There is something so beautiful and mesmerizing about monochrome color-themed gardens. Monochrome gardens are far from boring. They highlight the immense diversity of plants and flowers within a single-color family. Color gardens also often have room for large groupings of individual types of plants, and large drifts of a single type of flower or plant in one color can make a strong statement in the landscape.
Yellow is a refreshing and cheerful color, so what better choice for a color theme garden? There are plenty of plants that fit into the yellow spectrum, with flowers or foliage. Here are nine yellow plants that you can use in a yellow color garden.
There are over 20 different daylilies in the yellow spectrum, from the palest barely yellow Marque Moon to vibrant Lemon Lily to the stunning Aztec Gold. Yellow daylilies also come in both single and double flowers, as well as the dramatic spider types.
If you want to push your color planting scheme even further, there are also tons of daylilies in the orange spectrum that could mix well into a yellow planting scheme. These easy-care perennials could almost make a whole garden on their own.
Heliopsis is more commonly known as False Sunflower or Oxeye Sunflower. There are several different cultivars that are in the yellow spectrum. They are a hardy perennial and are also heat and drought-tolerant.
They can be anywhere from three to six feet tall and feature single and dense double blossoms. The singles will be more popular with pollinators. These perennials usually won’t bloom the first year, but they’ll start the second summer and go all season long. They form clumps that you can divide to expand your yellow planting scheme every two to three years.
Hostas are one of the best foliage perennials, especially for planting in shadier locations in the yard. They have a very diverse color range, and their huge leaves showcase color well. Dancing Queen, Designer Genes, and Fire Island are all on the more intense yellow end of the spectrum with solid color leaves.
On the lighter side, hostas Great Expectations, Mama Mia, Maui Buttercups, and Orange Marmalade (among many others) feature variegated leaves with yellows across the color scheme from the palest pastel yellow to creamy, buttery yellow to vibrant lemon yellow.
Red Hot Poker, or Torch Lilies, are a unique flowering plant highlighting the diversity available in the yellow planting scheme. They are bold and eye-catching with tall spikes of strange tubular flowers. They bloom all season long, from late spring until the fall, and are popular with hummingbirds. They come in a wide range of yellows, from deep oranges to pale pinkish yellow to greenish yellow.
Rudbeckia, also called Black-eyed Susan, is available in countless shades of yellow and cultivars with variegated petals. These hardy native perennials look fantastic planted in mass groupings. Different cultivars vary widely in height, from 10-12 inches up to six feet tall. There are single bloom or double bloom varieties.
Sedums are a unique perennial addition to your yellow planting scheme. They have thick succulent type foliage with clusters of tiny flowers. Sedums are great for dry and hot locations, and these hardy little things thrive on neglect! They tend to be low-growing, forming mats of flowers that last all through the summer. They’re possibly the lowest maintenance plant you’ll find for your yellow planting scheme.
Achillea, or yarrow, is a perennial with a much softer texture than the larger flowers mentioned above. These beauties have flat clusters of tiny flowers that last seemingly forever once they start blooming. They have soft fern-like foliage that is a lovely contrast to coarser plants.
Different cultivars vary in height from 12 inches to three feet tall. The yellows available have quite rich gold tones, although there are a few that fall more to the pastel end of the color scheme. Yarrow will naturalize and spread after planting, creating a beautiful carpet of flowers.
Marigolds are the classic yellow flower that everyone knows. They’re highly underrated. A vast range of cultivars varies widely in appearance and size, mainly within the yellow color scheme. Most marigolds are annuals and many plants self-seed, so they may keep coming back. They’re also fast and easy to start from seed. There are variegated types or plain colors and single or double flowers. Marigolds also help repel many pests.
Dahlias might be one of the most diverse flower families. There are thousands of different cultivars and a massive range of colors and bi-colors. There are single and double flowering types, with multiple different petal styles in both categories. They range in size from 12 inches to six feet tall. There are varieties across the yellow spectrum, from bright lemon yellow to pale creamy-white to rich gold tones. Dahlias are tender perennials, so they’ll need to be dug up and stored in a dark, dry location over the winter.
Ready to get your yellow monochrome garden started? Stop by the garden center and check out what we’ve got in stock right now.
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Ted Lare Design Build specializes in Des Moines Landscaping Design and Installation.
We cover a wide range of Central Iowa. We have installed landscapes for many years in all areas of the Des Moines metro, including West Des Moines, Des Moines, Waukee, Clive, Urbandale, Johnston, Ankeny, Altoona, Indianola, and Norwalk.
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