Yellow is nearly indispensible in a garden. It’s light, it’s bright, it adds contrast and draws the eye. Except in special situations like moon gardens and other limited color schemes, yellow is welcome because it has the ability to energize a view and alleviate perceived heaviness. Indeed, this ability is one of yellow’s best assets. Yet its very abundance means we often overlook ways to better utilize its sunny disposition.
Not everyone is a fan, of course. Yellow may not complement one’s house color or go with other important elements in the landscape. Some yellows dominate or clash. While the paler hues are easiest to work with, strong shades can be trickier when a harmonious result is desired. This causes some people to avoid yellow all together, which is a shame.
Fortunately, variations like yellow-green, yellow-apricot, yellow-beige, and exciting bicolors allow for endless possibility.
First let’s look at the range of hues yellow can take, depending on the cultivar. Here are just a few yellow-flowered plants ranging from pale and buttery to yellow-green to goldenrod and apricot.
Then there are bicolors which “read” yellow across the garden, introducing a second color, often orange or burgundy.
Many shrubs and conifers also feature yellow or yellow-green (chartreuse) foliage. Altering foliage color is an easy breeding trick, so there are more introductions coming out all the time. Yellow-pigmented hosta varieties number at least a dozen, and heuchera has at least seven. One simply can’t keep track of them all.
I find yellow-leaved shrubs especially useful. They provide color year-round and interrupt the monotony of green with refreshing pops of contrast.
Above are yellow barberry, heather Firefly, Magic Carpet spirea, Aralia Sun King, chartreuse hosta and dwarf Nortmann fir, Golden Spreader.
Strategies for Optimizing Yellow
Keep it calm with pale shades – Light yellow offers excellent compatibility and infuses the garden with a sense of comfort. Creams, buffs, beiges and light lemon hues go with just about everything. The garden below with pale yellow lilies is Heronswood, in Washington state. Notice how the variegated grasses echo the lilies.
In this scene courtesy of Gardenia.net, plumes of mullein allow bright bicolored tickseed and poppies to shine without overpowering. The paler mullein appears to recede into the background, enhancing the sense of depth.
Pair bright yellows with other warm shades. We all know how to do this but it bears repeating. Chartreuse, apricot, coral and orange are yellow-adjacent colors (on the color wheel) and therefore blend well. Intense yellows can hold their own with bold oranges and hot pinks, creating a lively display. If that still sounds too hot, try adding burgundy, chocolate or rust to tone things down. Chrome yellow and burgundy look terrific together.
Contrast with cool opposites. Technically, purple is yellow’s color opposite, but this combination is so overused it’s become a cliche. Still, it can be charming when done well, especially with unexpected pairings. Strong blues work too. The more intense the value, the greater the visual punch.
This goes for foliage plants too. Below, a yellow-green conifer next to a pale turquoise fir and Bluestar juniper make a striking combination in spring. The color shades are both a bit unusual, making a delightful combination.
Avoid intense reds and yellows side by side. This is a pairing I see a lot, often with celosia or tulips, and it always makes me wince. To my taste anyway, it’s about as subtle as mustard and ketchup. I’m not saying never– bright reds and yellows can work within a broader mix of colors, or in unequal amounts, such as lots of yellow with just a touch of red. It can also create a compelling tropical vibe. Otherwise, intense reds and yellows will compete for dominance.
I confess, I inadvertently created this look in my own garden and hated it. I didn’t realize Orange Rocket barberry has red new growth in spring. With a bright yellow Chief Joseph pine directly in front of the barberry the effect was not pretty. I was actually relieved when the pine died shortly thereafter!
Hot red and yellow pairings often come off as artificial or garish
Plan a vibrant display for a limited period. Another effective strategy is to choose several different yellow cultivars with similar bloom times. This concentrates the color into a shorter period of interest, allowing for a spectacular display while it lasts, and the freedom to focus on other colors the rest of the year.
Here are some options, grouped by season.
Late winter/ early spring yellows – A yellow-themed spring display might include winter aconite, mixed daffodils and narcissi; yellow peonies; packera; pale yellow hyacinths or yellow-tinted hellebores. And of course, tulips. Tall yellow snapdragons and bearded iris in yellow, gold and rust round out the possibilities.
Yellow shrubs and trees contribute their own allure. Think yellow barberry, forsythia, gold thread cypress, Butterfly magnolia, the French lilac Primrose (really a rich cream) and various spirea cultivars.
Deciduous specimens in bloom look especially nice against a green backdrop or underplanted with spring bulbs and groundcover. This technique offsets bare mulch and the awkward legs of tall lilacs, for instance.
Below, brilliant barberry is cooled down with white cerastium.
Summer yellows – For a midsummer display there are yellow forms of coreopsis, euphorbia, potentilla, daylilies, true lilies and black-eyed susans (rudbeckia) for starters. Also Coronation Gold yarrow (achillea).
If you like roses consider Sunny Knockout, Golden Celebration or yellow-apricot Teasing Georgia. Other options include Turkish sage Russeliana, leucanthemum Banana Creme II, St. Johns wort and santolina.
For shady spots there’s leopard plant (ligularia). Don’t forget cheery annuals like marigolds, zinnias and melampodium, which are wonderful in pots and planters too. There’s even a yellow petunia out now.
Going into fall — Perhaps the easiest season for yellow, late summer into fall offers golden echinaceas, sneezeweed, heliopsis, yellow and gold mums, helianthus and goldenrod. Since yellows naturally predominate in fall, a successive display can go on for weeks. Asters provide vivid cool contrast, and changing leaves bring even more drama. For instance, Amsonia hubrictii’s fall coloring is amazing. So is witchhazel’s. Yellow crabapple fruits can introduce a different form.
Brighten lackluster areas. This may seem obvious, but perhaps the simplest strategy of all is to light up dull areas with pots or in-ground groupings as accents. A splash of color may be all that’s needed to make an otherwise ho-hum spot come alive. Just be sure to repeat the effect at least once to avoid a spotty look.
In this photo from Heirloom Roses catalog, a rural cottage garden sparkles with judicious use of yellow (and white). Notice the careful placement of the helianthus, taking into account its height as well as adjacent and background colors. White and purple balance the strong yellow while an orange-yellow daylily ties it together by echoing the hue. Very effective.
I hope this brief article demonstrates just how versatile the color yellow can be. Why not consider where and how you can add yellow to your own landscape? Playing with color is not only fun, it’s essential for providing longlasting interest all season long.
Dear Adrienne, your “pictural discussions” of yellow were wonderful – I specifically enjoyed the cottage garden display of the combinations of so many great colors – that is what I am aiming for in my cottage/city garden- and I will be going to follow your pictures as best as I can…sincerely and thank you, a fairly new gardener, Angel
Thank you Angel! A cottage garden sounds lovely. Good luck!