11 Herbs With White Flowers So Pretty, You’ll Want to Pluck Them!

We often think of herbs strictly regarding their culinary or medical use. Alternatively, if we’re more into the looks than into consummation, we consider their shape, the size, and the hue of their lovely foliage. And herbs with white flowers are some of the most beautiful!

However, being flowering plants, herbs also produce blooms that can be of various colors and add to the aesthetic value of the herbal garden.

One of the most common herb blooming colors is white.

Even if you are not particularly impressed with the look of these flowers, knowing the plant’s bloom colors can help you make better landscaping decisions and plan the color transitions in your garden. 

Let’s look at some of the best-known herbs with white flowers, A to Z.

11 Beautiful Herbs With White Flowers

1. Anise – a lovely, delicate herb with abundant white flowers.
2. Basil – a tasty herb with edible white herbs that smell divine.
3. Caraway –  an herb from the parsley family with edible, umbrella-like white flowers.
4. Chamomile – famous for its calming, nurturing effect with lovely white and yellow flowers.
5. Garlic chives – very easy to grow with abundant harvests and white flower clusters.
6. Kalonji – one of the prettiest herbs on this list with feathery foliage and white flowers.
7. Parsley – a useful and ornamental herb with big, white umbrella-like flower heads.
8. Ramsons – a garlic-like herb packed with vitamins that bears gorgeous white flowers.
9. Rosemary – a tasty herb loved by bees and gardeners both, with white flowers.
10. Oregano – a staple herb in Mediterranean cuisine with bunches of white flowers.
11. Yarrow – an undemanding, easy to grow, perennial white flowering herb.

1. Anise

The first plant on our list is a representative opener. Anise! Anise is a fragrant spice plant with abundant tiny white flowers borne in umbel-shaped clusters. The blooms turn into signature star-shaped seed heads.

How to Grow Anise

Anise requires a full sun position and well-drained, alkaline soil (pH 6.3 to 7.0). The young plants also need regular watering until established. After becoming lush and robust, they can tolerate periodic drought spells.

2. Basil

Basil means royal, and not without a good reason. Over the century, this herb has gotten used as a spice, a medicine, incense, and even for spell-casting! It will smell divine on summer nights – and will likely ward off mosquitos as a bonus. 

Basil flowers are small and most commonly white. Just like the leaves, they are fragrant and edible. However, sometimes they can taste bitter – try them before sprinkling them on a salad as a decoration.

How to Grow Basil

Basil is a popular choice for kitchen mini-gardens – although it grows most vigorously when planted outside in large garden containers. It requires a warm, bright, sheltered spot with no direct sunlight exposure. A nutrient-rich and well-drained substrate is also a must.

Read More – 11 Easy and Beautiful Flowering Shrubs for Zones 7 and 8! And Beyond!

3. Caraway

Because it is best known for its aromatic seed, many people do not know that caraway’s leaves and flowers are edible and can get picked in the summertime. The white umbrella-like flowerhead is similar to a carrot, parsnip, and parsley because caraway belongs to the same family.

How to Grow Caraway

Caraway is best sown directly in the ground in the early autumn. It loves full sun to partial shade and well-drained sandy loam amended with compost. The desired pH is between 6.0 and 7.5, or close to neutral.

4. Chamomile

Unlike many plants on this list renowned and grown for their foliage or seeds, chamomile plants (several species) are famous for their white-and-yellow blooms. The individual flowers are small complex flower heads consisting of white ray florets and yellow disc florets.

These are harvested and used as herbal tea or in numerous cosmetic combinations because of the calming, nurturing effect they possess.

How to Grow Chamomile

Plant young chamomile plants about eight inches apart in a sunny spot and water regularly without hesitation. After the plants get established, provide about one inch of water per week. 

Chamomile loves sunlight – but not too much. Chamomile fades when exposed to too much drought and direct sunlight, so grow it in partial shade in warm and dry climates and south-facing gardens.

5. Garlic Chives [Allium tuberosum]

Garlic chives have a reputation for being extremely easy to grow and providing abundant harvests. The leaves it is grown for have a mild taste and a discrete garlic aroma. The glistening white flower clusters are quite showy, making garlic chives a true ornamental in the herb garden. 

How to Grow Garlic Chives

This garlic cousin needs full sun and well-drained soil, and it can start both from the seed and by division. Once established, it can tolerate heat, cold, and drought. Garlic chives are so vigorous that they can be invasive in certain circumstances, so watch out for their spread.

6. Kalonji (Nigella sativa)

Kalonji, also commonly called black caraway or black cumin is well-known for the medicinal properties of its seed. Also, with its thin feathery foliage, nicely defined white or bluish flower, and puffy fruit, the Kalonji plant is one of the prettiest herbs on this list.

How to Grow Kalonji

Kalonji loves to bathe in the sunlight, so a sunny spot in the garden is necessary. Aside from Kalonji’s demanding sunlight requirements, it can adapt to various circumstances. It doesn’t mind growing in gardens, beds, or containers. 

Read More – 25 Gorgeous Trailing Flowering Plants to Help Brighten Your Day!

7. Parsley

Parsley is one of the most popular herbs since its culinary use is tremendously versatile. Its root gets used in various ways in cooked dishes, especially soups. 

Besides the glossy, tangy foliage, parsley also forms white, umbrella-like flower heads.

Parsley flowering occurs in the second year and is a beautiful event in its own right. However, it is a sign that the plant’s life cycle is almost over – and that bolting, which will render its leaves too bitter to consume, is right around the corner. Luckily, the flowers are also edible!

How to Grow Parsley

Parsley has a deep root, so it is not suitable to grow in small containers. It can be started from seed in a sunny to semi-shaded position, in moist but well-drained soil. Harvest the leaves anytime you need them by pinching or cutting the entire stems. But don’t overdo it in the latter case!

8. Ramsons (Wild Garlic)

Ramsons have aromatic traits of garlic, but instead of the bulb (which is also edible!), you use the leaves. These pack loads of vitamins and are ideal for spring refreshment and detox.

The appearance of stary white flowers signals that the ramsons season is slowly ending.

How to Grow Ramsons

Another name for ramsons is wood garlic. So it is not difficult to deduce it prefers conditions similar to those found in light deciduous forests. It needs rich, loamy but well-drained soil, a semi-shade position (although it can take both sun and shade), and sufficient moisture – but not too much of it.

Once established, ramsons will come back every spring without interventions. In time, it can create a garlic-y seasonal groundcover.

9. Rosemary

Rosemary is one of the central herbs of the Mediterranean diet and, logically, one of the best-known Mediterranean garden plants. With its shrubby growth and needle-like silvery leaves? It is a delightful and showy specimen.

We’re not alone in our adoration. Bees, wild and domestic, love its springtime white or light-purple flowers.

How to Grow Rosemary 

Rosemary is remarkably straightforward to grow if you provide it with the right conditions. It requires a sunny position with at least six to eight hours of sunlight. Too much shade? And your rosemary bush will likely get lanky and eventually die. 

The soil needs to be well-drained and sandy. As rosemary cannot take winter temperatures below 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 C), if you live in an area with harsh winters, it is better to grow rosemary in a larger pot or a container.

10. Oregano

Also a staple of the Mediterranean cuisine, oregano is an ancient Old World herb, probably made most globally famous for its role as the main spice in pizza. Besides the unique aroma, oregano has many medicinal benefits.

Depending on the variety, the decorative oregano flowers can come in pink, purple, or – you’ve guessed it – white.

How to Grow Oregano

Oregano requires free-drained soil and a sunny but sheltered spot. It can also be grown in pots, in which case it needs to get repotted every couple of years into fresh and compost-rich soil. As good drainage is the key to oregano thriving, ensure that you add a drainage layer at the bottom of the container.

When harvesting, cut back the plant to encourage vigorous (and fresh) growth.

11. Yarrow

While popular garden yarrow cultivars come in many different colors, the flower cluster of the original wild common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is white.

In some of its native regions? These flower heads are collected to create herbal infusions with many medicinal benefits.

How to Grow Yarrow

Yarrow should be planted in the full sun and can take a variety of soil types that only need to be well-draining – that’s it.

Aside from that, yarrow is a perfectly undemanding perennial that requires only the most basic garden care. But don’t forget to water it occasionally. Also, it prefers drier conditions – if the environment is too wet, it is susceptible to various fungal diseases.

Read More – 13 Beautiful Flowering Succulents and Cacti!

Best Herbs With White Flowers Seeds for Beautiful Backyard Gardens

Here are a few white flowering herbs we forgot to include in our list!

And – since we can’t get enough of their exquisite fragrances, we want to share them with you.

So we gathered a breathtaking exhibition of the most beautiful and elegant white flower seeds.

These flowers have brilliant features with flushes and blooms that complement any flowerpot or garden.

(In various lovely white, pink, yellow, orange, and pearl shades.)

We hope you enjoy sowing them!

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed this mini-tour through the world of herbs with white flowers. 

As you’ve seen, their growing requirements vary – the same as their aromas. However, one thing is for sure! Although all share the bloom color, each species is unique and brings an exceptional value to a herbal garden. Give them a try!

What is your favorite herb with white flowers? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks so much for reading.

Have an excellent day!

Inspire Others, Share This Article!