Trees with white flowers have a way of lifting and lightening a garden’s mood—as well as soothing the mood of the gardener. In the evenings, their glimmering nocturnal presence is a comfort, and by day their pale petals, augmented by bare branches or the textural contrast of foliage, are an elegantly calming balm. For the final chapter of our series, here are some of our favorite trees with white flowers for you to consider as sentinels among your perennials and shrubs. They range from small to statuesque, and can offer blossoms from very early spring through the first frost.

Photography by Marie Viljoen.

1.  Star Magnolia

Bursting from their velvet bud capsules, star magnolias (Magnolia stellata) are small to medium-sized trees and one of the earliest to bloom in spring. The flowers appear against a fretwork of bare branches and are gently scented (as well as edible in a gingery way). Star magnolias are hardy from USA growing zones 4 to 8.

2. Serviceberry

Native Amelanchier species range from shrubs to medium trees and are known variously as serviceberry, shadbush, shadblow, saskatoon and juneberry. Amelanchier canadensis, A. arborea and A. x grandiflora are tree-forms of the genus, and their white flowers are one of the earliest of the year. (In areas where shad run—or ran—up-stream to spawn in spring, the flowers coincide with their journey.) The delicate blossoms are followed by sweet, edible fruit in early summer. Amelanchier species are hardy from USDA zones 4 to 9.

3. Crabapple

White forms of crabapple (whose apple blossoms also range from the palest of pinks to deep burgundy) are plush with scented flowers in mid-spring, their ruffled blossoms offset against fresh new foliage. Crabapples are hardy from zones 4 to 8.

4. Hawthorn

Hawthorns are species of Crataegus and flower in late spring. The trees bear scarlet and orange fruit well into late autumn. Crataegus viridis is a North American native species and one of the most widely used in gardens. Hawthorns are hardy  from USDA zones 4 to 7.

5. Native Cherries

The white flowers of native American cherries like statuesque Prunus serotina (black cherry) and slightly less imposing P. padus (bird cherry) flower a month or more after the famous cherry blossom displays of Asian species. These trees are very valuable food sources for pollinators and wildlife, and the ripe fruit is useful for humans, too. Very cold-tolerant native cherries are hardy from USDA zones 3 to 9.