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Yellow is definitely one of the favorite colors of the avid gardener. The color yellow is seen as a reflection of hope and energy, and yellow flowers are one of the most visible plants in nature. There are plenty of yellow perennial flowers for your garden, so how do you choose?
We have chosen an assortment of 20 yellow perennial flowers for your garden. Our selection encompasses a wide variety of plant needs, bloom times, heights, zones, and much more.
This means there is something here for everyone and every gardener. There are many other colors you can pair them with as well. Even black perennial flowers exist, which can pair well with yellow perennials to give your garden some extra “pop.” Let’s jump in and take a look at our favorite bright, sunny yellow perennial flowers for your home or garden space!.
How to Make Yellow Perennial Flowers Work
Many gardeners find the color yellow challenging to work with. For this reason, some gardeners refuse to work with it altogether. Sure, yellow can be an overwhelming color when not used in the right way. Butin small doses, it can be brilliant, so don’t let anyone put you off. Yellow is the most luminous color in the light spectrum, meaning that yellow flowers provide a source of brightness even on the dullest of days.
It’s important to know thatthereare two shades of yellowin the flower world, and these are cool and warm. Cool yellow flowers are either pure yellow or slightly green in color. And warm yellow flowers are hues that are either tinted with red or are richer in color.
There are four ways to make the color yellow work in your garden:
- Sprinkle yellow flowers sparingly around the garden, either in beds or pots
- Plant yellow-colored ribbons throughout your beds using one flower or one shade of yellow
- Using color theory, pair with opposite-colored flowers, such as purple, to make them both pop
- Use herbaceous perennials to brighten dark areas or to create focal points
Just like perennial vegetables, flowering perennialsreturn year after year. Meaning that once they are established, you don’t need to spend as much time on them compared to annuals that need replanting. Some perennials are super hardy and require little protection during the winter months. Whereas some are more delicate, and these are called tender perennials. Perennials tend to pile their energy into a shorter blooming time too. Which often means fantastic shows of color.
List of Popular Yellow Perennial Flowers
Now that you know how to make the color yellow work in your garden let’s look at our favorite yellow perennial flowers.Keep in mind that many of these flowers are not one-size-fits-all applications and will flourish better at certain times of year and in certain climates. Looking for annuals too? We have a comprehensive list of yellow flowers that includes both annuals and perennials.
American Gold Rush
Scientific Name: Rudbeckia
The common name is Black-Eyed Susan, and it’s easy to see why it’s earned that description. It produces yellow dome-shaped flowers with a contrasting black raised center. This flower offers a warm yellow hue, and the foliage is light green. This rudbeckia is one of the shortest in the family, reaching up to 24 inches tall. It is suitable for all places in the garden, including containers, and it blooms from midsummer through to fall.
American Gold Rush won the All American Selection Award in 2020 as theherbaceous perennial winner. It is effortless to grow, andpollinators adore this flower. It does best in zones 4 to 9 with access to full or partial sun. This particular flower is resistant to Septoria Leaf Spot, thanks to the thin hairy leaves. Creating a sigh of relief for Black-Eyed Susan lovers.
Firefly Sunshine
Scientific Name: Achillea
Firefly Sunshine has the longest-lasting color in the yarrow family, making it ideal for the sun-seeking gardeners out there. It profusely flowers on stiff stems, making it perfect for cut flowers or dried bouquets. The bright individual yellow flowers are small, with bobbly centers that contrast with the gray-green foliage. It reaches up to 30 inches tall.
The Firefly Sunshine makes an excellent border flower. As well as beingideal for creating the ribbon effectdiscussed earlier thanks to its upright habit. This flower does best in zones 3 to 8. It needs full to partial sun and should be planted in well-drained, average, or poor soil. It doesn’t do too well in rich soil. Once the flowers die off, cut the plant back by half, ready for next year.
Tuscan Gold
Scientific Name: Heliopsis helianthoides
Also known asthe false sunflower, it is a showy bloom that holds its own in containers or mixed in among the flower bed. This perennial is ideal for those looking for a pop of gold in their garden. The center of the flower is orange to brown in color, and the leaves are dark green in color. This yellow perennial attracts the birds and the bees, allowing everyone to enjoy it.
Tuscan Gold does best in zones 4 to 9, and it blooms mid to late summer. It has an upright, mounded habit that stays neat and tidy, earning its reputation as a well-mannered flower. It reaches heights of 24 to 32 inches. Removing spent blooms will encourage more flowering, and it is an easy-going plant that needs a mixture of both sun and shade.
Lemon Meringue
Scientific Name: Baptisia
Lemon Meringue is a baptisia hybrid that is a very long-lasting and stunning perennial. It forms an upright, vase-shaped mounded habit that reaches 36 inches tall. The lemon-yellow flowers are carried by charcoal stems coming from blue-green foliage. They bloom in late spring through to early summer and finish off with decorative seed pods in the fall.
Theyellow and blue foliage color contrastand the height make it an ideal focal point in any landscape. It requires little maintenance to look its best, making it an excellent option for garden beginners. This flower is drought and deer-resistant, and it is native to North America. It likes both sun and shade, and it does best in zones 4 to 9.
Going Bananas
Scientific Name: Hemerocallis
This is a day lily cultivar that produces delicate banana-yellow flowers sized at 4 inches in width.Each flower remains open for one to two daysbefore dying off, hence its name, day lily. Each flower has six petals that arch back, and some have ruffled edges to add an extra layer of texture to your beds. Blooming begins in June and lasts until late September.
This plant does best in zones 3 to 9, and it prefers full sun to partial shade. They tolerate heat and humidity but appreciate deep watering in dry spells to keep it looking its best. The soil should be medium moisture and well-drained. They are great for borders or edging and grow to around 24 inches tall.
Banana Cream
Scientific Name: Leucanthemum superbum
Staying with the banana theme, this plant was formerly known as the Chrysanthemum maximum. Sometimes also known as a Shasta Daisy. It looks like a white daisy, but it blooms as lemon yellow and slowly transforms into buttery yellow in color. And when the flower finally matures, it changes color again to a creamy white. Who doesn’t lovea color-changing flower?
Each stem holds one bud, and the flower measures up to 5 inches wide. The foliage is dark green in color, and they stand erect, creating a uniform bunch. They do best in zones 5 to 9 and require full to partial sun. The flowers bloom in early to late summer, lasting until fall. They are suitable for containers, and they are relatively resistant to a variety of diseases.
Old Yella
Scientific Name: Hibiscus
There are many different varieties of hibiscus, but only this yellow option is a perennial, so make sure that you buy Old Yella. It’s similar to the Fiesta Hibiscus, in that it’s a hardy bloom thatadds a touch of exotic sensationto any garden. While some Hibisucs varieties are blue, this flower is pale yellow, sometimes so pale that you need to get up close to realize that it’s not white. The center of the flower is crimson red, adding a contrasting dash of color.
Old Yella is a woody-based plant that has upright branching stems that reaches just under 50 inches tall. Making them ideal as a backdrop or standing against fences. Each bloom measures a whopping 12 inches. It needs moist but well-drained soil and full sun to look its best. Roughly, it can take 5 to 10 years for this plant to reach full maturity. It is hardy in zones 5 to 9.
Yellow Brick Road
Scientific Name: Sedum
This is a beautiful groundcover perennial thatflowers later than most, meaning you can extend the season of your garden.It blooms late spring to early summer, lasting the fall through to winter. The bright yellow flowers are delicate and jasmine-like in their appearance, sitting atop green foliage giving a speckled effect.
The plant is mounded with hardly any gaps, making it an ideal filler, border, or edging plant. It is also great for creating the yellow ribbon that many gardeners adore. Yellow Brick Road only reaches up to 8 inches tall. It performs best in full sun and does well in zones 3 to 9. This flower requires poor to average, well-drained soil. It doesn’t need much maintenance, and bees and butterflies go crazy for it.
Solar Flare
Scientific Name: Kniphofia
Solar Flare is a bright and sunny flower that comes in red, orange, and our favorite, yellow, holding their color until the end. The flowers are spiky in appearance and are upright in habit, reaching heights of 42 inches. It also reblooms, which extends the beautiful color into the late season. They are tropical in appearance and arenatives of South Africa.
The Solar Flare is often called Red Hot Poker or Torch Lily, and they have grass-like foliage. They make ideal choices for the middle of any border or as focal points. They do best in zones 5 to 9, and they need a minimum of 6 hours of direct sun to thrive. Solar Flares attract butterflies and hummingbirds, bringing excitement to every garden they live in.
Spanish Flare
Scientific Name: Helleborus
Also known as the Lenten Rose, this beautiful yet delicate flower adds elegance wherever it goes. The foliage is light green, carrying a single pale yellow bloom with a maroon-red center backing the nectaries. Theyoften flower during the Christian season of Lent, which is how they earned their common name, the Lenten Rose.
These flowers reach up to 24 inches in height, and they are ideal anywhere in the garden, including containers. Being evergreens, too, they provide beauty in the colder months. They prefer full to part shade, do best in zones 4 to 9, and like average to fertile, well-drained soils. They might be slow to grow, but they are showy flowers once they mature.
Bottle Rocket
Scientific Name: Ligularia
Sometimes known as the Leopard Plant, this is a striking clump-forming perennial with jaggedly toothed stalks. From the brown-colored slender stems comes small yellow flowers that are very fine in appearance. The flowers bloom in late summer into autumn. It has large green leaves creating the foliage, and they reach up to 36 inches in height.
Bottle Rockets like full sun and partial shade but like to be protected from the midday sun. So you need to get your placement right. This is whythey do particularly well in containersbecause you can move them around. Ultimately, zones 4 to 9 are ideal for this flower. They require constant moisture, so you need to keep an eye on their soil for best results.
Corydalis
Scientific Name: Pseudofumaria lutea
This plant is also known as Yellow Fumewort, and it is a rounded, herbaceous perennial. Its foliage is fern-like and green in color, which gives way to golden-yellow flowers throughout summer. The bloom has four petals, with the top and bottom petals being crested for extra pizazz. It is part of the poppy family, and it isoften found in the Alps of Italy and Switzerland.
Yellow Corydalis makes a great addition to beds, borders, and rock gardens, thanks to its low-lying nature of 12 inches. It tolerates dry conditions but needs well-drained soil, and it prefers zones 4 to 8. It can become weedy or rotten in the winter if unprotected. And it is an abundant self-seeding plant, and it does not tolerate being moved once it is developed.
Coreopsis
Scientific Name: Lanceolata
This plant consists of warm yellow flowers that sit atop tall green stems that reach up to 24 inches in height. They are a native perennial that provides us with showy blooms that have eight delicately fringed petals.Bees and butterflies love this plant, so you can be sure it will bring all the pollinators to your yard. You might have heard them being called Lanceleaf Tickseed.
They don’t just provide rays of sunshine throughout your garden, but they also offer easy to care for blooms that are happy to grow almost anywhere. They are hardy in zones 4 to 9, and they prefer full sun and dry to medium, well-drained moisture soil. It grows in small clumps, but in optimal conditions, it will self-seed and spread quickly. They are ideal for wildflower gardens.
Goldfinger
Scientific Name: Potentilla fruticosa
This herbaceous perennial is a bushy, upright, deciduous shrub that produces bright yellow flowers. The blossoms are so profuse that it covers the entire foliage, consisting of small green pinnate leaves. Making ideal for sunny borders. It flowers in summer and autumn, making it a later bloomer than most other perennials.
Goldfinger requires partial shade and sun and moist soil, which allows the flowers to stay beautiful for longer. It makes a great addition to any flower bed or hedging border, and it grows to a healthy 47 inches tall. Goldfinger prefers zones 3 to 7. It ishardy because it tolerates drought, salt, and poor soils,making it a favorite of novice gardeners.
Shrubby St. John’s Wort
Scientific Name: Hypericum prolificum
This is an upright perennial flower withstar-shaped blooms. They are showy and bright yellow in color, decorated with a prominent bouquet of yellow stamens. With so much stunning yellow to be seen, it is irresistible to pollinators and humans alike. The foliage is blue-green in color, but it is inconspicuous compared to the sunburst this yellow flowering shrub brings to your garden space.
This perennial is native to North America, but be sure not to confuse it with Common St. John’s Wort, an invasive, noxious weed. It is hardy in zones 3 to 8 and is generally easy to care for. It is ideal for banks, slopes, borders, and rock gardens, and it grows up to 47 inches tall. Ingestion may cause severe discomfort, so please do not put this on your plate.
Golden Calla Lily
Scientific Name: Zantedeschia elliottiana
No list is complete without a decorative and exotic Calla Lily, so here we have the Golden Calla. They are tuberous trumpet-shaped flowers that are rich in golden tones. The flowers stand out against the light green long arrowhead leaves that are heavily speckled with white spots. They are native to South Africa, adding a tropical touch to any garden.
This showy perennial isan award-winning showstopper, and is best for focal points, containers, or planted in drifts. They also make ideal cutting flowers. They reach heights of 35 inches tall, and they require full to partial sun. These flowers are surprisingly easy to care for and look best during the summer and fall seasons.
Golf Beauty
Scientific Name: Craspedia globosa
This is one of the most unique-looking flowers on this list, and it’s easy to see why they are named Golf Beauty. They are also sometimes referred to as Billy Buttons. Theblooms are golfball-shaped, and they stand loud and proud everywhere they go. They stand on tall, narrow silver-green stems that reach up to 35 inches in height.
It is an evergreen perennial, and in the right conditions, they bloom year-round. They thrive in full sun with heavy summer watering and are natives of the Outback in Australia. Their favorite zones are 8 to 11. They are noted for their cutting excellence, be that dried or fresh bouquets. They are generally disease-resistant and easy to care for once established.
Graham Thomas Rose
Scientific Name: Rosa
This is another garden staple that requires a place on our list, and it is the ever-popular Graham Thomas Rose. It is uniquely colored with yellow and red-tinged petals and is heavily scented. It haspreviously been voted the world’s favorite roseand won other prestigious horticultural awards. This rose looks spectacular when placed next to light blue flowers such as lavender or campanula.
The Graham Thomas Rose is a rebloomer, lasting from spring to the first frosts. Combining this with the fact that it is relatively easy to care for means it is a rewarding perennial to give space to in your garden. It is an upright bushy shrub that can grow more than 100 inches, making it a great climbing plant. It loves the summer heat and does best in zones 5 to 10.
Yellow Coneflower
Scientific Name: Echinacea paradoxa
This is the only Echinacea species to feature yellow flowers instead of the traditional purple. It is a herbaceous perennial that produces warm yellow drooping petals, with dark brown cones as the center stage. Known as the Yellow Coneflower, it isone of the most attractive native American flowers.It has dark green foliage with narrow leaves, allowing the flower to be the star of the show.
The Yellow Coneflower is best known for its long-lasting blooms and tolerance of almost everything. This flower does best in zones 5 to 9, and it craves exposure to full sun. When planted in mass, they attract pollinators and hummingbirds. The cones provide seeds for birds when they dry out too. Use the color theory method, and plant them with crimson penstemon or blue perovskia atriplicifolia.
Sunburst
Scientific Name: Heliopsis helianthoides
Sunburst is an excellent tall perennial that best sits in the middle or in the back of a flower border. It is a relatively new strain of Ox-Eye. The daisy-like flowers are bright golden in color and are making a comeback thanks to the bold color trend hitting gardens across the country. The foliage is light green in the spring, and they green up throughout the summer. They are known for their stunning variegated leaves that provide a fantastic backdrop for these yellow flowers.
Sunburst needs full sun to reach their potential, and they do best in zones 4 to 9. These flowers reach up to 28 inches in height and are late bloomers that rise in July through September. They are attractive to wildlife, and they make great border flowers.
Final Thoughts
Yellow flowers might have a reputation for being difficult to work with. But when using the four planting methods above, you are sure to make them rock your garden and brighten up your landscape. Hopefully, our selection of 20 yellow perennial flowers for your garden has provided you with the sunny inspiration that you need.
