10 White Flowers That Will Add Timeless Beauty to Your Garden

Angel's Trumpet

Angel's trumpet (Brugmansia) is defined by its dramatic, trumpet-shaped white flowers and can be grown in the garden or in containers. No matter where you plant the bloom, it is guaranteed to shine. "It has a beautiful scent at night that makes walking near it reminiscent of a moonlit stroll," says Jim Sutton, associate director of display design at Longwood Gardens. "I recommend overwintering it indoors or in a greenhouse in cooler areas since this semi-shrub gets bigger and better with age."

• Zone: 9
• Size: 10 to 20 feet tall x 3 to 10 feet wide
• Growing conditions: full sun; well-drained soil

Casablanca Lily

For a bloom that will make a great addition to your cut garden, consider planting Casablanca lilies (Lilium oriental 'Casa Blanca'). This variety boasts beautiful, pure white flowers with red anthers and has a spicy-sweet fragrance. "They're easy to grow in borders where the thin stems will rise up above other perennials to display the elegant flowers," says Peggy Anne Montgomery, a horticulturist with the garden media group representing FlowerBulbs.com. Casablanca lilies are a long lasting cut flower once snipped from your garden and added to a bouquet.

• Zone: 3 to 8
• Size: 3 to 4 feet tall x 9 to 12 inches wide
• Growing conditions: full sun to part shade; well-drained soil
  

Mount Hood Daffodil

Considered the finest of all white daffodils, mount hood (Narcissus 'Mount Hood') has been around for decades. "The giant trumpet shaped flowers emerge pale yellow but quickly turn to pure white, 5-inch blooms," says Montgomery. "Mount hood naturalizes, meaning they come back every year and will continuously produce more bulbs." The plant is resistant to deer and squirrels and makes for an excellent cut flower.

• Zone: 3 to 8
• Size: 16 to 18 inches tall x 4 to 6 inches wide
• Growing conditions: full sun to part shade; well-drained soil

Summer Snowflake

While its name may be misleading, summer snowflake flowers in spring, not summer. One part of the name that does ring true though, is 'snowdrop,' which defines the shape of this flower's blooms. "The fragrant, bell-shaped flowers are produced on slender arching stems and flower for a remarkably long time," says Montgomery. "The plant multiplies quickly making them a perfect choice for mass plantings."

Summer snowflake has many uses in the garden—it can be planted in rock gardens, under deciduous trees, in shrub borders, as a ground cover, in woodland gardens, and in flower beds, says Montgomery.

• Zone: 3 to 9
• Size: 24 inches tall (width will vary as bulbs multiply)
• Growing conditions: full sun to part shade; medium to moist soil

Ornamental Onion

While there are many varieties of ornamental onion, white giant (Allium stipitatum ‘White Giant’) will steal the show come late spring and early summer. "The white globes are densely packed with hundreds of snow-white florets with deep green eyes," says Montgomery. "They can be easily added to any sunny border and the tall, slim stems and 6 to 8 inch flowers won't inhibit the growth of other perennials beneath them in the border." Not only does white giant attract essential pollinators, but it's also rabbit, rodent, and deer resistant.

• Zone: 5 to 8
• Size: 3 to 4 feet tall x 12 inches wide
• Growing conditions: full sun to part shade; well-drained soil

White Gaura

If you're looking for a white flower to complement the other blooms growing in your garden, white gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri) is a great fit. "White gaura is a delicate weaver type of flower that will intertwine with other plants in a mixed border," says Sutton. "Its long slender stems hold butterfly-shaped white blooms that bloom late spring through summer." The low-maintenance plant will thrive with no special attention, but it is beneficial to cut the blooms back after flowering to encourage more growth.

• Zone: 5 to 9
• Size: 12 to 24 inches tall x 12 to 18 inches wide
• Growing conditions: full sun to part shade; well-drained soil

Snowdrops

An important early season nectar source for pollinators, snowdrops (Galanthus)—slightly different from summer snowdrops—are one of the very first plants to bloom each spring (they can even bloom when snow is still on the ground!). "It is a reminder that the warm days of spring and a new gardening season is right around the corner," says Montgomery. "They are simple to grow and they multiply readily and can be divided in just a few years time to start new colonies or to share with friends."

• Zone: 3 to 9
• Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x wide (depending on variety)
• Growing conditions: full sun to part shade; well-drained soil

White Tulips

White tulips (tulipa) serve as a symbol of tranquility in the garden, plus they're a sign that spring is near. "They are also the easiest to combine with other spring flowering plants because every color is accented by white," says Montgomery. Though white tulips come in a wide range of flower forms and sizes, 'White Triumphator' is Montgomery's favorite. "This lily-flowered tulip has ivory flowers with pointed petals and is one of the most perennial," she says.

• Zone: 3 to 8
• Size: Varies depending on variety
• Growing conditions: full sun to part shade; well-drained soil

Dahlia

Dahlias are available in just about any color, but they're especially beautiful in white. "For a beautiful garden plant that makes an excellent cut flower, I particularly like Dahlia 'Bridezilla' with its large waterlily-like blooms," says Sutton. "Though tall, its stems are strong enough to hold the large, pure white flowers and it will likely will not need staking."

• Zone: 7 to 10
• Size: 4 to 6 feet tall x 18 to 24 inches wide
• Growing conditions: full sun; well-drained soil

White Bearded Iris

White bearded iris (Iris germanica) has been in cultivation for centuries and is one of the most popular and easy to grow types of iris around. "The tall sturdy stems don't need staking," says Montgomery. "The blossoms are so beautiful they were the inspiration for the famous French Fleur-de-lis." The flowers make an amazing cut flower and are deer resistant. When caring for this flower, keep in mind they don't like to be mulched. "If the rhizomes are too deep they could develop root rot," says Montgomery.

• Zone: 4 to 9
• Size: 32 inches tall x 12 inches wide
• Growing conditions: full sun to part shade; well-drained soil