Plants that bloom in July in Zone 8 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.

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.

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.

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.

Crape Myrtle

The tree of the South. Months of crinkled blooms and gorgeous peeling bark.

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.

Feverfew

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

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.

Gardenia

Glossy evergreen foliage frames intensely fragrant white flowers from late spring into summer.

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.

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.

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.

Jasmine

A vigorous twining vine with intensely sweet-scented white or yellow star-shaped flowers, the scent of warm southern evenings.

Lantana

Multi-colored flower clusters that bloom relentlessly in brutal heat.

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.

Matilija Poppy

Enormous fried-egg flowers on blue-gray stems. California's largest native wildflower. Spreads aggressively.

Mexican Feather Grass

Gossamer fine blades ripple in the slightest breeze like living silk. Plant where you can watch it move.

Morning Glory

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

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.

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.

Rocky Mountain Columbine

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

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.

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.

Southern Magnolia

Huge glossy-leaved tree bearing enormous lemon-scented white flowers. The quintessential symbol of the Deep South's summer.

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.

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.

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.

Tall Phlox David

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

Tuberose

Tall summer spikes of waxy white blooms release powerful evening fragrance.

Twinspike Coral Bells

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

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.

Wax Begonia

Glossy leaves and nonstop flowers in sun or shade. One of the most reliable bedding plants anywhere.

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.