Just because a particular white-flowering plant has been popular over the years does not mean that it remains a good choice if you are shopping for good plants for today’s landscape. There are some once-popular plants that now have earned reputations for invasiveness or poor performance, and you may want to steer away from them as you make your landscape choices. Here are 18 white-flowering plants that are popular in landscapes—plants that you may see in many locations. Some remain very good choices, while others can no longer be recommended with the same enthusiasm they once enjoyed. Mountain laurel works well in shrub borders or to anchor large perennial border gardens. It is often massed in woodland gardens and can also be used in shady foundation plantings. Mountain laurel remains a good choice for a white-flowering shrub.
USDA Growing Zones: 4–9Sun Exposure: Part shadeColor Variations: White, pink, roseSoil Needs: Cool, moist, rich, acidic
Whatever you call them, daffodils are spring-blooming bulbs that are among the first flowers to appear in spring. They are perennial in colder climates, since they need a notable chilling period in order to bloom. In warmer climates, artificially chilled bulbs are sometimes planted as annual plants. White daffodil is a classic standard that remains an excellent choice if you want a white-flowering bulb for the early spring.
USDA Growing Zones: 3–8Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeColor Variations: Yellow, whiteSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
Because star magnolia trees are among the earliest flowers to greet us each spring, a special place in our hearts is reserved for them: They come to the rescue after the long winter, when our psyches most desperately crave floral color. It holds true for all of the earliest bloomers: Whatever other fine qualities they may possess, plants such as star magnolia trees win us over most of all with their timeliness.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4–8Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeColor Variations: WhiteSoil Needs: Moist, rich, well-drained
The tree is fairly easy to recognize thanks to its profuse early spring blooms, the dark green leaves with wavy margins, and good fall color. The pear fruits have the classic shape but are quite small. You can count yourself as lucky if you already have one of these profuse-flowering trees that is in good condition, but it’s probably a poor choice if you are looking for a spring-blooming tree for your landscape.
USDA Growing Zones: 5–9Sun Exposure: Full sunColor Variations: WhiteSoil Needs: Consistently moist, humusy, well-drained
Sweet autumn clematis is great for blanketing structures you want to hide or for covering large unattractive shrubs. Planted in open spaces, it can serve as a sprawling ground cover. But be aware that this plant readily self-seeds and can naturalize in surrounding landscapes; it is considered invasive over scattered areas of the Southeast U.S. There may be better choices for a white-flowering vine, including other varieties of clematis or star jasmine.
USDA Growing Zones: 4–9Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeColor Variations: Creamy whiteSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained, slightly acidic
Star jasmine is a relatively small vine, growing to only about 6 feet, with glossy green leaves on brown stems. The plant flowers with star-shaped creamy white flowers in late spring and early summer. It is very often grown as a container plant on decks and patios, and in colder climates it can be brought indoors to overwinter.
USDA Growing Zones: 8–10Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeColor Variations: Creamy whiteSoil Needs: Moist, well-drained; standard potting mix when grown in containers
This remains a good choice if you’re looking for a smallish white-flowering shrub that is easy to maintain.
USDA Growing Zones: 4–7Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeColor Variations: WhiteSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained, slightly acidic
In regions with very hot mid-summer months, sweet alyssum is sometimes removed after the summer begins to heat up, then replanted as the weather begins to cool in early fall. Or, the plants can be heavily sheared back when the weather warms and allowed to come back strong when cooler conditions return. If you’re the type of gardener who bothers only with the new and flashy (or who grows nothing but perennials), then white alyssum may not be for you. But if you strive to make your yard look like a million bucks during the summer, there’s a place in your landscaping for annuals such as alyssum.
USDA Growing Zones: Hardy in zones 5–9, but usually grown as an annual in all zonesSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeColor Variations: White, purple, pale pinkSoil Needs: Medium moisture, rich, well-drained
Like white flowers, leaves of a silver color are also great choices for moon gardens, because they show up at night relatively well. Happily, snow in summer has both those attributes going for it. Snow-in-summer makes a good ground cover for sunny areas, but the plants are short-lived and within a few years, bare patches begin to appear, requiring that you dig up the plants, divide them, and replant.
USDA Growing Zones: 3–7Sun Exposure: Full sunColor Variations: White; pink cultivars also availableSoil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, well-drained; good tolerance for sandy soil
USDA Growing Zones: 4–8Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeColor Variations: WhiteSoil Needs: Moist, well-drained
White to light pink in color, the tubular flowers of daphne shrubs unfurl in clusters, usually in May. ‘Briggs Moonlight’ has flowers that are pure white, but the flower buds, which are pink, are just as attractive as the flowers.
USDA Growing Zones: 4–9Sun Exposure: Part shade to full shadeColor Variations: White, pinkSoil Needs: Moist, rich, well-drained; good tolerance for sandy but rich soils
White flowers are more prevalent with Japanese lilac (Syringa reticulata), which are deciduous tree forms. Most of its cultivars are have creamy or yellowish-white, blooming in June. These plants have a tree-like form, growing to as much as 30 feet tall.
USDA Growing Zones: 2–7Sun Exposure: Full sunColor Variations: White, lavender-blue, deep purple, yellowSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained
This is a perennial plant that doesn’t bloom until its second year, but it self-seeds so freely that a bed of Queen Anne’s lace will produce flowers perpetually. This self-seeding habit can makes the plant quite aggressive in ideal circumstances, and it is listed as an invasive species in Iowa, Michigan, and Washington, and is strongly discouraged in other areas, as well. Like many wildflowers, some people regard it as a weed.
USDA Growing Zones: 3–9Sun Exposure: Full sunColor Variations: White with red or purple centersSoil Needs: Loose, well-drained
Ornamental onions typically bloom in summer. Because the foliage is rather sparse and fades quickly after flowering, allium bulbs are usually interspersed among other perennials. The white-flowering varieties work well with just about any other flowers since you don’t need to worry about color clashes. Allium remains a great choice for a white-flowering plant in just about any garden.
USDA Growing Zones: 4–10Sun Exposure: Full sunColor Variations: White, purple, lavenderSoil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, well-drained; excellent in sandy soils
USDA Growing Zones: Hardy in zones 10–11; grown as annuals everywhereSun Exposure: Full sunColor Variations: White, pink, purpleSoil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 3–8Sun Exposure: Full sunColor Variations: WhiteSoil Needs: Medium-moisture, well-drained; good tolerance for drought
USDA Growing Zones: 4–8Sun Exposure: Part shade to full shadeColor Variations: WhiteSoil Needs: Medium moisture to wet, well-drained
USDA Growing Zones: 5–8Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeColor Variations: WhiteSoil Needs: Moist, humusy, well-drained; good tolerance for most soil types
