Blue & White Garden Design Ideas

I love plants with blue flowers and I love decorating with blue and white. So creating a garden with that color palette seems like a natural next step. Which is why I started looking for the blue and white garden design ideas I’m sharing today.

It’s starting to warm up around here and that always gets me wondering about what I’m going to do in my garden this year.

For inspiration, I like to do a little looking around online to see what I can find.

And I think I’ve been bitten by the blue and white flower garden color scheme bug. Which if you’ve seen any of the rooms in my house, probably doesn’t surprise you too much since I have blue and white everywhere!

Actually, what’s more surprising is that it has never occurred to me before to do part of my garden in blue and white.

Now all I have to do is figure out where I’m going to be able to create these beautiful blue and white garden design ideas I’ve found.

What started the whole thing was this gorgeous picture from Levens Hall, a privately-owned garden in England that you can tour. (Another garden to add to my bucket list!)

The blue and white delphiniums are stunning. With a few lower growing blue and white perennials mixed in for good measure, the whole border radiates peace and tranquility. Which is part of the reason why this is now one of my favorite flower garden color schemes.

Unfortunately, in my region of South Carolina, Delphiniums don’t do so well (it’s too hot in the summer), but I can still dream!

And learn some ideas from their gorgeous garden design.

Blue and White Flower Ideas

Since I tend to plant quite a few blue flowers in my garden, I already have a list of my favorite blue perennials as well as blue plants for containers that should work pretty well.

However, white isn’t a color that I have focused on very much in my garden, so I’ll have to start looking for my favorite white flowers.

In any case, I can still start thinking about which of these design ideas I’m going to use to create my blue and white flower garden color scheme.

1 | Plant Blue And White Varieties Of The Same Perennial

Using blue and white varieties of the same flower (like the delphiniums above and these forget-me-nots) is probably the easiest way to do a blue and white garden design.

To make it last through the seasons, you would need to pick a few different perennials that bloom at different times.

Fortunately, there are quite a few plants that have both blue and white varieties, so you have some options. (This is by no means a complete list, so feel free to add some more in the comments below.)

• Delphiniums
• Forget me nots
• Salvia
• Hydrangeas
• Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus)
• Hyacinths (Muscari)
• Clematis
• Bellflower (Campanula)
• Speedwell (Veronica)

2 | Repeat Blue And White Flowers Throughout The Border

The next one of the design ideas is to use repetition…a design principle used in decorating as well.

In this garden, different shades of blue and white are repeated throughout the border with different plants and at different heights.

That creates the feeling of movement as the repeating colors draw your eye down the path.

3 | Sprinkle White Flowers In A Sea Of Blue Ones

Since blue tends to recede and white comes forward, planting a few white flowers among a sea of blue ones really creates a dramatic scene.

I love these white tulips growing among the blue Muscari. But you could do the same thing with other perennials as well. I think white foxgloves growing between blue salvia plants would look pretty stunning.

4 | Plant Blue Flowers In Front and White Ones In Back

As I mentioned above, the color blue tends to recede and white tends to pop.

So planting white flowers at the back of a border of blue will quickly draw your eye to that back row and then let it wander forward to enjoy all the blue details in the front.

This makes your garden seem interesting since we usually see the front of the garden first.

5 | Create Layers Of Color

Another blue and white garden design idea is to create layers of the two colors.

In this case, the front of the garden border is lined with white salvias.

Then a row of taller blue hydrangeas is planted behind them to create a second layer which emphasizes the blue and white color theme.

If you really wanted to make a statement, you could create another layer of white in the back by planting even taller shrubs (or vines on a trellis) with white blooms. I think white Rose of Sharon or Clematis vines would look very pretty!

6 | Alternate Containers Of Blue And White Plants

The next one of the design ideas doesn’t even involve putting plants in the ground.

Alternating pots of blue and white flowers give the same effect without the commitment (or effort) of actually planting a garden.

Which could be handy for lining a walkway, deck or patio where you don’t have much space.

Blue and White Garden Decor Ideas

While I was looking for blue and white flower ideas, I also ran across quite a few ways to use blue and white in the garden that don’t require plants.

I think echoing the colors of the plants with some garden decor elements in the same colors gives the whole yard a more cohesive feel.

7 | Use Blue and White Ginger Jars In The Garden

This garden is almost entirely made up of green plants (like boxwood), but still manages to incorporate the blue and white color combination.

Just position some large blue and white ginger jars or planters around your garden, and you can create a pretty stunning effect!

With my love of blue and white ginger jars, you know I’m going to have to get at least a couple of these for my garden. Now I just have to find some!

8 | Set a Blue and White Outdoor Table

I got the idea to use blue and white ginger jars for an outdoor table setting from Martha Stewart (unfortunately her picture isn’t available anymore).

But after I saw it, I just had to create this outdoor tablescape using hers as an inspiration. And I think it’s one of my favorite table settings ever!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have created blue and white outdoor table settings before.

I even used blue and white dishes.

But the blue and white garden stools with the ginger jars take it over the top. Especially since I already owned all of them.

9. Paint Some Blue and White

The next one of my blue and white garden design ideas involves a little blue and white paint.

Painting your chairs blue and the table white is an easy way to incorporate the color theme.

Adding in a few blue containers doesn’t hurt either. And if this were in my garden, I would use a white hydrangea instead of a pink one.

Of course, you could also paint a more permanent structure like a gate or a fence.

And then combine it with plants to create the blue and white flower garden color scheme.

10. Decorate A Blue And White Patio

If you don’t want to commit to colorful furniture, you could do what Kate at Centsational Style did. Use a blue and white outdoor rug with blue and white cushions and a blue umbrella to decorate your patio or deck.

These are all relatively inexpensive ways to create a blue and white color combination. And they can all be easily replaced out if you change your mind.

Now that I think about it, the small deck at the back of my yard is decorated in similar colors.

Which might make this the perfect place to add some more blue and white!

Combine Blue And White Outdoor Decor With Blue And White Flowers

I think my favorite garden design idea of all is to combine both of the above – put blue and white garden decor with blue and white flowers.

Like this Chinoiserie garden stool that I intentionally placed in front of blue hydrangeas when I did my backyard deck makeover.

Or planting blue and white flowers in blue and white containers.

It makes both of them stand out!

You can see the rest of my backyard deck makeover HERE.

Other Gardening Ideas You Might Like

• Low Maintenance Perennials With Blue Flowers
• Perennials With Blue and Purple Flowers for Part Shade
• Small Patio Decorating Ideas

Have comments or questions on our blue and white garden design ideas? Tell us in the section below.