20 WHITE FLOWERS FOR YOUR GARDEN
One of the most versatile colors, white has many uses in the landscapeWhite is the lightest color in the color spectrum, and is neutral with no hue. This classic color, which is the opposite of black, signifies purity, elegance, and elicits a sense of tranquility. Plants with white flowers or foliage are commonly used in formal or English-style gardens, including the famed white garden at Sissinghurst Castle. There are many different shades of white, from warmer hues of cream or ivory, to cool silvery or bluish tones.
The color white is versatile in garden design, serving many functions in the landscape. It pairs well with every other color, complementing or enhancing other colors around it.
- Cool or pastel hues such as blue, pink, and lavender are complemented by white.
- Hot colors such as orange, yellow, and red can be tamed with punctuations of white.
- White is effective in breaking up harsh, clashing colors.
White-flowering plants can be used throughout the growing season to unify the landscape, brighten darker areas, or cool down sizzling summer borders. Here are some of the best plants with white flowers to grow.
ANGELONIA (Angelonia spp.)
Zones: 9-11, most often grown as an annual
Exposure: Full sun
Habit: Upright or spreading habit
Height/Spread: 1 to 3 feet tall, 1 to 2 feet wide
Bloom time: Late spring through fall
Also known as summer snapdragon, this heat-lover produces spikes of tubular flowers that are attractive to pollinators. Angelonia comes in an array of colors, including the pure white blooms of Angelface® White and Angelface® Cascade Snow. Use this versatile tender perennial in containers, mass plantings, or borders. Find more on how to grow angelonia.
Pictured: Angelface® White angelonia from Proven Winners.
BEGONIA (Begonia spp.)
Zones: Most begonias are hardy in Zone 8-11 and are grown as annuals. Hardy begonias survive to Zone 6.
Exposure: Partial sun to shade
Habit: Mounding, bushy, or upright habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 36 inches tall, 6 to 12 inches wide
Bloom time: Early summer to frost
Begonia is a popular bedding plant, providing months of continuous color from summer into fall. Single or double flowers occur in a wide range of colors, including white varieties such as Double Up™ White and Surefire® White. Use this shade-loving plant in pots, hanging baskets, and to brighten up darker areas of the yard. Read more about how to grow begonia plants.
Pictured: Surefire® White from Proven Winners.
BIDENS (Bidens spp.)
Zones: 8-11, most often grown as an annual
Exposure: Full sun
Habit: Mounding, spreading habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 12 inches tall, 12 to 36 inches wide
Bloom time: Late spring to fall
This perennial is valued for the small daisy-like flowers that offer months of continuous color. The fine foliage and airy texture provides an attractive backdrop to other plants. Adorn a deck or patio with a white variety such as Campfire® Marshmallow™ or ‘White Delight’ for understated elegance in containers, hanging baskets, and mass plantings.
Pictured: Campfire® Marshmallow™ bidens from Proven Winners.
CALIBRACHOA (Calibrachoa spp.)
Zones: 9-11; most often grown as an annual
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Low mounding habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 12 inches feet tall, 12 to 24 inches wide
Bloom time: Planting until frost
The petunia-like flowers of Calibrachoa come in nearly every color imaginable. This heat- and sun-loving annual is extremely versatile as a bedding plant, in mass plantings, hanging baskets, or containers. White varieties such as Superbells® White, Superbells® Double White, or Superbells® Over Easy™ add sophisticated elegance to any landscape. Learn more about how to grow calibrachoa.
Pictured: Superbells® Double White double calibrachoa from Proven Winners.
CALLA LILY (Zantedeschia spp.)
Zones: 8-10
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Upright habit
Height/Spread: 2 to 3 feet tall, 1 to 2 feet wide
Bloom time: Early to late summer
This bulbous perennial, which is not a true lily, produces long-lasting funnel-shaped flowers on tall, elegant stems. Pure white forms were popularized as an Easter holiday favorite, a symbol of purity and rebirth. Calla lily can be grown in containers, beds, as a potted houseplant, or cut flowers. Read more about growing calla lilies.
CANDYTUFT (Iberis sempervirens)
Zones: 3-9
Exposure: Full sun
Habit: Mounding, spreading habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 12 inches tall, 12 to 24 inches wide
Bloom time: Mid to late spring
Candytuft is a hardy evergreen or semi-evergreen perennial with a ground-cover habit. Plants produce small dark green leaves and clusters of bright white flowers that occur for weeks in spring. This tough plant is virtually carefree, tolerating poor soil and drought. Candytuft is used in rock gardens, mass plantings, or to cascade over rock walls.
COSMOS (Cosmos spp.)
Zones: Annual in all zones (Chocolate cosmos is hardy in zones 7-11)
Exposure: Full sun
Habit: Upright or mounding habit
Height/Spread: 1 to 5 feet tall, 1 to 3 feet wide
Bloom time: Summer until frost
Cosmos is a warm-season annual with ferny foliage and single- or double-petaled flowers in an array of colors. This cottage garden favorite can be used in natural borders, mass plantings, or in cut flower arrangements. White flowered varieties include ‘Sonata White’, ‘Cupcakes White’, and ‘Purity’. Read more on how to grow cosmos flowers.
DAFFODIL (Narcissus)
Zones: 3-9
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Upright habit
Height/Spread: 4 to 24 inches tall, 2 to 3 inches wide, with clumps reaching up to 18 inches across
Bloom time: Late winter to spring
A springtime favorite, daffodils brighten up the early season landscape with single or double trumpet-shaped flowers. This long lasting perennial bulb is versatile when naturalized in beds, borders, or containers. Grow white flowered varieties such as ‘White Inspiration’, ‘Mount Hood’, or poet’s daffodil. Read more about growing daffodils.
EUPHORBIA (Euphorbia hybrid)
Zones: 10-11, grown as an annual
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Mounding habit
Height/Spread: 12 to 36 inches tall and wide
Bloom time: Planting to frost
Euphorbia is a tender perennial, often grown as an annual, with unusual flowers and foliage. Hybrid tender perennial varieties have been developed in recent years, including Diamond Frost® and Diamond Snow®. These compact plants produce delicate clouds of small white flowers that bloom continuously throughout summer and fall. Use as a filler element in containers, in mass plantings, or as a bedding plant.
Pictured: Diamond Frost® euphorbia from Proven Winners.
GARDENIA (Gardenia spp.)
Zones: Most are hardy in zones 8-11, with a few hardy to zone 7
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Upright, spreading, or bushy habit
Height/Spread: 3 to 8 feet tall and wide; dwarf varieties 6 to 24 inches tall and wide
Bloom time: Late spring, with sporadic rebloom into fall
Popularized in the deep South, gardenia is a flowering shrub with intensely fragrant creamy white flowers that perfume the garden in summer. Varieties include Steady as She Goes®, Pillow Talk®, and ‘Frostproof’, which is known for its cold tolerance. Use in foundation plantings, mixed borders, or containers. Place near an entryway or patio where the heavy fragrance can be enjoyed up close. Read more about growing gardenias.
Pictured: Pillow Talk® gardenia from Proven Winners.
HYDRANGEA (Hydrangea spp.)
Zones: 3-9
Exposure: Full sun to shade
Habit: Upright, bushy, or arching habit
Height/Spread: 3 to 15 feet tall, 3 to 12 feet wide
Bloom time: Summer to fall
Hydrangea is revered for the elegant flower panicles that provide long lasting late season color in the landscape. There are many white-flowering varieties, including Incrediball® smooth hydrangea, Bobo® panicle hydrangea, and Gatsby Star® oakleaf hydrangea. Use this versatile shrub in foundation plantings, as hedging, or a stand-alone focal point. Dwarf types are suitable for small spaces and containers. Read more about growing hydrangeas, and see 10 of our favorite white-flowering hydrangeas..
Pictured: Incrediball® smooth hydrangea from Proven Winners.
JASMINE (Jasminum spp.)
Zones: 7-10
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Vining or shrubby habit
Height/Spread: 3 to 20 feet tall, 3 to 15 feet wide
Bloom time: Late winter to frost, depending on variety
Jasmine is a woody perennial with a vining or shrubby habit, revered for its intensely fragrant flowers. Grow a vining type such as royal jasmine (Jasminum grandiflorum) up a trellis, arbor or fence. Common jasmine (J. officinale), with pink buds that open to snowy white flowers, can be trained on a vertical support or pruned into a shrub form. Grow jasmine in a moon garden to enjoy the stronger night time fragrance.
LILY OF THE VALLEY (Convallaria majalis spp.)
Zones: 2-8
Exposure: Partial to full shade
Habit: Low spreading habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 12 inches tall, 9 to 18 inches wide
Bloom time: Spring
An old-fashioned favorite, lily-of-the-valley is grown for the charming bell-shaped white flowers that sweetly perfume the spring garden. This rhizomatous herbaceous perennial ground cover is useful underneath deciduous trees and shrubs where little else will grow, but can spread aggressively. Naturalize in woodland borders and shade gardens. Learn more about growing lily of the valley.
LOBELIA (Lobelia erinus)
Zones: 10-11; most often grown as an annual
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Low mounding habit
Height/Spread: 4 to 12 inches tall, 6 to 24 inches wide
Bloom time: Late spring to fall
Lobelia is a tender perennial, most often grown as an annual, with a tall upright or low mounding habit, and flowers in an array of colors. Lobelia produces clusters of tiny scalloped shaped flowers from late spring until frost. Varieties such as Laguna® Cloud White™, ‘Riviera White’ and ‘Regatta White’ produce snowy white blossoms and dark green foliage. Grow in containers, beds, or mass plantings. Learn more about growing lobelia.
Pictured: Laguna® Cloud White™ lobelia from Proven Winners.
PETUNIA (Petunia spp.)
Zones: 10-11; most often grown as an annual
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Mounding, spreading, or trailing habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 24 inches tall, 13 to 36 inches wide, up to 36 inches long
Bloom time: Summer into fall
One of the most popular summer bedding plants, petunias produce trumpet-shaped flowers that come in a wide range of colors. When given regular water and fertilizer, petunias will bloom throughout summer into early fall. White varieties include Supertunia® Vista Snowdrift™, Supertunia® Latte™, and Blanket® Double White. Add long-lasting color to beds, containers, hanging baskets, and window boxes. Learn more about growing petunias.
Pictured: Supertunia Vista® Snowdrift™ petunia from Proven Winners.
PRIMROSE (Primula spp.)
Zones: 2-8
Exposure: Partial to full shade
Habit: Upright, mounding or spreading habit
Height/Spread: 3 to 48 inches tall, 4 to 36 inches wide
Bloom time: Late winter to summer, depending on the variety
Primula blooms in early spring, a welcome sight after a long, dark winter. This cool-season perennial has a low clump-forming habit, with clusters of blooms above crinkled oval foliage. Brighten up containers, beds and woodland shade borders with white-flowering varieties such as ‘Supernova White’ hybrid primrose, ‘Postford White’ Japanese primrose, or white fairy primrose. Learn more about how to grow primrose flowers.
ROSE (Rosa spp.)
Zones: 2-11
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Upright, bushy spreading, arching or climbing habit
Height/Spread: 6 inches to 30 feet tall, 1 to 15 feet wide
Bloom time: Late spring to fall
One of the most beloved landscape plants, rose is a staple of formal, English, and cottage-style gardens, with a range of flower colors, plant types and forms. Add classic elegance to beds, mixed borders, and mass plantings with white-flowering varieties such as ‘Iceberg’, ‘White Eden’ and ‘Sally Holmes’. Learn more about how to grow roses.
SHASTA DAISY (Leucanthemum x superbum)
Zones: 5-9
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Upright spreading or mounding habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 48 inches tall, 12 to 36 inches wide
Bloom time: Early summer to fall
A quintessential cottage border plant, Shasta daisy has pure white petals that surround a sunny yellow center. Newer cultivars, including Amazing Daisies® Daisy May® and Amazing Daisies® ‘Marshmallow’ come in double, quilled, fringed or dwarf forms. Add this long-lived perennial to a mixed border, meadow landscape, or pollinator garden. Learn more about growing Shasta daisies.
Pictured: Amazing Daisies® Daisy May® Shasta daisy from Proven Winners.
SWEET ALYSSUM (Lobularia spp.)
Zones: Mainly grown as annual; short-lived perennial in zones 9-11
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Habit: Mounding, spreading or trailing habit
Height/Spread: 4 to 10 inches tall, 10 to 48 inches wide, trailing up to 36 inches long
Bloom time: Spring until frost
Lobularia produces dainty clusters of honey-scented flowers throughout most of the growing season, supporting a range of pollinating insects. With a mounding, spreading or trailing habit, sweet alyssum is versatile as a ground cover, in hanging baskets, or massed in beds. White-flowering varieties include White Knight®, Snow Princess® and Clear Crystal White. Learn more about growing sweet alyssum.
Pictured: Snow Princess® Sweet Alyssum from Proven Winners.
VERBENA (Verbena spp.)
Zones: 7-11; often grown as an annual
Exposure: Full sun to very light shade
Habit: Mounding, trailing, or upright habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 48 inches tall, 8 to 30 inches wide
Bloom time: Late spring through fall
Verbena is a tender perennial with clusters of small, flat flowers in various colors. Plants are easy care, heat and drought tolerant, making verbena a good choice for low maintenance beds, rock gardens and containers. White varieties include Superbena® Whiteout™, Lanai® White, and ‘Estrella White’. Learn more about growing verbena.
Pictured: Superbena® Whiteout™ verbena from Proven Winners.
DESIGN TIPS FOR USING WHITE IN THE GARDEN
Here are some of the best ways to incorporate the color white in beds, borders, and containers:
- Include plants with white foliage to brighten up deeply shaded areas. These can include caladiums such as Heart to Heart® ‘White Star’ or Heart to Heart® ‘White Wonder’, with foliage that is almost completely white.
- Pair white with green, which is also considered a neutral color in landscape design. This combination exudes quiet elegance, and is commonly used in classic English style landscaping.
- Place white-flowering plants around darker-foliaged plants such as smoke tree, ninebark or ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maple to instill a sense of balance.
- White flowers such as ‘White Swan’ echinacea, ‘Sonata White’ cosmos, and Shasta daisy can be used for contrast in a cottage-style garden.
- Include hardscaping elements such as white stone, containers, trellises, arbors, and furniture to unify the landscape.
- Pair creamy white with warm-hued plants such as lady’s mantle or Japanese forest grass. Cool whites go well with silvery, grey, or blue-hued plants.
- Include white-flowering plants throughout the growing season. Snowdrops, white daffodils, and magnolias provide early-season color. Plant white petunias, Shasta daisy, and gardenia for summer color. White-flowering verbena, hydrangea, and sedum wrap up the growing season in fall.
- When designing a white-themed garden, use a mix of plants with white flowers and variegated white foliage. Choose varieties with different structures, heights, flower shapes and sizes to create contrast and visual interest. Include plants with white bark, fruit, or seed heads.
- Add white-flowering petunias, angelonia, and begonias to a container garden to unify surrounding colors.
- Create a moon garden with plants that have white flowers and white, silver, grey, or variegated foliage. These plants will reflect light at night for an ethereal effect.
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