White Flowers: Our Favorite White Blooms to Bring a Garden to Life, Especially at Night

One of the realities of enjoying a garden is that there’s not always a lot of time to do so. We work, we commute, we parent, we scroll. By the time we step outside it might be late, so it is with twilight in mind that we bring you the brightness of our 14 favorite white flowers. They are all perennials, and they are all North American. Many of these blooms are pollinator-friendly, and each is easy to care for, so long it’s in the right spot. From petite ephemerals that will appeal to your inner wood sprite, to big-statement drama plants, our list will set you on the path to a soothing evening escape. You might even sneak out to enjoy them in daylight.

Photography by Marie Viljoen.

1. Foam flower, Tiarella cordifolia

The frothy exuberance of aptly named foam flower begins early in spring, the flowers floating above maple-shaped leaves. The blooms last for about two pleasing weeks. This woodland native grows well in full spring sun if it receives some summer shade (under deciduous trees, for example). It naturalizes easily, by sending out questing runners in late spring and summer. Foam flower makes a very low maintenance ground cover and is an effective green mulch, protecting the soil beneath. It is hardy from USDA growing zones 3-9.

2. Canada mayflower, Maianthemum canadense

In shady gardens, diminutive Canada mayflower (or false lily of the valley) will naturalize to form a lush, low green carpet that produces a shower of snowy blossoms in mid-spring. It needs consistent moisture to become established, but will then spread and naturalize via rhizomes. By fall the flowers will have formed red fruits that are attractive to birds. Canada mayflower is hardy from zones 3-6.

3. Starflower, Lysimachia borealis

Another small jewel for light shade and woodland-friendly gardens is starflower, whose identifying whorl of leaves frames the exquisite bloom, or blooms. This is a good companion plant for Canada mayflower, as it is summer-dormant, and fades from view as nights begin to grow longer after the summer solstice. Starflower is hardy from zones 3-7.

4. False Solomon’s seal, Maianthemum racemosum

Unlike its tiny Canada mayflower, false Solomon’s seal grows to about three feet tall, and its plumes of fluffy white flowers can be elegantly dramatic if planted in swathes in dappled shade. It has a very wide native range in North America, and blooms in mid-spring. It, too, will produce attractive, non-toxic red berries in fall that are appealing to migratory and resident birds. False solomon’s seal is hardy from zones 3-8.

5. Doll’s eyes, Actaea pachypoda

Close your eyes and breathe. The sweet, citrus-blossom scent of doll’s eyes is reason enough to plant this shade-loving perennial. Its tall slender stems are topped with perfumed puffs of flowers in mid-spring. By fall, they have morphed into ghoulish white berries that resemble a horror-flick’s idea of a botanical Halloween. They are eye-catching and as toxic as they look. Doll’s eyes are hardy from zones 3-8.

6. Bunchberry, Chamaepericlymenum canadense (formerly Cornus canadensis)