Spring Flowering Shrubs in Zone 5 With White Flowers

Cotoneasters

• Rose family cotoneasters (Cotoneaster spp.) offer Zone 5 gardeners reliable performance and three seasons of garden interest. Creeping cotoneaster adpressus "Little Gem" stands just 9 to 12 inches high, with a 3- to 6-foot spread. The shrub's ground-hugging branches root where they touch the ground. Its dainty, five-petaled white blooms produce deep-red fall berries. Fall leaves are also red. Spreading cotoneaster (C. divaricatus) also produces abundant crops of white spring blossoms. The 5- to 6-foot shrub's green foliage brightens up autumn landscapes with shades of red and orange. Its 1/2-inch red berries persist until early winter. They flourish in sun to partial shade and well-drained, moist loam.

Viburnums

• Possumhaw viburnum (Viburnum nudum) thrives in swampy soils from southern New England to the Gulf Coast. Viburnum nudum "Brandywine" typically reaches 5 to 6 feet tall. Its glossy green, spring leaves contrast with flat clusters of white blooms. Autumn shrubs have rich maroon foliage and clusters of blue and pink berries. Linden viburnum (V. dilatatum) "Cardinal Candy" grows 4 to 5 feet high and wide. Its creamy-white flowers open in rounded clusters against dark-green, wrinkled leaves. Its cascading berries, ripening to red against rust-red fall leaves, feed birds throughout the winter. Spring-flowering viburnums thrive in well-drained locations with full sun to part shade. They perform best in moist, loamy soils.

Chokeberries

• Few May-flowering shrubs outshine chokeberries (Aronia spp.) in terms of autumn color. Purple-fruited chokeberry's (Aronia x prunifolia) pink-tinged, white spring blossoms give way to showy clusters of fall berries. The purple fruit, complementing wine-red fall foliage, brightens the garden well into winter. Compact black chokeberry (A. melanocarpa) "Morton" -- marketed as "Iroquois Beauty" -- reaches 2 to 3 feet high. The rounded shrub has lustrous, deep-green summer foliage. Autumn brings its black, blueberry-sized fruit and purple or red leaves. These shrubs handle Zone 5 winters with ease. They perform best in well-drained, averagely moist or wet soils and full sun.

Mountain Laurels

• Mountain laurels (Kalmia latifolia) illuminate late-spring woodlands and pastures across the eastern United States. The 5- to 15-foot, rounded shrubs' dense bud clusters unfurl into pink cup-like flowers. The flowers fade to white as they age. Laurel's twisting and gnarled branches of evergreen foliage provide winter interest. The Kalmia cultivar, "Snowdrift," can grow up to 10 feet high, and its white buds open to reveal white flowers free of the darker speckling and banding common on most Kalmia varieties. The "Elf" cultivar, measuring just 2 to 3 feet wide at maturity, brings elegance to small spaces. Its light pink buds produce white flowers of disproportionately large size, given the shrub's small stature. Mountain laurels thrive in partially shady to sunny spots with wind protection and moist, acidic, organically-rich soils.