31 Beautiful White Flowering Shrubs For Your Garden

So you’ve already added some white flowers to your raised garden bed. But once you see how subtle they can be, you might realize you need more impact, like white flowering shrubs around the edges of your garden or lining the walkway to your home. But where do you start? Which white-flowered bushes are the right choice?

The good news is that there are many different white flowering shrubs that thrive across a variety of hardiness zones. Finding the perfect match for your garden will come down to appearance and, of course, your local climate. Do you go with the classic hydrangeas? Or perhaps some beautiful azaleas?

Whether you’re a new gardener or an experienced horticulturist looking for a fresh challenge, there are plenty of options to explore. The contrast of crisp white blooms against rich green foliage is refreshing and timeless. No matter where you plan to grow them, here are some of our favorite white flowering shrubs for your home or garden space.

Azaleas

	botanical name Rhododendron spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-10 feet tall
	hardiness zones 3-9

There’s so much to be said about azaleas! Whether you live in a warm or cooler climate, you can probably find an azalea for your garden. There are hundreds of types of azaleas, including both evergreen and deciduous varieties. They tend to have funnel- or tube-shaped flower heads that come in many single- or double-layer combinations.

Choose from several breathtaking solid-white azaleas, like ‘Weston’s Innocence’ or ‘Alabama’ azaleas. Depending on the type, they bloom from late winter, all summer, or even into fall. These perennial shrubs have delicate roots that prefer loose, sandy soil that’s moist and well-drained.

Button Bush

	botanical name Cephalanthus occidentalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-8 feet tall
	hardiness zones 5-9

If you’re looking for white flowering shrubs that will work as a loose, casual hedge, check out buttonbush. Also called honey balls, it has spherical clusters of tiny white tubular flowers with long stamens that make the clusters look fuzzy! The flowers have a sweet fragrance that attracts all kinds of pollinators. The white, misty-looking balls are offset by long glossy green leaves.

You’ll have blooms all summer into fall when the leaves turn reddish-brown into winter. This shrub loves wet, loamy soil (the wetter the better). It’s even known to grow in a few feet of standing water. Plant it as a hedge along a pond, river, or areas of your property with poor drainage.

Chokeberry

	botanical name Aronia arbutifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-12 feet tall
	hardiness zones 3-9

Chokeberry adds year-round interest to your garden! In spring and summer, it produces clusters of fragrant white, five-petal flowers. As the seasons shift, glossy red berries appear and persist from late summer through winter, adding a pop of color when little else is blooming.

Don’t worry: these white flowering shrubs are safe for pets and children. The berries are edible, though the name “Chokeberry” comes from their notably tart flavor.

The green foliage turns a striking bright red in the fall, adding even more seasonal beauty. Chokeberry isn’t fussy about soil and will thrive in most conditions, especially moist, loamy soil. In spring and summer, the flowers attract pollinators, while the berries become a food source for migrating birds later in the year.

Common Myrtle

	botanical name Myrtus communis
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3-12 feet tall
	hardiness zones 8-9

You’ll find several white flowering bushes that are evergreen in tropical zones. This includes the common myrtle, a popular choice for its beautiful spring and summer blooms. Enjoy the fancy little white blooms among glossy dark green leaves. They eventually give way to clusters of deep purple berries.

Keep soil loamy, moist, and well-drained. Don’t overwater or let the soil get too acidic, or common myrtle can get sick. You can get creative with pruning this shrub. It naturally grows loose and tall like a tree, but accepts shaping well.

Crape Myrtle ‘Natchez’

	botanical name Lagerstroemia ‘Natchez’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 4-20 feet tall
	hardiness zones 6-9

Common crape myrtles are shrubs with flowers only found in shades of pink. However, hybrids like Natchez have beautiful showy white blooms. There are a few white hybrids besides Nachez, like Early Bird White and Delta Moon.

Each hybrid variety has specific features, but all of them present decadent clusters of papery flowers and leaves that change colors in the fall. They also all have colorful tree bark that peels like birch bark.

You’ll especially love Natchez crape myrtle for its large flowers that bloom later in the summer. Give this shrub full sun and well-drained, loamy soil, and it will be happy. Pile on the mulch, but skip fertilizer.

Daphne

	botanical name Daphne spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3 inches-5 feet tall, depending on the variety
	hardiness zones 4-9

Evergreen in warmer climates, daphne puts on a show all year. From spring through summer, you can enjoy rounded clusters of small, white 4-petal flowers surrounded by elongated, glossy leaves. They give way to bunches of shiny red berries. In cooler climates, most varieties will lose their leaves by the first frost.

While daphne takes several years to fully mature, it blooms pretty fast in the spring once it’s established. They don’t transplant well, but are pretty low-maintenance to grow. Try planting them in a large planter with loamy, well-drained soil.

Deutzia

	botanical name Deutzia spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-13 feet
	hardiness zones 5-8

Deutzia is an old garden favorite that’s starting to become popular again. Deutzia bushes have weeping branches with cascading groups of petite white or pink flowers. The flowers tend to be bell-shaped or open. It has bright green leaves that turn orange in the fall.

You’ll find a wide variety in deutzia with over 60 species, ranging from ground cover to large mounding shrubs. There are both evergreen and deciduous varieties. Deutzia isn’t picky about soil, as long as it’s moist and well-draining. Prune the shrub once a year after the flowers fade.

Elderberry

	botanical name Sambucus canadensis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-12 feet tall
	hardiness zones 4-8

Elderberry has become very popular in recent years for its edible and medicinal fruit. It has small white lemon-scented flowers that grow in large flat sprays. They grow wide, bright green leaves all summer long before giving way in the fall. Then, it’s time for the shrub’s dark purple berries to bring texture and beauty to this plant!

Among white flowering shrubs, elderberry has an impressive zone range. You can grow it as far north as the Queen Elizabeth Islands in northern Canada! The shrub is pretty easy to grow, and it’s not picky about soil as long as it’s well-drained. Just make sure to water it regularly.

Hydrangea

	botanical name Hydrangea spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-20 feet, depending on the species
	hardiness zones 5-9

Hydrangeas are versatile white flowering shrubs. You’ll love their petite flowers in large ornamental clusters among wide, flat green leaves. Some varieties produce blooms in shades of blue, purple, pink, white, and even green. Some species can have their color manipulated by changing the pH level of the soil. Most hydrangeas grow quickly, and with minimal maintenance outside of regular pruning.

There are several species of hydrangeas. The most common is Hydrangea macrophylla, called bigleaf or mophead for the large size of its flower clusters and foliage. This shrub is pretty easygoing, adapting well to all kinds of conditions. Just make sure to fertilize them at the start of spring, and water them regularly.

Japanese Camellia

	botanical name Camellia japonica
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 3-20 feet tall
	hardiness zones 7-9

For the fans of symmetry, this one’s for you! There are over 250 species of the Camellia genus, but the showy Japanese camellia is the most popular. The flowers look almost like peonies or roses. While it blooms fall through spring, the glossy, dark green leaves are evergreen. You can find several varieties in pure white, with blooms ranging from 2 to 5 inches wide.

Camellia shrubs are sensitive to the sun, preferring the shade. They take some time to establish themselves. Once they do, they grow slowly. Plant them in the spring or fall, when the weather is mild. They prefer moist and slightly acidic soil.

Japanese Pieris

	botanical name Pieris japonica
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-8 feet tall
	hardiness zones 5-8

A unique addition to my list of white flowering bushes, consider the Japanese pieris. In late winter, dainty teardrop-shaped flowers make an appearance. Add it to your landscape for color and fill. This evergreen bush also has glossy green leaves that turn bronze for the fall and winter!

Go with Japanese peiris if your area has mild weather conditions. Just be aware that it has a very strong fragrance that people either love or strongly dislike! Give it acidic, nutrient-rich, well-drained soil and deadhead flowers regularly for a healthy-looking plant.

Laurel Cherry

	botanical name Prunus laurocerasus
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 15-30 feet tall
	hardiness zones 6-8

Laurel cherry offers an elegant display throughout all 4 seasons. All year round, this large shrub features large, deep green leaves. By midsummer, it explodes with flower stalks, or racemes, of tiny plum-scented flowers. Then, in the fall and winter, clusters of deep red cherry-like fruit slowly turn to a striking black color.

Laurel cherry is a good choice for coastal regions as it tolerates salt spray well. It also grows fast and adapts to all kinds of growing conditions. While there are dwarf species out there, traditional laurel cherry makes a great security hedge. Prune it into shape if you prefer less of a tree look.

Lilac

	botanical name Syringa vulgaris
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-16 feet tall
	hardiness zones 3-7

One of the classic white flowering shrubs, it’s commonly seen in purple. When the white variety blooms in the spring, you’ll love the effect! Lilac is known for its small, 4-petal fragrant flowers. They grow at the end of stems in cone-shaped clusters. The heart-shaped leaves are bluish-green and don’t change colors in the fall.

This low-maintenance plant just needs pruning and fertilization in the spring. It does best in mild summers and winters. Water it sparingly, and give it neutral, loamy soil that’s more on the sandy side.

Magnolia

	botanical name Magnolia spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-30 feet tall
	hardiness zones 5-8

Traditionally loved for its fragrant blooms, you can find a variety of magnolias where you live. There are both evergreen and deciduous types that work in all kinds of climates. You’ll find both flowering tree and shrub types with blooms in a variety of styles. Popular white versions include star magnolia and the stunning yulan magnolia.

Magnolias are white-flowering shrubs that adapt well to all kinds of conditions. Just water them consistently, keeping the soil drained and on the acidic side. They thrive when pruned regularly.

Mountain Laurel

	botanical name Kalmia latifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-15 feet tall
	hardiness zones 4-9

While mountain laurel tends to demand careful maintenance, the work pays off. It explodes with clusters of bowl-shaped blooms in late spring through the summer. Flowers are white or pink and fade into a deep pink center. The glossy elongated leaves grow from knobby branches.

This slow-growing bush is best for the experienced gardener. Mountain laurel is picky about soil, preferring it to be cool, moist, and acidic. It also needs just the right amount of shade. Make sure to plant it with the crown exposed above the soil. Deadhead flowers regularly to keep unseemly brown fruits from appearing.

Mock Orange

	botanical name Philadelphus coronarius
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-12 feet tall
	hardiness zones 4-8

If you’re looking for white flowering shrubs that attract spring pollinators, go with mock orange. Named for its similar appearance to orange blossoms, it also puts off a strong orange fragrance. Throughout springtime, you can enjoy arching branches covered in beautiful clusters of 4-petal flowers and veiny elliptical leaves.

By summer, the flowers are gone. However, mock orange is a fast-growing, dense shrub that is great for a privacy hedge. It’s easy to grow. Just give it nutrient-rich soil and water sparingly. Fertilize at the beginning of the growing season and prune after the last blooms die off.

New Jersey Tea

	botanical name Ceanothus americanus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-4 feet tall
	hardiness zones 4-8

This New England native played its role in history! It gets its name from the Revolutionary War era. Patriots used its broad green leaves to make tea during tea tariff boycotts. New Jersey Tea is lovely, growing upwards with clusters of small, fragrant flowers at the end of long reddish-brown stems.

Butterflies and hummingbirds love this low-lying shrub. It adapts to all kinds of conditions. Just make sure to water it regularly. It tolerates both heat and freezing temperatures but will go dormant.

Ninebark

	botanical name Physocarpus opulifolius
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-8 feet tall
	hardiness zones 2-8

Another New England native on my list of white flowering plants, ninebark makes an impact from spring through fall. Even before it fully blooms in the spring, the closed buds are beautiful, round, and tinged pink.

Ninebark’s flowers have 5 white, round petals with a bright yellow center. Wispy, red-tipped stamens give the domed flower clusters a fuzzy appearance. Common ninebark has lovely chartreuse leaves, but some varieties have stunning bronze or gold foliage.

As a low-maintenance plant, ninebark grows in wet and dry conditions and all soil types. It just doesn’t tolerate heat well. Shape it up occasionally and add mulch at the end of the season.

Oleander

	botanical name Nerium oleander
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-20 feet, depending on the variety
	hardiness zones 8-10

Don’t shy away from this heat-loving plant called oleander if you live in the northern United States. It blooms from spring through fall in zone 8, and it grows evergreen in zones 8-10. It has long green leaves that grow thick and frilly vase-shaped flowers in small clusters. You’ll find it in several shades of pink, red, and white.

Common in the Mediterranean, oleander tolerates salt spray well and prefers full sun. It’s used to alkaline, sandy soil but adapts to different soil conditions. Just water it when the topsoil gets dry.

Orange Jasmine

	botanical name Murraya paniculata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-12 feet tall
	hardiness zones 9-11

While mock orange handles cool climates well, go with orange jasmine if you live in warmer climates. It’s not true jasmine, but it is a fragrant shrub with leathery oval leaves and small 5-petal flowers. After the flowers bloom, they cycle out to produce vibrant reddish-orange berries.

Outside zones 9-11, grow it in a container and bring it in for the winter. It loves loamy, well-drained soil. Water it once a week. Plan on pruning it once in the spring and again in the fall.

Pearlbush

	botanical name Exochorda x macrantha ‘The Bride’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-10 feet tall
	hardiness zones 5-9

When it comes to show-stopping white flowering bushes, pearlbush does the trick! From spring through fall, abundant blooms weigh down the long arching branches. Short racemes of pearl-like buds give way to small, bright white blooms.

Bright green leaves make this dense shrub a great border hedge. It grows easily in all kinds of soil but blooms best with full sun and moist, well-drained soil on the acidic side. Pearlbush should be pruned as soon as flowers die off.

Potentilla

	botanical name Dasiphora fruticosa
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-4 feet tall
	hardiness zones 2-7

Potentilla is also called shrubby cinquefoil. Each flower has 5 rounded petals with a yellow center. It also has herbaceous foliage featuring 5-finger green leaves. White varieties of potentilla are often called barren strawberry for the way they mimic the look without the fruit!

This is an ideal addition for newer gardeners looking for white flowering shrubs. It grows generously from spring to fall. Give it full sun and loamy, moist soil, and leave it alone. It blooms so well that you may have to prune it just to keep the flowers from choking out the plant! Potentilla is very drought- and salt-resistant and doesn’t mind the cold.

Rose of Sharon

	botanical name Hibiscus syriacus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-12 feet tall
	hardiness zones 8-12

Rose of Sharon loves to make a statement with large showy flowers with papery petals and 1 prominent stamen. You can find it in every color of the rainbow except green. The leaves are decorative with 3 fingers and go from light to dark green during the year.

You might be surprised to learn that this is a great flower for newer gardeners. It’s a low-maintenance shrub. Just water it enough to keep the soil moist, but make sure that it has well-drained soil with a neutral pH. Prune it before the first blooms and then occasionally to keep it shaped up.

Serviceberry

	botanical name Amelanchier spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-40 feet, depending on the variety
	hardiness zones 3-9, depending on the variety

Also called juneberry or sugar plum, serviceberry is known for its edible red or purple berries. There are about 2 dozen species that produce shrubs and tree varieties. Among them, the shape and size of the flowers vary a little. However, they all feature white blooms and small elliptical leaves that turn bright orange in the fall.

Serviceberry is one of the white flowering shrubs that grow fast and easily. While it adapts well to many conditions, it blooms best in acidic, nutrient-rich soil. Be sure to prune after the last flowers.

Spiraea

	botanical name Spiraea spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-20 feet tall, depending on the species
	hardiness zones 4-8

There are almost 100 species of spiraea in every shade of purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, and white. They have round, flat, or cone-shaped clusters of small 5-petal flowers with long stamens. Most types have green oval leaves that turn orange in the fall. Most also explode with flower clusters in the spring through the summer.

When it comes to white flowering shrubs, they’re a great plant for new gardeners. Spiraea shrubs like full sun and neutral, well-drained soil. Water when the topsoil is dry. After the first freeze, prune back, water, and mulch Spiraea.

Snowflake Euphorbia

	botanical name Euphorbia leucocephala
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-12 feet tall
	hardiness zones 10-13

If you live in a warm climate, check out snowflake euphoria. The unique flowers are perennial, but the leaves are evergreen. It blooms for a few weeks in the winter, giving it the name white Christmas bush. When it blooms in white florets, the rounded, low-mound shrub might look like it’s covered in snow!

Known to be a hardy species that is very tolerant to drought and humidity, it does well in many soil types but does best with slightly moist, well-drained soil. For the best appearance, prune well in the spring and again before the fall.

Summersweet

	botanical name Clethra alnifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-10 feet tall
	hardiness zones 3-9

Next on the list of white flowering shrubs is a US native with a striking appearance. Summersweet features long bottlebrush clusters of tiny white blooms that last from late spring through midsummer. It also has dark green leaves with serrated edges that turn orange in the fall.

You’ll often find it in coastal regions. It does well tolerating heat and salt spray. It likes acidic, sandy soil. Plant it along a creek or pond, and it won’t need much maintenance. Just water it in drought conditions and deadhead if you prefer.

Tea Olive

	botanical name Osmanthus fragrans
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-20 feet tall
	hardiness zones 7-12

Tea olive, or fragrant olive, is known for its highly fruity-scented flowers. The shiny green leaves show all year-round. They’re a lovely contrast to tight round flower clusters of 4-petal flowers. Enjoy the blooms from spring through fall.

This plant loves humidity and tolerates heat and drought well. Just water it once a week, keeping the soil well-drained but moist.

Seven Son Flower

	botanical name Heptacodium miconioides
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-20 feet tall
	hardiness zones 5-9

If you’re looking for unique white flowering bushes to add to your garden, check out seven son flower. This tall-reaching shrub blooms in late summer through the fall. It features circular clusters of 7 flowers at the end of drooping stems. They die off in the fall, giving way to bright purple fruit.

The large, veined leaves die in the fall, but the show doesn’t end. The old bark fades in the winter, peeling and revealing dark brown bark underneath! This is a low-maintenance plant that handles all kinds of conditions well. Just water it regularly.

Viburnum

	botanical name Viburnum spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-20 feet tall, depending on the variety
	hardiness zones 2-10

A popular addition for gardeners over the years, there are over 100 varieties of viburnum. You’ll find all kinds of evergreen and deciduous types. They all have different types of leaves and flower cluster shapes. However, they tend to all feature tight flower bunches and bright berries.

Viburnum makes the list of flowering white shrubs for the stunning look of its fragrant white blooms. They look a little like hydrangeas. All varieties prefer rich, well-drained soil and weekly watering.

Virginia Sweetspire

	botanical name Itea virginica
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 3-10 feet tall
	hardiness zones 5-9

The narrow bottlebrush spikes of tiny flowers make Virginia sweetspire a lovely addition to your collection. The summer blooms attract all kinds of pollinators. In the fall through winter, the visually appealing arched branches have elliptical leaves that turn burning red!

Virginia sweetspire prefers loamy, moist soil that’s acidic. Water twice a week until it’s established and then only when there’s a drought. You can prune it if you want to shape it up, but otherwise, it’s unnecessary.