Any chance of a picture?

You could start with adding some white amaryllis.

Where exactly in zone 8? It makes a difference, as does not wanting to irrigate. That could limit things a lot.

I am a bit surprised you want suggestions for a garden that you seem to not want to take care of. Routine maintenance of a garden is a fact of life - either you do it, hire it out or leave it to become an overgrown, weedy mess.

Thanks everyone.

Hi gardengal, I live in the woods. Everything grows great. Weeding and pruning are easy. There is a enough rain here to keep things from drying out.

The house needs a lot of attention right now which is why I cannot commit a lot of time to gardening. I am not going for a pristine landscape - just a landscape appropriate to the woods. It’s dark and green and lush, so I need a bit of white to keep it from getting depressing.

I suppose I could try to find some white cobblestones. I have not seen a lot of rock around here. Flowers would be better, but some scattered light colored stones 4-6” might be an option for year-round.

If you live in the woods, pay attention to the wild, later blooming fall asters around you. Some of them will be white. Plant some of them in the garden.

green & white caladiums, lamium White Nancy

I live in the woods too, (but zone 4, so maybe I'm not much help) and I love the way white pops in the dusk, good luck!

Looking around today,, I love white astilbe, they stay very tidy and don't flop, so that could work in front of house.... shady moist environment sounds right for them.

How about rhododendrons? Seems like there are so many choices, I bet you'll get more suggestions soon.

Thank you!

We get some western sun, but not so much from the east. The front of the house runs east to west and faces north. There is about 30-40’ of cleared area on the west side of the house, but the trees start maybe 15’ in front of the porch, so only the light from the west (not the north) will hit the target area, and I’m not sure if it lasts 6 hours.

Right now at 3:45 pm (in August) the sun just came out and is illuminating the target area and about 4’ of the west side of the covered porch. But the boxwoods are 3/4 covered by shade from the house since the sun is in the south. The area where I want to plant flowers is in the sun right now.

I guess the area would start to see sun after noon, and it might last till 6pm in the summer, but I don’t know. I don’t think we should assume 6 hours. Filtered light maybe.

I don’t know if this helps. Sorry to make it so complicated. I don’t know how many hours of sun the target area gets.

Instead of white flowers (which I love), how about white variegated shrubs? There are many varieties of pieris and euonymous, many with striking variegated leaves. They are both hearty and handle a sun/shade situation. Sarcocca has tiny white flowers and thrives in the shade in my yard. Vines are another option. Or stick with old reliables like white flowering rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas, assuming you have the conditions they need. All of these plants, if appropriate for your area, are relatively low-maintenance -- but not no-maintenance. Visit a local nursery and see what they offer. Good luck with your landscaping project.