Plants that bloom in July in Zone 5 with white flowers

American Elderberry

Large flat clusters of creamy flowers in early summer give way to dark berries for jams and wildlife.

Annabelle Hydrangea

Enormous snowball blooms on a native species. Blooms on new wood, so prune hard in spring.

Annual Vinca

Glossy-leaved heat champion (botanically unrelated to true Vinca minor) that blooms through humidity that wilts everything else.

Asiatic Lily

Upward-facing blooms in a wide range of vivid colors. Easy to grow and brilliant in the summer border.

Astilbe

Feathery plumes that light up shady, moist spots like nothing else can.

Bachelor's Button

True cornflower blue that almost no other flower can match. Cottage garden classic that self-sows reliably.

Bells of Ireland

Tall green spikes lined with bell-shaped calyces. A florist favorite that brings architectural lime-green texture to any arrangement.

Blue Angel Hosta

A mammoth shade-garden hosta with thick, corrugated blue-gray leaves up to 18 inches long that slugs leave alone, topped by fragrant lavender flower spikes in midsummer.

Bobo Hydrangea

Dwarf paniculata smothered in blooms. Perfect front-of-border plant that needs almost no care.

Bottlebrush Buckeye

Massive suckering shrub with foot-long white flower candles. Showpiece for large shade gardens.

Bridal Veil Astilbe

Graceful cascading white plumes on dark stems. Luminous in a shady corner.

Butterfly Bush

Long, arching flower wands that butterflies absolutely lose their minds over.

Buttonbush

Weird and wonderful pincushion flowers like tiny white globes on a tough native that thrives in wet conditions.

Cafe au Lait Dahlia

Dinner plate blooms up to 10 inches across in a creamy blush-beige tone florists have built entire wedding industries around.

Campanula

Open, nodding bells in clear blue on tall graceful stems. Self-sows into refined cottage garden drifts.

Chamomile

Tiny daisy flowers with apple-scented foliage. Brew into tea or let it naturalize between pavers.

Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower

A rainbow mix of coneflower colors from a single seed strain. Every plant is a surprise.

Clematis

The queen of flowering vines. Over 300 species, something for every spot.

Cleome

Spider-flower with whisker-like stamens and airy blooms. Tall, dramatic annual that self-sows freely.

Climbing Hydrangea

Slow to start but spectacular once established, covering shady walls with flat-topped white lacecap flowers and exfoliating bark.

Coneflower

Tough prairie native with long bloom season and medicinal history.

Coral Bells

Grown mostly for dramatic foliage, but the tiny bell flowers are a bonus.

Cosmos

Airy, dancing flowers on thread-thin stems. Effortless cottage garden charm.

Creeping Thyme

Fragrant, walkable ground cover. Bees love it, foot traffic can't kill it.

Culver's Root

Tall tapering spires of tiny white flowers that bees mob. Vertical and elegant at the back of the border.

Dahlia

Endless forms from dinner-plate to pompom. The obsession of flower farmers.

Delphinium

Towering spires of true blue. The tallest, most dramatic back-of-border plant.

Dianthus

Spicy clove-scented pinks with fringed petals in pink, red, white, or salmon, one of the best long-blooming edgers and front-of-border perennials for sun.

Double Delight Rose

Creamy white petals blush to strawberry red at the edges. Knockout fragrance matches the looks.

Eremurus

Towering candle-like spikes covered in tiny star flowers rise above a basal rosette. Foxtail lily, six feet of pure architecture.

Feverfew

Clusters of small white daisies that bloom for weeks. Historic medicinal herb that self-sows readily.

Fire Light Hydrangea

Upright cones open pure white and transform to deep pomegranate red as the season ages. Strong stems that never need staking.

Flowering Tobacco

Tubular flowers that release sweet fragrance at dusk. A cottage garden classic that attracts moths and hummingbirds.

Foxglove

Stately spires of spotted, bell-shaped flowers. Cottage garden royalty.

Garden Phlox

Billowing clusters of fragrant summer color. A butterfly magnet.

Goatsbeard

Giant creamy plumes like an astilbe on steroids. Native woodland giant that anchors a shade border.

Gomphrena

Papery clover-shaped pom-poms on wiry stems. Drought-proof, deer-proof, and dries perfectly for winter arrangements.

Gooseneck Loosestrife

Gracefully arching white flower spikes that curve at the tips like a goose neck. Spreads vigorously in moist soil.

Guacamole Hosta

Chartreuse-gold leaves with dark green margins and sweetly fragrant white flowers that perfume the shade garden.

Hardy Hibiscus

Dinner-plate blooms up to 12 inches across on a native perennial that dies to the ground and returns bigger each year.

Hollyhock

Towering spires of saucer-shaped blooms in vintage colors. The icon of every English cottage garden, biennial but generous with self-sown seedlings.

Honeysuckle

Tubular, nectar-rich flowers with a fragrance that defines summer evenings.

Hosta

The undisputed queen of shade gardening. Foliage in every green and blue.

Hydrangea

Massive mophead blooms that shift color with soil pH. Showstoppers.

Iceberg Rose

Pure white floribunda clusters that bloom non-stop from spring to frost. Among the most planted roses in the world and bulletproof in any climate.

Impatiens

The shade annual champion. Flowers prolifically where nothing else will.

Incrediball Hydrangea

Annabelle's bigger sibling with stronger stems that don't flop. Blooms the size of basketballs.

Japanese Iris

Huge, flat, ruffled blooms up to 10 inches across. Needs consistent moisture, especially during bloom.

Larkspur

Tall spires of spurred flowers in deep blue and purple. The annual cousin of delphinium, easier to grow from seed and just as dramatic.

Liatris

Blazing star. Spikes that bloom unusually from top to bottom.

Limelight Hydrangea

Cone-shaped blooms open chartreuse, mature to white, then blush pink in fall. Tough as nails.

Lisianthus

Rose-like ruffled blooms with the vase life of a chrysanthemum. The flower farmer's secret weapon for high-end arrangements.

Little Lime Hydrangea

Compact Limelight. Same color show in a smaller package perfect for borders and containers.

Little Quick Fire Hydrangea

Compact form of Quick Fire that blooms early on a container-sized plant. Same flame-toned color shift in a much smaller footprint.

Masterwort

Intricate pincushion flowers surrounded by papery bracts in soft pinks and whites. Beloved by florists and shade gardeners alike.

Morning Glory

Fast-climbing vine with trumpets that open fresh every morning.

Nigella

Sky-blue flowers wreathed in feathery green bracts give way to ornamental striped seed pods. Self-sows freely once you start.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

A four-season native flowering shrub with oak-shaped leaves that turn burgundy in fall, exfoliating cinnamon bark in winter, and foot-long white cone blooms in summer that age to dusty pink.

Obedient Plant

Spikes of snapdragon-like flowers that can be pushed and stay where moved, earning a very literal common name.

Oceanspray

Cascading creamy white plumes on arching branches. Western Washington's summer answer to a native bridal veil.

Oriental Lily

Huge, intensely fragrant blooms in deep pink and white that perfume the entire garden. The lily that defines summer.

Penstemon

Tubular flowers on upright stems. Native hummingbird magnet for dry gardens.

Pentas

Star-shaped flower clusters that hummingbirds and butterflies hit on every pass. Blooms nonstop in heat that stops impatiens cold.

Petunia

Cascading color for containers and beds. Blooms nonstop until frost.

Phantom Hydrangea

Huge cone blooms up to 15 inches long open white and age to dusty pink. One of the largest flowered paniculatas you can grow.

Pinky Winky Hydrangea

Two-tone blooms with white tips and pink bases. Strong stems hold heavy flower heads upright.

Portulaca

Succulent-leaved sun lover with silky rose-like blooms that thrives where pavement, rock, or sand defeats everything else.

Quick Fire Hydrangea

Blooms a full month before other paniculatas. White cones age to deep rosy pink by fall.

Rocky Mountain Columbine

Large blue-and-white spurred flowers bloom in late spring above lacy foliage.

Rodgersia

Huge textured leaves resembling horse chestnuts with fluffy plumes. Architectural shade statement.

Rose

The queen of the garden. Modern varieties are surprisingly low-maintenance.

Rose Mallow

Enormous pale pink blooms up to 12 inches across on a wetland-loving native. Grow near a pond and you'll never look back.

Rose of Sharon

A cold-hardy hibiscus shrub (Hibiscus syriacus) with big tropical-looking blooms in lavender, pink, blue, white, or wine, opening late summer when most flowering shrubs are done.

Royal Standard Hosta

Glossy green leaves and pure white fragrant flowers on tall stems. Takes more sun than most hostas and perfumes the entire shade garden.

Ruby Slippers Hydrangea

Compact oakleaf with cone blooms that open white and age to deep ruby red. Burgundy fall foliage finishes the show.

Sacred Lotus

Massive blooms rise above umbrella leaves in shallow water. Seedpods are as ornamental as the flowers.

Sagae Hosta

Huge gray-blue leaves with creamy margins on a stately, vase-shaped plant that wins awards for good reason.

Salvia

Vertical flower spikes that hummingbirds and bees cannot resist.

Scabiosa

Pincushion blooms on long wiry stems dance over fine foliage. Pollinator magnet that keeps producing if you keep cutting.

Shasta Daisy

Classic white-and-gold daisies that look fresh from a meadow painting.

Snapdragon

Vertical flower spikes with squeeze-open blooms. Kids love them.

Speedwell

Tidy spikes of blue that add vertical punch to the front of the border.

Spirea

Flat-topped flower clusters on tidy mounds. The easiest flowering shrub.

Statice

Stiff papery flower clusters that dry to keep their color for years. A cut-flower farmer staple for wreaths and dried bouquets.

Stewartia

Camellia-like white flowers, exfoliating bark, and crimson fall color. The four-season tree professionals love.

Stokes Aster

Fringed, shaggy-petaled flowers in shades of cornflower blue that bloom for weeks on a tough Southern native.

Strawberry Sundae Hydrangea

Compact paniculata cones open creamy white, blush pink in summer, then deepen to strawberry red as fall arrives.

Strawflower

Papery petals that already look like dried flowers when fresh. The original everlasting, hanging on long after every other bloom fades.

Summersweet Clethra

Spikes of intensely sweet-scented white flowers in midsummer, one of the best fragrant natives for shady spots.

Sweet Alyssum

Honey-scented carpet of tiny flowers. The best living edging plant.

Sweet William

Dense flat clusters in zoned bicolors with a sweet clove fragrance. Old-fashioned cottage charm that returns reliably.

Tall Phlox David

Pure white fragrant phlox with the best mildew resistance in the species. A reliable, clean performer for the late-summer garden.

Triteleia

Loose umbels of starry blue trumpets on tall wiry stems. Western native bulb that thrives on summer drought.

Twinspike Coral Bells

Warm amber-caramel foliage that glows in the shade garden all season. The flowers are just a bonus.

Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea

Cone blooms open creamy white, age to soft pink, then deepen to strawberry red while new white cones keep emerging above them.

Virginia Sweetspire

Fragrant white bottlebrush flowers followed by brilliant orange-red fall color on a shade-tolerant, deer-resistant native.

Water Lily

Floating jewels that transform any pond. Pads provide shade for fish while flowers dazzle above.

White Prairie Clover

Cylindrical white flower spikes with orange anthers on a delicate, drought-proof prairie native that feeds bees all summer.

White Swan Coneflower

Pure white drooping petals around a bronze-orange cone. Elegant and underused.

Winterberry

Inconspicuous blooms, but covered in brilliant red berries all winter long.

Yarrow

Flat-topped clusters on ferny foliage. Thrives on neglect in poor soil.

Yucca

Sword-like evergreen foliage sends up dramatic stalks of white bells. Tough, architectural, underrated.

Zinnia

Easy-grow annual with electric colors. Cut-and-come-again champion.