White

Sedum album is one of the most popular forms of sedum, known for its dense foliage as it changes colour throughout the seasons. The leaves emerge a coral-salmon in spring, change to bright green in summer and then to reddish bronze with the arrival of cooler temperatures. In summer the plants explode in masses of tiny, white star-shaped flowers.

Named after the Russian Emperor Nicholas I, Strelitzia nicolai, the 'White Bird of Paradise' is native to South Africa. It is a very dramatic, impressive specimen plant. The foliage is large and sword like, rather like a banana tree and the trunk resembles a palm. The flower is white with a light blue 'tongue' and sits in a purplish bract.

As they say, white goes with everything and among theme gardens, the white garden may be the most popular. The White Garden Flower Mix gives a selection of spectacular, bright white annual flowers. Calm, soft and serene this beautiful mix will carry borders into early winter with panache.

Valeriana officinalis is a graceful wildflower that is native to Europe and Western Asia. The tall, branched flower stalks are held atop a low mound of foliage, the densely clustered flowers are sweetly scented and usually white with a hint of pink.

Verbascum are a wonderful plant for making a garden feel uncontrived, producing masses of flowers without taking up lots of space on the ground. ‘White Blush’ is one of the most popular varieties. Growing to just 100cm, the dark crimson buds open to reveal large white flowers with deep purple stamens.

The poise of the lovely Verbascum phoeniceum 'Flush of White' makes this plant a natural candidate for the front of the border, even though its height might suggest, that it should go at the back. In summer winds, which snap off delphiniums and toss sunflowers awry, the Verbascum stands defiant.

Verbena hastata 'White Spires' is one of the choicest species available. It produces masses of pure white flowers on architectural flower heads. Its sheer volume of flowers make it a real winner. It is understandably increasing in popularity as it becomes more readily available.

Years of breeding have brought striking new colours, shapes, sizes, and to the humble zinnia. Zinnia elegans 'Polar Bear' feature large 10 to 12cm white blooms. Once popularly called 'youth and old age' because old blooms stay fresh as new blooms open, they grow to 75cm tall with thick straight stems.

Zinnia 'Lilliput' is a superb early-flowering, medium height series which bloom in profusion all summer long. 'Lilliput White' produce perfectly formed white pompoms which grow 5cm wide. The plants reach around 45 to 50cm tall. Extremely easy to grow from seed, they are the perfect flower for beginners.