Yellow is definitely one of the favorite colors of the avid gardener. People see hope and energy in the color yellow, and yellow flowers are one of the most noticeable plants in the world. 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. There are even perennial flowers that are black. These look great with yellow perennials to make your garden “pop.” Let’s get started and look at some of our favorite sunny yellow perennial flowers for your yard or home!
There’s something about the pairing of red and yellow flowers that feels cheerful, lively, and bursting with warmth. These fiery colors complement each other beautifully while also creating captivating contrasts. In this article, we’ll look at some of the best red and yellow perennial flowers to combine for showstopping garden displays.
Why Red and Yellow Flowers Work So Well Together
Red and yellow sit opposite one another on the color wheel, meaning they naturally complement each other Red has a bold, passionate energy while yellow conveys joy and optimism. Together they create excitement and vibrancy Yellow also makes red feel less aggressive and more playful.
In nature, red and yellow signal important meanings – ripeness, nectar, pollen, and warmth. They attract pollinators while also warning potential threats. Humans connect to these natural color meanings, finding red and yellow flowers stimulating and inviting.
When planted together, red and yellow perennials make each other pop. Yellow draws the eye first, acting as a vibrant focal point. Red provides a striking accent color. These bolder colors also hold up well at a distance compared to pastels.
Best Red Perennial Flowers for Pairing
Now let’s look at some specific red perennial flowers that combine beautifully with yellow blooms
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Bee Balm – Bee balm produces shaggy clusters of tubular red flowers in late spring to summer, Varieties like ‘Jacob Cline’ and ‘Raspberry Wine’ have deep red blooms,
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Poppies – Poppies come in a range of red shades, from bright cherry red to deep burgundy. Opium poppies and Oriental poppies offer huge, showy red blooms.
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Daylilies – Many daylily varieties have bold red flowers that provide a big color impact. ‘Pandora’s Box’, ‘Black Cherry Wildberry’, and ‘Ruby Spider’ are just a few examples.
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Coral Bells – Coral bells like ‘Palace Purple’ have dusky purple-red foliage and blooms that pair nicely with yellow flowers.
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Carnations – Carnations are underused but make long-blooming border plants. Look for large, frilly red varieties like ‘Gina Porto’.
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Lobelia – Compact lobelia varieties produce spikes of tiny scarlet-red flowers that create movement and contrast.
Best Yellow Perennial Flowers for Pairing
Now let’s explore some top yellow perennial flowers to combine with red blooms:
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Black-Eyed Susans – These daisy-like perennials come in many forms but all have bright golden yellow petals around a dark central cone.
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Daylilies – Yellow daylily varieties offer a huge range of options. Early bloomers like ‘Happy Returns’ and late bloomers like ‘Primal Scream’ extend the season.
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Tickseed – Easy-care tickseed flowers have a neat, mounded form blanketed in golden blooms. Brandywine and Moonbeam are two yellow favorites.
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Yarrow – Yarrow produces large clusters of tiny yellow flowers on airy stems. ‘Moonshine’ is a popular variety.
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Coreopsis – Cheery coreopsis bears daisy-form yellow flowers. Types like ‘Early Sunrise’ and ‘Moonbeam’ thrive in full sun.
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Ligularia – Exotic ligularia blooms in later summer with huge spiky clusters of yellow daisy flowers.
Top Red and Yellow Perennial Combinations
Now let’s look at some specific perennial pairings that allow red and yellow flowers to play off one another:
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Try combining yellow yarrow (Achillea) and red bee balm (Monarda) for a long bloom sequence.
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Partner the feathery yellow blooms of tickseed (Coreopsis) with the bold red Oriental poppies for contrast.
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Underplant the towering red spikes of Lobelia ‘Fan Scarlet’ with a yellow and green variegated hosta.
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Highlight the cherry red tubular flowers of Lobelia cardinalis with a low mass of Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia).
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Let yellow daylilies (Hemerocallis) mingle with the purple-red foliage and bright blooms of coral bells (Heuchera).
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Surround a red-orange heliopsis ‘Summer Sun’ with a river of golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia).
Design Tips for Combining Red and Yellow Flowers
Follow these simple design principles to get the most impact when combining red and yellow perennials:
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Use yellow as your anchor color, planting it in larger masses. Add red as accents throughout.
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Choose red and yellow flowers that complement in shape – for example, pair spiky red lilies with fluffy yellow astilbe.
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Incorporate foliage with purple tints to provide a transition between the red and yellow.
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Plant red and yellow blooms in drifts or swathes rather than in strict lines or blocks. Let them mingle informally.
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Consider incorporating blue flowers like salvias to add a third color and create a bright, lively composition.
Caring for Red and Yellow Perennial Flowers
With a bit of care, your red and yellow perennial combinations will flourish:
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Check if your chosen flowers prefer sun or shade and plant them accordingly. Most reds and yellows need full sun.
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Give plants room to reach their mature sizes. Space short and tall varieties so they don’t overcrowd.
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Amend soil with compost or organic material to encourage vigorous growth and blooms.
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Water whenever the soil dries out. Established plants require 1-2 inches of water per week.
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Apply a balanced fertilizer in spring and again mid-season if blooms start to fade.
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Deadhead spent flowers to prolong blooming. Cut back any damaged foliage or collapsed stems.
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Divide clumps when they outgrow their space, usually every 3-5 years. Replant divisions to rejuvenate.
Achieving Maximum Impact with Red and Yellow Flowers
With so many red and yellow perennials to explore, you’re sure to find winning combinations to add sizzle to your garden. Keep these bright beauties close to paths, patios, and other high-visibility spots where their dazzling colors can be fully appreciated. Get creative combining different textures, shapes and heights for displays brimming with excitement and joy. Any garden space graced with the pairing of vibrant red and golden yellow flowers is guaranteed to lift the spirits!
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. But in small doses, it can be brilliant, so don’t let anyone put you off. The color yellow is the brightest in the light spectrum. This means that yellow flowers can make even the darkest days brighter.
In the flower world, there are two types of yellow: 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:
- Add a few yellow flowers here and there in the garden, either in beds or pots.
- Use one flower or one shade of yellow to make yellow ribbons to put around your beds.
- Color theory says to put flowers next to each other that are the opposite color, like purple flowers, to make them stand out.
- Herbaceous perennials can be used to light up dark spots or make focal points.
Just like perennial vegetables, flowering perennials return year after year. In other words, you don’t have to spend as much time on them once they’re established as you do with annuals that need to be replanted. 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
Okay, now that you know how to use yellow in your garden, let’s look at some of our favorite yellow perennials. Remember that many of these flowers don’t do well in all situations and will do better at certain times of the year and in certain climates. Looking for annuals too? We have a comprehensive list of yellow flowers that includes both annuals and perennials.
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. This plant can grow anywhere in the garden, even in pots, and it blooms from midsummer to fall.
American Gold Rush won the All American Selection Award in 2020 as the herbaceous perennial winner. It is effortless to grow, and pollinators 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.
Scientific Name: Achillea
Firefly Sunshine is the most durable color in the yarrow family, which makes it perfect for gardeners who like the sun. 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 being ideal for creating the ribbon effect discussed 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.
Scientific Name: Heliopsis helianthoides
It is a showy flower that is also called the false sunflower. It does well in pots or in a flower bed. This perennial is ideal for those looking for a pop of gold in their garden. The flower’s center is orange to brown, and the leaves are a dark green 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. It is an easy-going plant that needs a mix of sun and shade. Getting rid of spent blooms will make it flower more.
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 from late spring to early summer and end the season with pretty seed pods in the fall.
It is a great focal point in any landscape because of its height and the contrast between the blue and yellow leaves. 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.
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 days before dying off, hence its name, day lily. With six petals that arch back, each flower looks different, and some have ruffled edges that make your beds look even more interesting. 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.
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 when it blooms, it’s lemon yellow and then slowly turns buttery yellow. And when the flower finally matures, it changes color again to a creamy white. Who doesn’t love a 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.
Scientific Name: Hibiscus
There are many kinds of hibiscus, but only this yellow one lives for a long time, so make sure you get Old Yella. The Fiesta Hibiscus is similar in that it is a hardy flower that gives any garden a touch of the exotic. Some types of Hibisucs are blue, but this one is pale yellow. Sometimes it’s so pale that you have to get really close to see 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.
Scientific Name: Sedum
This is a lovely groundcover perennial that blooms later than most, so you can keep your garden open longer. It blooms late spring to early summer, lasting the fall through to winter. The bright yellow flowers are delicate and look like jasmine. They sit on top of green leaves that look like spots.
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.
Scientific Name: Kniphofia
The flower Solar Flare is sunny and bright. It comes in red, orange, and our favorite, yellow, and keeps its 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 are natives 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. Plus, they need at least six hours of direct sunlight a day to do well. They do best in zones 5 to 9. Solar Flares attract butterflies and hummingbirds, bringing excitement to every garden they live in.
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. The name “Lenten Rose” comes from the fact that they often bloom during Lent, the Christian season.
These flowers can grow up to 24 inches tall and look great in pots or anywhere else in the garden. Being evergreens, too, they provide beauty in the colder months. They do best in zones 4 to 9 and like average to fertile, well-drained soil. They like full to part shade. They might be slow to grow, but they are showy flowers once they mature.
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 why they do particularly well in containers because 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.
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 comes from the poppy family and can be found a lot in the Italian and Swiss Alps.
Because it only grows 12 inches tall, Yellow Corydalis looks great in beds, borders, and rock gardens. 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.
Scientific Name: Lanceolata
Warm yellow flowers grow on tall green stems that can grow up to 24 inches tall on this plant. They are a native perennial that provides us with showy blooms that have eight delicately fringed petals. Butterflies and bees love this plant, so you can be sure it will bring them all to your yard. You might have heard them being called Lanceleaf Tickseed.
Not only do they shine sunshine on your garden, but they also give you flowers that are easy to take care of and will grow almost anywhere. They can grow in zones 4 through 9, and they like full sun and dry to medium, well-drained soil. It grows in small clumps, but in optimal conditions, it will self-seed and spread quickly. They are ideal for wildflower gardens.
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 grows to a healthy 47 inches tall and looks great in flower beds or at the edge of a hedge border. Goldfinger prefers zones 3 to 7. It is hardy because it tolerates drought, salt, and poor soils, making it a favorite of novice gardeners.
10 Long Blooming Perennials for a Colorful Garden // PlantDo Home & Garden
FAQ
What is a perennial red flower with yellow center?
Is there a perennial that blooms all year?
What perennial plant has bright yellow flowers?
What is a yellow flower with a maroon center?
Do yellow perennials look good in gardens?
As you can see, there are many wonderful yellow perennial flowers that look great in gardens. All of these blooms can bring a positive vibe to your flower bed and create an attractive space for your front or back yard. Consider picking several yellow perennials for your garden to bring joyful beauty to your life.
What perennials have yellow flowers?
These perennials with yellow flowers, from black-eyed Susans to sunflowers, will fill your landscape with color.
Is red a perennial flower?
A perennial flower is preferable because it returns year after year, bigger and brighter than before. Birds, bees, and butterflies love the color of red, which means you can turn your yard into a bird-watching haven. In addition, the color red can bring a pop of color to a garden, instantly brightening your yard.
What do yellow perennials mean?
Here are 18 beautiful yellow perennials to make you smile every time you see these flowers. Yellow stands for happiness and positivity. When we see objects that are yellow, we associate them with joy and optimism. We may paint a room yellow to brighten a space up. Yellow can mean freshness, energy, clarity, and so much more.