Easy classics

Plenty of favorite flowers that thrive in Ohio are available in white or the palest of pastels.

Clematis, a vine; Oriental poppy, which goes dormant after blooming; and allium, more common in purple, all bloom in spring and return reliably year after year.

For white summer flowers, consider perennials such as garden phlox, coneflower and day lily.

As for sun-loving, summer-blooming annuals, the list goes on and on. Angelonia, petunia and vinca are just a few of the possibilities. Clematis: a climbing vine that smothers itself with blooms

These annuals and others, by the way, are perfect for filling holes when spring bloomers start to decline or go dormant.

Shade lovers

Under a tree, against the north side of a house or in any shady corner, white flowers sparkle.

To start the show in springtime, try shade- tolerant bulbs such as crocus, daffodil and tulip — available in exquisite shades of Oriental poppy: a spring beauty with silky petals in pure white or intense colors

ivory, pure white and the palest tints.

Later- blooming perennials that tolerate shade include graceful Japanese anemone, moisture-loving astilbe and pollinator-attracting monarda (aka bee balm).

And don’t overlook affordable and low-maintenance annuals — such as impatiens, fuchsia and begonia — which offer season-long blooms in a range of sizes and forms.

For an instant focal point

in a dreary nook, plop a couple of these into a pot or an urn.

Voila — instant shimmer!

Evening stars

If you have the space ( and the self- discipline) to create an all-white moon garden, as they’re sometimes called, dusk can become your favorite part of the day.

As the sky darkens and colored flowers recede into the gloaming, white flowers seem to glow from within.

To gild the Casa Blanca lily — a perennial bulb whose spicy-sweet aroma lingers in the still, humid air of a summer evening — choose plants to delight the nose as well as the eye.

Fragrant choices include roses; flowering tobacco, an annual; and white-flowered lavender, a perennial.

Wait, there’s more

If you have room, make a big statement with a whiteflowering shrub, such as hydrangea, or even a tree, such as magnolia.

Flowers, for all their charisma, aren’t the only source of white. Plants with silvery leaves, such as artemisia, or variegated foliage, such as many hostas, offer longlasting gleam.

Diana Lockwood, a freelance writer covering gardening topics, posts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ mrsgardenperson.