a few questions, new flower bed and mini greenhouses

[pud1]

i am currently doing some ground work for a flower bed. i am only at the digging stage.

i am thinking about what to plant and the general cost. the size is about 4 meters by 1 meter. i thought that to keep costs down will try to grow some from seed. i am thinking of getting a small greenhouse. i can put it down the side of the house. i have looked at the ones with the plastic covers. is it false economy to buy one of these?
the bed is against a fence and i would like to have some climbing plants. i also would prefer to have mainly white flowers. can anyone recommend some nice plants.

as you can probably tell i am a total novice and to be honest i think i have bitten off more than i can chew with this one

I've said it on other threads, but I'll repeat ( sorry ). Have a look in garden centres and nurseries they are beginning to sell of plants cheaply, as they don't want to overwinter them.
Get your structure plants in first, a white climbing rose perhaps and a Philadelphis. It is easy to fill gaps with annuals next year. White carnations, pinks and pale Penstemons look lovely.

Plastic greenhouses do have a limited life and are not very robust against the weather.

thanks
i have a small local nursery i will have a look.

I don't know if you are near London, but the Savill Garden in Windsor Park has some amazing bedding schemes. The White garden there was spectacular. Other white Gardens are at Sissinghurst.

The most important thing about the plastic greenhouse is to secure it to the wall or fence.

Have a look on the RHS Tatton show as there is a beautiful white garden on there. Seeds will grow quite well in those greenhouses but they are easily blown around in winter. I had one in a shelter corner and put a large concrete slab on the bottom. It lasted a few years.

For seeds and cuttings, invest in vermiculite, it upped my success rate loads.

Does anyone use those heated propagators? I unearthed onebin the garage, I thought I could use it to start things like antirrhinum then move them to the porch.

For white annuals you can do from seed, check these nicotiana. I got these at a plant stall, didn't realise they would get so huge!

Plastic greenhouses are a false economy and end up in landfill to boot.
They just don't allow enough light in so plants end up struggling.

Thanks for all the help. I might rethink the greenhouse. I have been looking at online garden centres. Up to now I am quite sure I would like hydrangea annabelle, white sweet peas that come every year and lilly of the valley. I really thought everyone would tell me all white would be over the top and that a garden needs colour.

I would hate an all white garden, but plenty of people love them.

Just don't move next door to me with my vulgar brash multi-coloured splurges!

Lillies of all kinds are very bad for cats, by the way, one of mine died horribly after getting pollen on him from somewhere.

People come from all over the world to see the Sissinghurst white garden:

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sissinghurst-castle-garden

White flowers really come alive on summer evenings, they seem to glow in the dusk. I'm going to plant some at the end of my new garden, for next year. At the house end, courtyard, there will be loads of zingy colours!

Get a jasmine. Really easy to grow against a fence, and a beautiful scent in the evenings.
Also look for white clematis.
You could have snowdrops, white crocus, white daffodils and white tulips in succession in Spring.
Buy white cyclamen for Autumn/Winter flowering.
Think about foliage (leafy plants) too. Deep green works well with white.