21 Beautiful White Rose Varieties to Grow This Season (2024)

Do you love using white in the garden? White roses especially planted En masse, glow dramatically in shaded areas, and add a peaceful calm to any design. Whether you’re looking to plant a moon garden full of white flowers or just want a touch of white to set off the other colors in your beds, there is a white rose that will do the job perfectly.

Whether you’re looking for a robust climber, a classic hybrid tea, or a generous groundcover shrub, we’ve simplified your search for the ideal white rose by listing the most beautiful and dependable choices. Choose one (or many!) that fits your vision for your garden and is adapted to your growing zone to find the perfect rose for you!

If you’ve decided to grow roses in your garden, but want to make sure they have stunning white blooms, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s take a closer look at our favorite white rose varieties that you can add to your garden this season!

‘Top Cream’

	botanical name Rosa ‘MEIroguste’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 4’ – 6’
	hardiness zones 5- 10

We begin our list with a new introduction to Star Ⓡ Roses and Plants Scentables collection. ‘Top Cream’ is a gorgeous, old-fashioned variety, with full-petaled blooms and a deep pear-anise fragrance.

‘Top Cream’ will invite you to cut it and bring it inside, where you can admire its rich fragrance. This rose is slightly tinged with shell pink in the bud stage, gradually fading to pure white as it opens.

A vigorously blooming hybrid tea, ‘Top Cream’ prefers full sun. With its full, antique bloom shape, it’s perfect for cottage gardens. Plant it in a bed with soft pinks and purples for a fanciful effect.

‘Snow Goose’

	botanical name Rosa ‘AUSpom’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 8’-10’
	hardiness zones 5- 11

If you love the look of white roses draping gracefully over arbors and sculptures, look at the darling ‘Snow Goose’. The star of the Shakespeare collection at California’s Huntington Botanical Garden, this unusual English rose will steal the show in your yard, too.

‘Snow Goose’ is a repeat flowering rambler covered in delicate daisy-like blooms. Rambling roses do not usually bloom more than once per year, but ‘Snow Goose’ will flower sporadically throughout the summer. Ramblers like to climb, and this fluffy little rose will reach up to 10 feet with good support.

‘Snow Goose’ provides a visual impact when used to soften the formality of statues and topiaries in the garden. Deadhead it after the first spring flush to encourage more flowers.

‘Flower Carpet White’

	botanical name Rosa ‘NOAschnee’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun-Part Shade
	height 1’ – 2.5’
	hardiness zones 5- 9

If you want a carpet of pure white roses to add a meditative look to your garden, ‘Flower Carpet White’ will fill empty spaces with an abundance of frosty white blooms. Adding to your sense of calm, this easy-care rose is disease-resistant, hardy, and will bloom profusely all season long!

Perfect for forming low-hedges or as a ground cover, ‘Flower Carpet White’ only grows to 2.5 feet tall at most. A gold medal award-winner, this rose is a reliable choice for beginning gardeners or anyone who wants maximum bloom for minimal fuss.

Ideal for brightening up gloomy spaces, ‘Flower Carpet White’ is tolerant of shade. Plant them En masse for a pretty, gleaming white flower bed.

‘Pope John Paul II’

	botanical name Rosa ‘JACsegra’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun-Part Shade
	height 4’ – 5’
	hardiness zones 5- 9

Arguably the most beloved of all white roses, highly fragrant ‘John Paul II’ has perfect florist-quality hybrid tea blooms. This classic, pure white rose is a centerpiece of the private Vatican gardens.

‘Pope John Paul II’ boasts a heavenly citrus scent that earned it multiple awards for “Most Fragrant Rose” in international and American trials. Plant this rose if you want breathtaking bouquets of clear, snowy roses ready for an exhibition!

Though this is a vigorous, successful grower, all hybrid tea roses need a bit more babying than more robust varieties. Tend to this one with a good program of fertilization and pruning to help it reach its full potential.

‘Sally Holmes’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Sally Holmes’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 6’-12’
	hardiness zones 5-10

If you love roses, but hate the thorns, smooth-stemmed ‘Sally Holmes’ may be the white rose for you. With up to 60 blooms on a single truss, each stem of this floriferous bush is a ready-made bouquet!

‘Sally’ can climb up to 12 feet in warm climates but generally stays between 6-8 feet. Each ruffled, single flower opens to a golden center, attracting beneficial pollinators to your garden.

Nearly always in bloom, ‘Sally Holmes’ will be covered in ivory flowers with slight hints of blush. This rose won “World’s Favorite Rose” at the 2012 World Federation of Rose Societies Convention. Perhaps it will be your favorite, too?

‘Alba Maxima’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Alba Maxima’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun-Part Shade
	height 5’ – 6’
	hardiness zones 4- 11

One for history lovers, ‘Alba Maxima’ has been cultivated in Europe for centuries. Believed to be the White Rose of York in the famed War of the Roses starting in 1455, adding this rose to your garden connects you to a rich past.

‘Alba Maxima’ boasts distinctive serrated leaves and lots of palest pink to creamy white double blooms. Growing up to 6 feet wide and just as tall, this rose will draw the eye in your garden.

This beautiful shrub has a strong, fruity fragrance. It blooms in one, long-lasting springtime show a year that’s worth waiting for. ‘Alba Maxima’ is tough and can thrive in very poor soils, making it a great choice for difficult garden spots.

‘Desdemona’

	botanical name Rosa ‘AUSkindling’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 3’ – 4’
	hardiness zones 5- 11

Named for Othello’s tragic heroine, sweetly-scented ‘Desdemona’ adds a gentle, delicate beauty to any garden. Each chalice-shaped flower is ivory, tinged with the lightest apricot coloring.

Another beautiful selection from David Austin, ‘Desdemona’ was bred for old English-style globular blooms and modern disease resistance. It will bloom in abundant clusters in flushes throughout the summer.

Known for its honey almond fragrance, ‘Desdemona’s’ scent matches her beauty. Plant this rose in mixed borders with other ethereal flowers for a fairytale-worthy garden.

‘JFK’

	botanical name Rosa ‘BOEgif’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun- Part shade
	height 3’ – 5’
	hardiness zones 7-10

Classic and luminous, hybrid tea ‘JFK’ has large, perfectly formed alabaster blooms. Named in honor of the former American president, this stunning rose is a worthy tribute.

‘JFK’ is great for a cutting garden. It makes sophisticated, lovely, scented bouquets, and blooms reach up to 6 inches across! Slightly susceptible to black spot, keep JFK healthy by watering at the base early in the morning, preventing wet foliage in cool evenings.

This rose is perfect for a moon garden and will glisten underneath the stars. Plant it mid-border with other graceful, sculptural plants for a soothing, refined look.

‘White Drift’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Meizorland’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 1’-1.5’
	hardiness zones 4- 11

The most adorable white ground cover around, ‘White Drift’ is a tiny workhorse. Highly floriferous and tough, this little rose will be smothered in fully double, miniature white flowers throughout the season.

Plant a row of ‘White Drift’ for a cute, instant border. Adults and children alike will exclaim over the perfect fluffy flowers. Lovely when intermixed with tall salvias and lavender, the sturdy ‘White Drift’ sets off your other flowers beautifully.

Extremely disease resistant and very cold hardy, ‘White Drift’ can handle poor conditions and continue to bloom its heart out. Plant this darling little shrub anywhere you need a bright spot, and let it bloom for you!

‘Bolero’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Meidelweiss’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 3’-4’
	hardiness zones 5- 9

Another crowd-favorite, ‘Bolero’ has a tidy, compact habit perfect for the front of the border or patio containers. This shrub is a floribunda with large clusters of heavily petaled white blooms.

Beloved for its delightful tropical fruit fragrance, ‘Bolero’ is an exquisite cut flower. A prolific bloomer, feel free to cut often through late summer. As fall approaches, let flowers wither on the bush so they can develop beautiful hips for winter interest.

This rose does well in dappled shade, so use it to add needed light to dark corners. You’ll want to protect this rose from the blazing afternoon sun that could scorch and brown its petals.

‘Winter Magic’

	botanical name Rosa ‘FOUmagic’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 18” – 20”
	hardiness zones 5- 9

This magic miniature rose will bewitch visitors to your garden. ‘Winter Magic’ has a slight lavender touch that gives it a silvery beauty unlike any other. At only 20” tall, it’s a beautiful choice for containers or even window boxes.

Many gardeners don’t expect miniature roses to be hardy and durable, but these special little flowers can grow vigorously for years to come! Use them to create a little fairy garden or in matching containers to flank your entry.

Their subtle gray-to-lilac white hue gives ‘Winter Magic’ modern flair. A perfect accent for bolder, cool colors, plant them in full-sun somewhere you’ll appreciate their pretty citrus scent.

‘Iceberg’

	botanical name Rosa ‘KORbin’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun-Part Shade
	height 4’– 15’
	hardiness zones 5-11

A Hall of Fame winner! ‘Iceberg’ is a popular and well-known white rose, prized for its bloom power and pretty ruffled flowers. It can be trained as a large, bushy shrub, or a climber, reaching up to 15 feet tall.

‘Iceberg’ is an extremely adaptable rose. It is cold hardy and stands up to hot summers. It’s often one of the first roses to bloom in early spring and keeps flowering in flushes all summer long.

While each bloom is quite small, they are produced in such profusion that the effect is a curtain of cottony-white. ‘Iceberg’ has slender, graceful canes that are easy to train, and glossy green foliage. Belying its delicate appearance, this rose is tough. It will resist disease and look beautiful even in humid climates where others succumb to blackspot. A sure bet!

‘Sugar Moon’

	botanical name Rosa ‘WEKmemolo’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 3’-5’
	hardiness zones 6-9

If you want a pure white, fragrant rose for cutting, ‘Sugar Moon’ is for you! With one elegantly formed, 5-inch bloom at the end of each long stem, this rose begs to be included in floral arrangements. It also has a long vase life as a cut flower!

‘Sugar Moon’ is a hybrid tea and requires extra attention to flourish. Check it often for disease and remove any affected foliage promptly. Once well-established, this shrub will perform beautifully.

The award-winning perfume of ‘Sugar Moon’ is intoxicating. Harvest this rose frequently to fill your home with delicious, honeyed citrus! Keep a jar or bucket of water handy when cutting to keep your bouquets as fresh as possible.

‘Tranquility’

	botanical name Rosa ‘AUSnoble’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun-Part Shade
	height 4’ – 6’
	hardiness zones 5- 10

If you want to create a peaceful garden, evoke total calm with ‘Tranquility’. Another romantic, old-fashioned English rose from David Austin, ‘Tranquility’ has a beautiful upright, outward-growing habit.

Each petal-packed flower forms a neat rosette. Come nearer, and you’ll be delighted by its pleasant apple fragrance. Even better, ‘Tranquility’ has nearly thornless canes, making cutting and enjoying this rose a tranquil experience, too!

‘Tranquility’ can be somewhat slow to take off, but once it matures, this rose will produce loads of blooms all summer long. Dreamy in combination with Baby’s Breath and white foxglove or paired with light pinks to highlight its underlying touch of rose.

‘Full Sail’

	botanical name Rosa ‘MAClanoflon’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 3’ – 5’
	hardiness zones 5- 10

‘Full Sail’ has big, blousy white blooms that begin as high-centered, classically shaped buds. Favored for its heady honeysuckle perfume, this rose has dark, forest-green foliage that makes each crisp white flower pop.

‘Full Sail’ does great in partial shade, so take advantage and use it to illuminate the shadowy spaces of your garden. This rose performs best in cooler temps, making it a good option for northern gardeners.

One drawback of ‘Full Sail’s’ generous blooms is its tendency to ball in the rain. Consider a pot for this one so you can move it undercover if a storm is brewing.

‘Perfume Dreams’

	botanical name Rosa ‘VISechdam’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 6’-8’
	hardiness zones 5- 10

What more is there to say? ‘Perfume Dreams’ has it all: intense, gorgeous fragrance, dreamy white blooms, and glossy green foliage. This rose, still rare in the United States, is worth seeking out.

‘Perfume Dreams’ is a compact climber with a max height of 8 feet. This is a perfect first climbing rose for those new to training canes, as it won’t get out of control quickly and can adapt to a variety of garden spaces.

Highly floriferous and disease resistant, ‘Perfume Dreams’ will entice you with its sweet Lily-of-the-Valley scent. You’ll love its thick clusters of ivory roses with touches of blush. It’s a gold medal winner in the Hague, but the news hasn’t reached many rose fans in North America. If you come across this rose, snatch it up and tell others where you found it!

‘Boule de Neige’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Zephirine Drouhin’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun-Part Shade
	height 4’ – 6’
	hardiness zones 5- 10

‘Boule de Neige’, French for “snowball’, is pure charm. An Old Bourbon Rose bred in 1867, this shrub has clusters of small, camellia-like flowers. This rose will stop passers-by, who will want to take pictures of each beautifully formed bloom!

‘Boule’ smells like the best of the classic roses, with intense, old-fashioned rose perfume. Its petals are beautifully scalloped, making this white rose stand out in a sea of options.

If you’re after a pure white garden, be aware that ‘Boule de Neige’ has deep pink buds that contrast prettily with its snowy-white open blooms. ‘Boule de Neige’ is a hardy rose, but unfortunately for those in wet climates, it doesn’t stand up well to rain showers. If you have the right climate, don’t hesitate to scoop up this special rose!

‘Sombreuil’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Sombreuil’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 8’ – 12’
	hardiness zones 6- 11

‘Sombreuil’ is a moon garden must. Referred to as a pillar rose, this beauty is densely flowered and doesn’t shoot out long disobedient canes like many other climbers. Train it up an obelisk or pillar for a spectacular moonlit show. Be careful, as this rose is particularly thorny!

The buds of ‘Sombreuil’ are small and brushed with pale apricot. They open to lavish, nearly flat-quartered blooms. This rose has a frilly, antique look best suited for romantic or cottage garden designs.

This rose is resistant to powdery mildew and blackspot, with a yummy green apple scent. Named for French Revolutionary heroine Mlle. de Sombreuil, this climbing rose is a conversation starter, too! Truly swoon-worthy.

‘Gourmet Popcorn’

	botanical name Rosa ‘WEOpop’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun- Part Shade
	height 18”-28”
	hardiness zones 4-9

‘Gourmet Popcorn’ is a gorgeous little shrublet rose with cascades of single to semi-double, open blooms. Named for the tiny buds and flowers that burst in sprays of pure white with cheerful yellow centers, this ‘Popcorn’ rose will delight people and pollinators alike!

‘Gourmet Popcorn’ is a bushy, robust groundcover rose that will stay nice and low. It looks great at the front of the bed to cover the naked feet of taller roses. Plant in rows of 5-7 for a charming and long-blooming border, or place in twin pots framing your entryway.

‘Gourmet Popcorn’ is an award-winner in nearly every category, meaning you can plant it knowing it will be fuss-free and hardy! This miniature rose isn’t heavily scented, but it’s just cute enough that you won’t mind. Deadhead spent flowers for repeat bloom spring through fall!

‘Honor’

	botanical name Rosa ‘JAColite’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun
	height 4’-6’
	hardiness zones 7-11

Do you live in a warm climate? ‘Honor’ is the pure-white, florist-quality rose you seek! With excellent heat tolerance, ‘Honor’ will shine in your garden with its stately, upright habit and long stems.

A 1980 All America Rose Selection, ‘Honor’ has formal, porcelain flowers perfect for cutting. Blooms are sometimes edged with a slight rose-red tinge, highlighting their elegant form.

‘Honor’ has a light tea scent and a long-lasting vase life as a cut flower. Give it as a gift or plant it to honor a loved one. Do be on the lookout for downy mildew, though, as this hybrid tea is susceptible. ‘Honor’ is best planted in areas where summer consistently exceeds 80℉, so temperatures are warm enough to kill off this pesky pathogen. Leave 2-3 feet between each plant to ensure adequate airflow as a preventative measure.

‘Madame Hardy’

	botanical name Rosa ‘Madame Hardy’
	plant type Perennial
	sun requirements Full Sun- Part Shade
	height 4’-5’
	hardiness zones 5-11

If you too are entranced by old Damask roses, plant the captivating ‘Madame Hardy’. With sparkling white little pompon flowers highlighted by a darling green button eye, this rose will charm the most taciturn of gardeners!

Named for the wife of its breeder rather than the character trait, this sweet rose is indeed hardy in a variety of climates. It’s versatile and tough. Plant in partial shade or full sun and enjoy telling guests about its history. One of the finest examples of Damask roses around, this rose was bred in 1832 by the horticulturist of Paris’s stunning Luxembourg Gardens.

Renowned for its luxurious old rose scent, you can’t go wrong with ‘Madame Hardy’. Like other Damasks, it only blooms once per year in spring. Don’t let that dissuade you from adding it to your garden. Anticipating this rose’s annual flush will become a treasured tradition!