Plants that bloom in August in Zone 4 with white flowers

Annabelle Hydrangea

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

Aster

The grand finale of the garden season. Essential for fall pollinators.

Astilbe

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

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.

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.

Coneflower

Tough prairie native with long bloom season and medicinal history.

Cosmos

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

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.

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.

Flowering Tobacco

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

Garden Phlox

Billowing clusters of fragrant summer color. A butterfly magnet.

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.

Henryi Clematis

Large, pure white flowers with dark brown anthers rebloom in fall. Elegant, classic, and undeniably refined.

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.

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 Anemone

Graceful, swaying blooms on tall stems. Elegant in partial shade.

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.

Little Lime Hydrangea

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

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.

Obedient Plant

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

Oriental Lily

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

Petunia

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

Pinky Winky Hydrangea

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

Quick Fire Hydrangea

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

Rose

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

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.

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.

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 Autumn Clematis

Explosive late-summer bloom of thousands of tiny fragrant white flowers. Vigorous to a fault.

Tall Phlox David

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

Turtlehead

Snapdragon-like flowers shaped exactly like a turtle's head. Loves wet feet.

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.

Yarrow

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

Zinnia

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