12 white garden flowers: shrubs, perennials and bulbs

Updated on 22 September 2026Published on 25 March 2022

Be they simple or sophisticated, white flowers are great all-purpose plants in the garden. They pair well with all other colors and fit right into every garden style. You can add them to a colorful arrangement in a flower bed, or go the whole nine yards and make everything white. Discover 12 brilliant white flowers for outdoor gardens!

The 12 white flowers compared at a glance

The twelve plants below cover trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals, so the choice comes down to what you need and when you want the white to appear. Use the flowering period and the exposure to narrow the list before you read the detail.

The 12 white flowers compared at a glance
Plant	Variety	Blooming period	Exposure
Magnolia (tree)	Magnolia loebneri ‘Wildcat’	early spring to mid-spring	Sun, part sun
Black locust (tree)	Robinia pseudoacacia	late spring to early summer	Full sun
Tibetan cherry (tree)	Prunus serrula ‘Branklyn’	late spring	Sun, part sun
Cherry laurel (shrub)	Prunus laurocerasus	mid-spring to late spring	Sun, part sun, shade
Hydrangea (shrub)	Hydrangea paniculata ‘Phantom’	late summer to mid-autumn	Sun, part sun
Snowball viburnum (shrub)	Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’	late spring to early summer	Sun, part sun
Naples cyclamen (perennial)	Cyclamen hederifolium ‘Album’	late summer to mid-autumn	Part shade, shade
Ornamental onion (perennial)	Allium neapolitanum	late spring to early summer	Full sun
Roman chamomile (perennial)	Chamaemelum nobile ‘Ligulosum’	early summer to late summer	Full sun
White cosmos (annual)	Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata White’	early summer to mid-autumn	Full sun
White tulip (bulb)	Tulipa x darwin ‘Hakuun’	mid-spring to late spring	Full sun
Annual gypsophila	Gypsophila elegans ‘Covent Garden’	early summer to mid-autumn	Full sun

Combine an early tree, a late-summer shrub and a couple of annuals and the white never leaves the garden.

Trees with white flower

Magnolia

Variety: Magnolia loebneri ‘Wildcat’
Blooming period: Early spring to mid-spring
Feature: large double flowers that appear even before leaves do
Exposure: sun, part sun
Soil: cool but with good drainage, deep, rich, neutral to lightly acidic pH
Cherry on the top? Its oval-shaped deciduous foliage: green with marked veins, turns completely golden in fall

Black locust

False acacia, or robinia, flower — Creamy hanging clusters that release a delicious fragrance

Variety: Robinia pseudoacacia
Blooming period: Late spring to early summer
Feature: its long flowing creamy white clusters of flowers that release a delicious fragrance
Exposure: full sun
Soil: light and draining
Cherry on the top? Melliferous plant

Tibetan cherry

Variety: Prunus serrula ‘Branklyn’
Blooming period: late spring
Feature: its cute white cup-shaped flowers that reveal yellow stamens inside
Exposure: sun, part sun
Soil: deep, rich, cool but draining well
Cherry on the top? Its red and white-striped bark, and its leafage that shifts from green to orange-yellow.

White-flower shrubs

Cherry laurel

Variety: Prunus laurocerasus
Blooming period: Mid-spring to late spring
Feature: shiny green leaves truly highlight the white flower panicles
Exposure: sun, part sun, shade
Soil: ordinary, drained
Cherry on the top? A quick grower that’s easy to prune, it’s among the best hedge shrubs.

Hydrangea

Variety: Hydrangea paniculata ‘Phantom’
Blooming period: Late summer to mid-autumn
Feature: a long-lasting blooming that bears fabulous panicle-like inflorescences that start off green then turn white
Exposure: sun, part sun
Soil: rich, cool but draining well
Cherry on the top? Its round, mounding habit and the amazing number of flowers make this a very versatile shrub: hedge, standalone and shrub bed.

Snowball viburnum

White snowballs, a favorite white flowered shrub — Round ivory-white clusters, a hydrangea look-alike in late spring

Variety: Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’
Blooming period: Late spring to early summer
Feature: a hydrangea look-alike, snowball viburnum always catches the eye with its round, ivory-white flower clusters
Exposure: sun, part sun
Soil: cool, light, neutral to acidic.
Cherry on the top? Its fantastic scent!

Perennials with white flowers

Naples Cyclamen

Variety: Cyclamen hederifolium ‘Album’
Blooming period: Late summer to mid-autumn
Feature: its slender upright flowers bowing atop brown stems will form an incredible ground cover in shaded areas
Exposure: part shade, shade
Soil: well-drained, neutral to chalky
Cherry on the top? After the blooming, the serrated green leaves appear and stay lush all winter long.

Ornamental onion

Variety: Allium neapolitanum
Blooming period: Late spring to early summer
Feature: its umbel-shaped inflorescences composed of hundreds of small white cup-shaped flowers
Exposure: full sun
Soil: well drained
Cherry on the top? Its designer-targeted appeal thanks to its straight white stems topped up with light ball-shaped flowers

Roman chamomile

Chamomile, a white perennial — Yellow-hearted flowers that can be steeped for tea

Variety: Chamaemelum nobile ‘Ligulosum’
Blooming period: Early summer to late summer
Feature: cute little yellow-hearted flowers with a daisy-like appearance, introducing a little wilderness to the garden
Exposure: full sun
Soil: well drained
Cherry on the top? The health benefits this flower provides when you steep the flowers to make tea.

White annual flowers

White cosmos

Variety: Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sonata White’
Blooming period: Early summer to mid-autumn
Feature: its open, airy flower with white, striped petals with a serrated tip
Exposure: full sun
Soil: cool but with perfect drainage
Cherry on the top? Long, slender stems that sway with the wind, giving it a fresh, effortless appeal.

White tulip

Variety: Tulipa x darwin ‘Hakuun’
Blooming period: Mid-spring to late spring
Feature: its large immaculate white flowers 6 inches across (15 cm), with long feathery petals that are soft to touch
Exposure: full sun
Soil: rich, loose and draining
Cherry on the top? It steals the show in both flower beds and bouquets!

Annual Gypsophila

Variety: Gypsophile elegans ‘Covent Garden’
Blooming period: Early summer to mid-autumn
Feature: its thin, dark stems bear an abundance of open white flowers, a true cloud-like fog of flower
Exposure: full sun
Soil: cook and well-draining
Cherry on the top? Its bushy bearing and silver-gray leafage.

To learn more, read:

A white garden with white flowers, white leaves and trunks

Frequently Asked Questions

Which white flowers will grow in shade?

Two of the twelve tolerate low light. Naples cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium ‘Album’) is grown in part shade to shade, where its slender upright flowers on brown stems form a ground cover. Cherry laurel is the other, listed for sun, part sun and shade alike.

Are any white garden flowers scented?

Yes, and two stand out here. Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) bears long flowing creamy white clusters that release a delicious fragrance in late spring and early summer, and it is a melliferous plant into the bargain. Snowball viburnum flowers at the same time and its scent is its main bonus.

What white flowers bloom the longest, or latest in the year?

For late colour, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Phantom’ runs from late summer to mid-autumn with panicles that start green and turn white, and Naples cyclamen flowers over the same months. For sheer length, white cosmos and annual gypsophila both flower from early summer right through to mid-autumn.

Which white-flowered shrub is best for a hedge?

Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is the obvious choice: a quick grower that is easy to prune and among the best hedge shrubs, with shiny green leaves that set off its white panicles. Hydrangea paniculata ‘Phantom’ is the versatile alternative, working as a hedge, a standalone or in a shrub bed.

Image credits (edits Gaspard Lorthiois):
CC BY 2.0: Ian Lee, Ettore Balocchi
CC BY-SA 2.0: stanze
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Written by Gaspard Lorthiois | Loves helping out, especially when it comes to growing things. Worked in herbal medicine, runs a farm, and dabbles in tech. Master's degree and engineer.

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