Yellow in the Garden

Yellow snapdragons

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.

Playing with Texture and Shape

One way to coax a bit more interest out of your garden is to consider texture and shape. Pay attention to how they look next to each other. Do they coordinate or contrast? There’s no right or wrong here, it’s all about what you like personally. Luckily, successful matchmaking in the garden is significantly easier than it is in romance!

Of course we all live for those happy accidents when serendipity surprises us with a plant combination we didn’t see coming. Wow, how’d that happen! But there are ways to increase the odds.

Here are a few tips for intentionally creating more winning combinations!