20 Incredible Ivory and White Flowers

Plant a bounty of snowy blooms in your garden with these gorgeous white flower picks, from delicate white hyacinth to dramatic dahlias.

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Wonderful Ways to Add White to Your Garden

White is arguably one of the most classic colors and makes a radiant addition to your garden. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of white flowers (like 'York Minster' rose above) and foliage to include in your beds and borders any season.

For an all-white garden, choose plants of different heights and textures to keep things interesting. Since many white flowers aren’t “true” white — meaning they often contain pigments of other colors like pink, blue and green — silver and gray plants can bounce those hints of colors across their foliage, helping a slightly off-white garden look more uniform.

Perhaps the most magical reason to grow a white flower garden is the color’s ability to keep shining long after the sun sets. White flowers and plants remain more visible at night than their colorful counterparts, so try planting a moon garden of white and silver flowers near the patio to enjoy on summer nights. And white flowers and plants serve as a backdrop to make all those vibrant flowers pop.

Clematis

Cup-shaped, white and mauve flowers appear on the Clematis 'Huldine' after the height of summer and last into fall.

Periwinkle

Vinca difformis, often called the Intermediate Periwinkle, is a vigorous evergreen subshrub with lance-shaped, dark green leaves and upright shoots bearing pale blue to white flowers in late winter and early spring.

White Hyacinth

Triteleia hyacinthina, or white hyacinth, has an erect stem, topped with dense, white flower heads. Although not hyacinths, they are thought to resemble the flower with their papery thin blooms.

Rhododendron

Rhododendrons, 'Fragrantissimum' has highly scented, large white flowers. It's tender and needs protection from frost.

White Pim

Osteospermum 'White Pim' has beautiful, daisy-like flowers of pure white with a pink and gray striped reverse. It produces an endless display of flowers from early summer through autumn.

Dahlia

Dahlia has long stems of pure white pompom flowers held above neat clumps of green foliage.

Daffodil

Narcissus are spring flowering bulbs known for their trumpet-shaped flowers in a variety of bold hues (primarily yellow). However, they can also come in several other shapes and colors, from blush pink to blue.

Calandiva

'Calandiva White Monroe' has white flowers that resemble rosebuds. They open from green-ish buds above large, glossy leaves.

Wax Flower

A favorite for weddings, Madagascar jasmine (or wax flower) is a woody, evergreen climber that produces fragrant white blooms in the summer. Ideal in a partially shaded site, it thrives when fed monthly while in growth with a balanced liquid feed.

Choisya

Choisya 'Aztec Pearl', commonly called Mexican Orange Blossom, is an evergreen shrub with slender, glossy, dark green leaves and clusters of fragrant, pink-tinged white flowers in late spring.

Snowdrop

The snowdrop produces single, nodding, white flowers that appear as early as late winter and into early spring.

Madonna Lily

Sweetly scented, the Madonna lily offers pure, white flowers in midsummer.

Squill

The squill (Scilla peruviana 'Alba') provides tight, conical clusters of small, star-shaped, white flowers in early summer.

Foamflower

Tiarella cordifolia, commonly called foamflower, has long, slender stamens that give its white flowers a frothy appearance. The small, star-shaped flowers occur in compact racemes on stalks, rising above a mound of attractive lobed leaves.

'Royal Star' Magnolia

Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star' are another deciduous species that also bloom in spring.

Sunflower 'Coconut Ice'

'Coconut Ice' is a relatively new sunflower variety with creamy vanilla-white petals that transition to white at the tips. One flower is produced per stem on plants that grow 4 to 5 feet high. The black centers make a bold contrast to the blossoms, measuring 4 to 8 inches across.

Datura/Jimsonweed/Angel Trumpet

Datura is, um, quite a trip. One of this flower’s common names, jimsonweed, comes from “Jamestown weed” — a reference to Revolutionary War soldiers who foraged this plant for food and suffered wild hallucinations. Also used in manhood iniation rites among American Indian tribes, this plant has potent narcotic qualities, so don’t sample it at home. But do consider adding it to your garden, where its night-opening blooms attract sphinx moths and other pollinators.

Lobularia Maritima

Lobularia marítima is easily grown from the seed in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. This annual is native to Southern Europe and is one of the easiest annuals to grow.

Zinnia angustifolia 'Star White'

These graceful zinnias bear single, star-shaped flowers up to 2 inches across. 'Star White' blooms in the spring and summer and requires full sun exposure.