I heard on the news that it is 108 degree heat index in OK...not sure how you stand it !! We are nothing like that here in AL ...supposedly the deep South LOL. Hope the water and YOU hold out and the heat relents soon !! c

Goodness Annie, you have the most gumption. Even with heat and drought you are still buying and planting!! I hope it will be over for you soon (the heat and drought, I mean :)
I do not have a white garden yet, but I think I would like one near the patio when we have a patio. You offer some good selections.
I would like to add some scented lilies, wedding phlox, white ginger lilies and also white 4 O'Clocks as I would be using it mostly as a night garden here.
Some of the phlox you mention I've never heard of.

It sounds lovely!! And lots of fun- plant shopping is super exciting!!
A fantastic white bulb that can easily be tucked in between other plants and does not have ugly foliage once done blooming is Peruvian Daffodil "Harrisiana" ...a glistening white and lovely shape.

Annie, I still might have some white flowering Lunaria (Money Plant) in my seed stash :). The thought of a white garden especially on a moonlit night, the scent of fragrant plants wafting through the air, ahhhhh, pure enchantment. You'll have to post pics of yours.

Annette

Astra pink balloon flowers! They are really more white than pink.

Perhaps some white alstroemeria? Casablanca is tall. Camilla is short. Both have yellow accents, so they would pick up the yellow of your Sunny Knock Out. You'd have to mulch them up to get through the winter, but you're going to have to protect your roses anyway, right?
Then there's gaura lindheimeri whirling butterflies. Thank heavens it really loves the heat. I love the way the flowers seem to dance in the breeze.

Kay

Here is a link that might be useful: Gaura lindheimeri

Add some silvery foliage like artemesia so you get the effect even without blooms.

White hydrangeas would be a great addition too.

Oh, thank you all for the suggestions!
I hadn't thought of white 4 O'clocks. And their fragrance is heavenly in the evenings. Maybe I can find the seed. They do tend to take over here. They love our crappy Oklahoma heat and dry spells. Their roots go down deep and have stems like tree trunks. Still, I love them.

Wedding Phlox??? Oh, I've never seen or heard of them. Those sound wonderful!

I have some White Butterfly Ginger. Got them from my Hawaiian cousins after they moved to the desert (of all things). The second year they bloomed as if by magic, but not since then. What do I need to do to get them to bloom?
It is all I can do to keep them going. Have to water them three or more times a day now. Hope they bloom this year.
Not planted in the White garden, however....hmmmm. Better move her over to the other side of the path.
I have a Guara...still in a pot. We have a Native Guara here that grows to 6 ft tall with pink blooms that fade to white. They did not even come up this year. No sign f them anywhere along the roadways where you would normally see them growing. I had a stand of it in my Oklahoma Wildflower Garden years back. The drought even took out my Natives! Lost everything. We have been in drought or drought-like conditions for more than 15 years - a repeat from the one in 1980.

I have a large pot of Peruvian Lilies. They bloomed in the spring. Their fragrance was diving! The strap-like leaves are still pretty in that pot. Have to take it in for the winter. Freeze-rots if planted in the ground. Same with the large Gardenia. "That'l learn me" for trying to grow tropicals in a colder, temperate zone. But, I had them in Louisiana and love them so.

White Hydrangea...
They only one I am having any success with is the Oakleaf. She has HUGE white blooms every spring and so fragrant. She grows just across a path from the White Garden. The other Hydrangeas wilt every day. Got a few blooms on the old-fashioned one in June (and I mean a few), but the little Everblooming one has never re-bloomed since I bought it two years ago. Like the others, she wilts down every day. Not sure I want to even try another one, although that would be a lovely choice.

Oh, Annette, the Lunaria would be wonderful! I had some seeds from Livingston seed company that someone gave me years back, but they didn't even sprout. The guy who gave the seeds to me said they were old seeds and didn't know if they would grow or not. They didn't. He gave me a large box full of Livingston Seeds. None of them sprouted. (he is our local eccentric Millionaire - scruffy, dirty-looking, and drunk all the time. He drops by occasionally to admire my flowers and offer me a cheap beer. Drives around in a beat up old clunker truck with an ice chest in his front seat, loaded with cheap beer). He is kind-hearted but an odd sort. Funny old fart.

Anyway, a white-flowering Balloon-flower. I have the blue one and it took me about 6 years to find the right location and get the soil right for it to thrive and bloom. Whatever else goes or comes from that spot, my Balloon flower is there to stay.

I saw a white flowering Valerian yesterday. They remind me of Lemurs; their tails straight up in the air. Thought about grabbing one or two of those, but I only have so much $$, because I only have so many chicken eggs each week to sell and that is my flower money. (My new lady vet and her staff located in the county seat, and several people around here and over in a little neighboring town 10 mi. from here buy my Girl's eggs.) I guess that gives them a bit of a right to make a mess in the garden everyday. (:/

I planted some Moonflower seeds and they all came up and look wonderful. Don't have anything in the white garden for them to clamber up onto, but that would be so pretty in the evening with those big white fragrant blooms.

Maybe a some Datura (Jimsonweed). They are pretty drought hardy, smell sweet and glow in the moonlight.

Keep the ideas coming! Loving it.

Thank you all.
Gotta go move the water.
Later....
~Annie

Annie, I have tons of white 4 Oclock seeds. Yes, they can take over but are easy to pull and transplant when small. I try and keep mine together except this year they wanted to be a bit apart...and some of mine have died. I had an amazing multi-colored 4 O'clock near the driveway. This year it is gone. Last year it was sad (from past drought)....probably in way too much sun here. I planted 2 salmon ones I grew from seed this year, and several "hot pink" - I'll probably have them all take over our whole street if I'm not careful.

However, I do have white seeds. I need to get your address.

The gingers: I give them only long, deep waterings once a week and mulch like the dickens. I mean mulchy mulchy mulch mulch: a few inches. Good rich soil...I have a variety of ginger but the white of course is best for you.

I love white gardens. My favorite white flower is a Physostegia/Obedient Plant called 'Miss Manners'. It is called that because it does not 'thug around' and just stays in a nice, neat clump. Very stately and cottage-y looking.
Another white beauty is the white Scabiosa.
-Sprout...(Linda)

Here is a link that might be useful: Miss Manners

GGG,
Sending you an email.
And thank you too for the help with my Ginger. (hugs)
~Annie

Well, heck, GGG! I can't find it. I know I had it. We traded before. It's been quite a few years ago, but...
Well, send me one, please?

Linda (sprout),
That is lovely, and thank you for the LINK.
I had Scabiosa for a few years, but can't get it going now for some reason. Had them along the driveway and loved them. Too hot and dry now though. I think the White Garden area might not be sunny enough and right now with the drought, I don't want to plant them. I might change my mind though. I AM known to do that, you know. Just ask plantmaven. ;)

110 degrees today. Jeez!
We have a 15% chance of rain. :(
Hope we're the lucky ones to be in that 15% area. :)
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I got most of the crap cleaned out of the White Garden awhile ago. It looks so awesome already. There are two heaping wheelbarrow loads with all the overgrown, menacing plant-crap I pulled and dug out of there. It's nice to see the dirt between plants again! I can now see the small white phlox and 'Bambina Nandina' without craning my neck! It was worth the effort just for that alone! The chickens hopped right in there, of course, and are finishing the clean-up for me. Goodbye bugs!

COLORS:
There will be white-whites, cream whites, buttery whites and a few soft yellow & lilac colors for accents. The irises in there are those same colors.
Greens are never an option in my gardens. They are the essential colors of my garden palette.

I will move the two small Gardenias in there, maybe tomorrow - maybe they will do better where there is a little deeper soil and a little more shade under that pine. They are a new variety of dwarf gardenia that are hardy enough for our winters. They bloomed last year. Yummy fragrance and so pretty, but so tiny. Definitely will need to be in the front. And anyway, I have to be able to sniff, sniff the blooms when I walk by them.
My back is killing me! My hands feel as rough as sandpaper - like a working man's hands - hard, dry, calloused, scratchy, and sore, and you ought to see my feet! Gads!

I can just see it now - "Come here, Babie, let's cuddle, and let me rub your back."...and then watch my DH fleeing in absolute horror. Them's the breaks!
Calgon....take me away!

So, a-n-y-w-a-y...it's a start. I made a good dent in the project.

~Later...

I was looking in the little booklet that came with my two little Gardenias - 'Crown Jewel', which I bought last year at my favorite Farm Center in the County Seat. Inside, it lists and shows three companion plants perfect for Crown Jewel. These would all be perfect in my White Garden.
They are:
* Twist of Lime Variegated Abelia
* Golden Dream Boxwood
* Bunny Blue Sedge Grass

I've always loved Abelia, but this one is especially pretty.
The Mennonite nursery that I frequent has the most diverse plant selection I have seen in the entire state and I know they have Abelia. I am going to see if they have these. In late summer every year they sell off plants so they don't have to winter them over. They started doing that in June this year. Sales are way down because of the drought. I'll be heading over there early tomorrow morning.
I saw one Golden Boxwood somewhere the other day....where was that? Hmmmm. Oh! It was at WalMart and on sale 50% off! Alrighty then!
I have twelve dozen eggs to deliver and that will pay for it all! Yippee!

Thanks everybody!
~Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: Twist of Lime Variegated Abelia

Here's a LINK to view photos and read about Gardenia augusta, 'Crown Jewel', developed in North Carolina:

Here is a link that might be useful: Crown Jewel Gardenia

Annie - you are tough to be out planting!

I went to the new White Garden at Duke Gardens. I don't have any photos uploaded because I was using my Blackberry phone -- was a quick stop and not planned ahead. It was lovely, but my photos not so much!

They had a white clethra that was so fragrant and the honey bees and other pollinators looked to be in nectar heaven!

One of my favorite and easy white, fragrant seed-sown annuals is sweet alyssum. Love, love, love it! It can handle heat better than I thought.

Can you grow the white joe pye 'Bartered Bride'? I just planted one of those. Also, I have the chocolate eupatorium that blooms white. For these, the roots will have to be kept shaded and moist. White milkweed, asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet' is a good companion. Also, persicaria polymorpha.

However... since you mentioned lemurs... enjoy my ring-tailed friend in the link!

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: one of my lemur friends on my walk

I forgot! I recently planted eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master)! I love this plant with the white globes. Here's a link to my picture. I usually post photos from Picasa and haven't tried this twitpic thing much.

Here is a link that might be useful: rattlesnake master w/white bloom

Cameron,
I've tried to grow Joe Pye weed several times with no luck. I can grow the other varieties of that species, but not JPW for some reason.

I LOVE white Sweet Allysum! Bought seeds this year, but didn't get them sowed. My hens love it too. (uh hum!)

I also got two packages of the Giant White Zinnia seeds (and the Purple Majesty), but ditto. Didn't sow them. Both the zinnias and S. Allysum would look great in there. I may try to get some white zinnias going. The chickens ate my allysum last year, the little stinkers! Not sure I could grow it there for that reason alone.

One reason why I have such a terrible problem with my garden, even in good years, is my worthless soil and the underlying layers of sandstone. No matter what I add to it, it leaches out fast. I can run the water forever and it never puddles. It just goes down and disappears. What little moisture there is left evaporates very rapidly.
Believe me, I add leaves, composted wood chips, potting soil, potting soil with moisture retention beads, topsoil, straw, composted manures, kitchen compost, peat, and you name it to build the soil up on top of that worthless dust, but it doesn't seem to help much at all. And then when we have high summer temps and a drought too, it just is hopeless.

But it's what I have, so I keep struggling with it. It just makes for way too much work.

~Annie

With all that good drainage, have you tried white lavender and armeria?

The white foliage of dusty miller does great here in bright shade with almost no watering. Looks good with pink, purple, orange and yellow blooms...but you're growing white blooms. I have it beside lambs ears (stachys big ears helen von stein), blue sedum, purple heart and lavender -- beneath a crape myrtle tree.

Whatever you do, be careful Annie. That heat is no plaything. I hope you have some type of electrolyte replacement drink (Gatorade etc...). they really help when you are working in such heat and drench your clothes from perspiration. You need to replace more than just the water.

Your white garden sounds beautiful! But then your gardens always are beautiful. I love reading all abou tit.
kay

wonbyherwits,

Glad you mentioned Dusty Miller. That would be a great plant. A few weeks ago, I was so lucky to find and so bought some seeds for the lacier variety, 'Silverdust'. No one sells that variety here. That was the kind Mother grew in California. Love it!

Haven't got around to sowing them. I have been waiting on the $$ to get the potting soil. I have 8 dozen eggs to sell now. So, I can buy a big bag of soil and finally get all my seeds sown, including the white Zinnias. I think everything will do better in this drought and heat to start them in pots first and then set out when ready. Maybe too, by then, the weather will improve. (well, a girl can dream...)

I want some evergreen shrubs and smallish conifers or junipers of some kind in or around the white garden. I have a very tall Holy tree in there just to the side of the white statue. It needs trimming and fed something to help it bush out and thicken the foliage. the Black Japanese Pine provides high-shade over part of the garden. I want foundation of green plants & winter interest.

A green backdrop makes a garden so much prettier. It punctuates your flowers and plantings. Those of you who live in forested areas with pines and firs and such, have it for your gardens naturally. So envious. (I wish we could move to NC)

The big variegated Maiden Grass at the back really gives it a nice effect. Has that soft yellow with soft green colors. So maybe another shorter grass or two here and there of three different heights. I need to look for images of gardens for ideas on where to place them for that elegant look.

Kay, don't you worry sweet cheeks. I don't want to die, so am taking every precaution. The thing about being out in the heat ALL the time, is that you get acclimated to it and it doesn't bother you like it does if you seldom if ever go out, other than to pop into your air conditioned car, and then when summer's heat hits, try to play or work out in it. Those are the people I would guess who are vulnerable. Old folks are too, as they cannot tell when they get too hot for some reason.

When my maternal grandmother was a young woman and there was no AC, no sunscreen, no Gatorade ;), and all our other modern things we think we cannot live without, they wore long sleeved blouses and long skirts to protect themselves from the sun. Under that, they had on an under skirt w/ camisole top (called a 'day dress'), (and a corset when they went to town), long stockings, bloomers, 1 or more petticoats, and an apron or pinafore, and worked in all those clothes in the hot sun with uncomfortable, laced-up shoes. (I have my paternal Great-grandmother's Sunday shoes - they are torturous things!!). Jeez! Of course, in summer, they wore lightweight white clothing, and around home, they took off a bunch of those layers, often just wearing their day dresses, bloomers and an apron while working. No AC to cool off with back then, and yet they lived without it just fine. Ice was worth it's weight in gold!
Our fore-bearers were TOUGH! I'm telling you!

Anyway, Thank you for caring, Hun.
~Annie