White bloom brightens a shady landscape.

White is my favorite color. Do not argue with me about it. I do not need to hear that it is not truly a color or that it is the absence of color. Technically, it is either or both the complete absence of color or the complete saturation of all color. In that regard, it has either or both the same or opposite definition as black.

A prism demonstrates the colorfulness of white light by separating it into all other colors that it contains. Nothing is lacking.

Other colors can be mixed with a bit of white to become a tint, but retain their identity. They can be mixed with a bit of black to become a shade, but retain their identity. They can be mixed with other colors for various hues. Only white and black lose their identities with the addition of another color. No matter how pale, white becomes a tint of the additional color. No matter how dark, black becomes a shade of the additional color.

Pink is not really a color, but it is somehow more acceptable as such than white is. It is merely a tint of red. In other words, it is red with white.

Furthermore, brown is not really a color, but is somehow more acceptable as such than white is. It is merely a shade of orange. In other words, it is orange with black.

Gray is either or both a tint of black or a shade of white, but only if either or both black or white is considered to be the color that it is. Goodness, this is getting complicated.

Ultimately, such analysis is irrelevant to my predilection for white. Brent says that I am a white supremacist. That is rude. I just know that my favorite color is white.

11 thoughts on “Horridculture – White”

    1. Do you find, however, that some flowers excell at other colors? For example, do you think that bougainvillea naturally looks better with magenta bloom rather than white bloom, or that crape myrtle looks better with bright red bloom rather than white bloom? Although white is my favorite color, I also find that it is not the best color for everything.

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      1. Actually, yes — especially with the azaleas and crape myrtle. On the other hand, I saw a photo of a white lantana this morning that was so striking. Our introduced species are pink/yellow, and the natives are yellow/orange, but that white took the plant to another level.

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  2. All perceived color, as I know you know, is simply which wavelength of pure light is reflected back to our human eyes. Color is mutable, as is so much else. What we see as one color bees, hummimgbirds, lizards and other creatures perceive as something else. The colors are more vibrant to them, beacons and bulls’ eyes to help them find what they need. I would stay totally confused if I saw the world as a grasshopper does. So it really comes down to which wavelengths of light (and sound) harmonize with our own and make us feel better. Bad colors made us feel worse. Colors with wavelengths that are disharmonious with us change our moods for the worse. Maybe some folks can’t stand the purity and high vibrational rate of white, or don’t want so much moonlight and streetlight reflected back to them at night. It may be too intense for their own murky being. White is peaceful and invites us to take a moment to rest, and reflect. Orange and scarlet are far more exciting, to be sure. The only gardens that really ‘bug’ me are ones where there are too many different colors all mixed up together, wavelengths clashing and smashing on the shores of my retinas, without enough restful green or peaceful white between them.

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    1. some of the flowers that I have grown for most of my life bloom with colors that are not compatible. My two primary geraniums (Pelargoniums) are bright pink and bright salmon orange. I do not care. I put them together. I suppose that I can get away with it because there is not so much floral color in my garden anyway. I will likely install a row of lily of the Nile on the driveway, with ‘Wyoming’ canna behind them. I know that pale blue and bright orange should not go together, but it does not bother me. What is funny is that I dislike white that is not quite white, such as the so-called white cannas, which are just very pale yellow. White nasturtium is likewise very slightly yellowish white. If I can not grow them in white, I prefer their ‘natural’ bright yellow and orange color.

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      1. Well, you’ll love the Hedychium because those flowers are true, pure, bright white. I actually like blue with orange- that combination pops and the particularly color of the Canna blooms with the LotN should be gorgeous. I avoid the salmon orange geraniums, though I have grown them. I normally choose a selection of pinks that blend together, and go heaviest on the flower I like best. But I also mix several different leaf forms and make sure to mix in several of the scented Pelargoniums in any collection of geraniums. I want the fragrance, color, and texture of the grouping to be interesting.

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      2. That is why I wanted the white butterfly ginger! I have seen pictures of it with pale yellow centers, so I will be even more pleased with this pure white form. I am hoping that the new variegated ginger is white as Brent says it is, but I am quite aware that Brent is an idiot, and that it is likely that odd peachy color. Fortunately, it will be pretty regardless of its color. I do not select colors for my garden, or even at work. We rarely add anything new at work, and if we do, the other horticulturist selects it. For my home garden, I take what I get. Because I grow what I get forever, there is no need to go out and get anything more. It just shows up, like all these gingers!

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      4. I grow stuff (until this recent part of my career). Brent just composes landscapes with it. He happens to be one of the most renowned landscape designers, and I would say the best, in Beverly Hills (in Los Angeles County, where the Canyon News is), and an idiot.

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