Yellow blooms are prized by gardeners due to the color’s innate feeling of happiness, cheerfulness, and joyfulness. Yellow brings a sense of energy to a garden and also compliments almost any other shade of flower quite nicely.
From low-growing, shade-loving ground cover to tall bushes that will burst with yellow blooms when grown in bright sunlight, there are many shrubs that are prized for their yellow blooms.
From green foliage tinged with streaks of yellow to large flowers as bright as the sun, there are many options out there that will bring a burst of this energetic color to your garden or landscape.
We’ve collected a list of 10 shrubs that will produce yellow blooms. Let’s check them out!
1. Golden Oriole Azalea
This azalea bush produces lemon-yellow flowers, although many are mixed with white or orange tinges of color. It blooms in the spring and will grow anywhere from 6-10 feet in height. It will grow best in zones 5-9 when planted in an area where it only received partial sunlight. It has a very mild fragrance and is known to attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
2. Potentilla
This shrub has dark green foliage that is comprised of many small flower-like leaves that have bright yellow flowers bursting out of the foliage. The flowers have five round leaves and a dark yellow center eye. The most common yellow potentilla shrubs are the Abbortswood and Goldstar. Potentilla is very tolerant of cold weather and grows best in zones 2-7 in an area where it receives full sun or just an hour or two of shade each day.
3. Bush Cinquefoil
Technically a member of the rose family, this is a yellow bush that is often found growing naturally and how now become popular in landscaping. It grows best in zones 2-6 and has pale yellow flowers that begin to bloom in early summer. Gardeners enjoy this blooming yellow shrub because of its very natural look. It grows from 1-4 feet in height and will bloom best when grown in full sunlight.
4. St. John’s Wort
There are many variations of the St. John’s Wort bush, with the Sunburst being among the most popular due to its flashy yellow blooms. It is often used strategically in landscaping because of its semi-invasive nature. It has small, but eye-catching, yellow flowers that have small tendrils protruding from the central eye. Growers also appreciate its lush green foliage that lasts throughout the year. St. John’s Wort will thrive in zones 5-9.
5. Forsythia
One of the most common blooming yellow shrubs, the Forsythia is a sign of cheerfulness due to the fact that it is usually one of the first perennial shrubs to begin blooming in early spring. It is a symbol of the fact that spring is on its way or that winter has ended, depending on the growing zone. It grows best in zones 4-8 and is adored by gardeners simply for the fact that it is an early bloomer and takes little to no maintenance other than pruning back the branches to keep the plant’s shape looking tidy. Forsythia is often grown outside of the garden and its bright yellow color looks incredible when grown against the green grass of summer.
6. Witch Hazel
Speaking of early bloomers, witch hazel tends to bloom even before forsythia bushes, although its blooms are far less flashy. The blooms of witch hazel are small, spiky petals that jut out from a central brown ball. Witch hazel is quite tolerant of heat and grows best in well-drained soil in an area it will receive full sun to partial shade. It will flourish best in zones 5-8.
7. Moonshadow Euonymus
Commonly used as a groundcover, this shade perennial has shiny, dark green foliage that is tinged with bursts of yellow throughout its leaves. It grows to be just over a foot in height and will spread between 4-5 feet wide. It will grow occasional branches that sound be trimmed out but is a very low-maintenance plant. It will grow best in zones 4-10.
8. Yellow Roses
Every rose color has a symbolic meaning, and yellow roses are meant to be a symbol of joy and friendship. Yellow rose bushes tend to grow between 4-6 feet in height and prefer zones 6-10. Like all roses, yellow rose bushes produce a warm, rich fragrance and will begin blooming in late spring. Rose bushes look lovely when grown against the side of a house or up against a fence because many gardeners often feel they look best as a standalone plant.
9. Japanese Rose Bush
This lovely shrub produces roses that are far more delicate in appearance than a traditional rose. It is also prized for its small, bright green leaves that adorn the stems of the bush and remain throughout the year. There are two variations to the Japanese rose bush: single-flowered and double-flowered. Both types will begin blooming in early spring. It will grow best in zones 4-9.
10. Yellow Camellia Shrub
Camellias come in many shades and the yellow camellia shrub will produce charming, pale yellow flowers with overlapping petals that have a lovely ripple. They are not very tolerant of the cold or the heat and will grow best in zones 8-10. Camellias are a more high-maintenance plant, although their flowers are lovely enough to be worth the effort.
