winding its way through the black grass.

My first garden ever was a white garden. I had mock orange and irises along with some of what you listed. and babies breath. White callas with the spotted leaves might be a good addition.

I have also used silver edged thyme for sunnier areas. White nancy lamium is really nice for shade.

Well I have one flower garden
it is a temp. garden for now.
The landscaper and I have
decided to put in
5 Crape Myrtle Natchez
3 Dogwood, Kousa Venus ?
and 11 AZALEA Delaware Valley
still working on a list of
perennials and more shrubs
and trees,I have 5 sycamores
that I left.The azealeas that
we left I lost last summer
to the drought.

Blueangel

Blueangel, if you are near Pittsboro, there is a large, all white garden in back of the Fearrington Inn. It's square with a modern art statue fountain in the center and pergolas all around.

I didn't see (?) white hedychium (butterfly ginger) on your list. It's great in a white garden for the fall, it just glows. Fragrant and the hummingbird moths love it! They startled me when they first showed up a few years ago. I think what first attracted them was the moonflower vine, but they love the butterfly gingers too.

I'd like to add the following for consideration:

Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls'
Acorus calamus 'Variegatus'
Passiflora caerulea (stunning, climbing my white arbor) Hosta 'Thunderbolt'
Hydrangea petiolaris 'Skyland's Giant'
Clematis montana 'Alba' -Anemone clematis

I have my clematis in a pot beside the same white arbor shared with the passion flower. The arbor leads into the shaded white garden. The anemone clematis is growing over the arbor and into the over-hanging Juiniperus virginiana (Eastern red cedar) and Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine.) The veil blooming in spring is fantastic.
---Keith