Garden, the most beautiful yellow flowers.

IN THE GARDEN? YELLOW, THE COLOR OF THE SUN, BRINGS LIGHT AND ANNOUNCES SUNNY DAYS. OF COURSE, WE LOVE THIS COLOR IN ALL ITS SHADES...

We love these yellow flowers that light up the garden and pots. They open the ball of blooms and announce the arrival of spring with brilliance! 

Yellow flowers, flirtatious and early 

The first to brave the still-fresh air are the bulbs. With crocuses, it's a farandole of small yellow flowers that come alive with the first rays of sunshine. Narcissi are precocious, with the aptly named 'February Gold', then 'Jet Fire', the true daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus), and the playful Narcissus bulbocodium with its trumpet flowers. In pots, small bulbous irises with yellow flowers (Iris danfordiae) work wonders. Among the tulips, the botanicals are the first to point, with single flowers borne on shorter stems than in the April-May horticultural varieties. They naturalize easily, such as Tulipa turkestanica, Tulipa tarda, Tulipa clusiana, and Tulipa greigite. If you forgot to plant these bulbs last fall, you can make up for it with pots that are already in bloom, sold at florists. Among perennials, primroses (Primula) are at the party in various forms, to be associated with pansies (Viola). The wallflowers, which perfume the fresh air with their scent of honey, form generous flavescent tufts. In the rock garden, the flowery cushions of alyssum (Alyssum saxatile) deserve the nickname of baskets of gold. And if yellow daisies are traditionally linked to autumn, that's counting without the Caucasian doronic (Doronicum orientale), with its large bright yellow flower heads from February-March. 

The yellow shrubs, golden specimens

The first shrub to flower is the mahonia: it stands out for its large honey-scented yellow ears that spring from its evergreen foliage, evoking holly in the heart of winter. Then comes the forsythia (2 m high): it deserves a good place in the garden, which it enlivens with its many flowers covering the bare branches. We cut a few branches to hatch the first corollas in preview in bouquets in the house. Quickly followed by the ruffled pompoms of the corète (Kerria japonica), which cling to the bare and somewhat stiff stems of the shrub (2 m high), a sans-souvenir that tends to spread out, but supports pruning well. On the odd side, we have fun with the spider-shaped flowers that appear on the bare wood of the witch hazel. We think this shrub is reserved for collectors, but it is very comfortable in partial shade and deserves to be isolated to highlight its elegant flared silhouette which then captures all eyes. 'Pallida' is the variety with the most fragrant yellow flowers. In regions with a mild climate, the mimosa is essential, but we are wary of its invasiveness in a small garden. Finally, when spring is well established (March-April), Chinese azaleas ( Rhododendron luteum and Azalea mollis) display spectacular fragrant bright yellow flowers. 

Citrus fruits that resist the cold

Yellow is also the color of citrus fruits! Long confined by gardeners to the aptly named 'orange tree zone', citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, and grapefruits) have this reputation of being sensitive to the cold and of only being able to be grown in the ground on the shores of the Mediterranean and in Corsica. But the large citrus family is home to other species, which are resistant to -10°C, or even beyond, and can be planted in the ground in less clement areas. This is even truer in a well-exposed garden, sheltered from cold winds. Under these conditions, we no longer deprive ourselves of these beautiful shrubs which simultaneously bear deliciously scented white flowers (orange blossom) and vitamin-rich fruits from November to April. Satsuma (Citrus unshiu)is a very hardy Japanese mandarin, especially since the lower the temperatures, the more its skin turns orange. Its seedless flesh is tangy. Many crosses of the classic mandarin tree (Citrus reticulata) require a few years of patience before enjoying their fruits. The kumquat (Citrofortunella) and its hybrids in various forms are resistant to -10°C in good exposure. Their fruits are eaten cooked or raw with the skin. But not all hardy species produce very tasty citrus fruits. With Chinese lemon (Citrus ichangensis) or yuzu (Citrus junos), we will be satisfied with the flavor of the zest, because the flesh is bitter. As for the Poncirus (Poncirus trifoliata), its vegetation is bristling with prickles and its fruits are inedible! However, left in a cut, they perfume the whole room... It is also used as a rootstock, to increase the cold tolerance of other species. Where to find them? Sebtan nursery (81): sebtan.fr / Mediterranean citrus fruits (49): citrus.fr / Microcitrus nursery (24): microcitrus.fr.

What to match yellow flowers and plants with?

Blue flowers, wild grass, and variegated foliage! All these spring beauties, if they are self-sufficient as they are displayed in the almost nudity of the garden at the end of winter, will be enhanced by a foiled setting. The bulbs look great when they emerge from a carpet of ivy or the glossy leaves of periwinkle. We like the version with variegated foliage ( Vinca major'Variegata'), which revives the brilliance of the yellow with its golden macules. As for blue flowers, the forget-me-not is the ideal ally, because it brings lightness with its vaporous tufts. The primroses, over the years, roam and become naturalized between the tufts of lungworts (Pulmonaria), with nicely spotted leaves. Euphorbias, with grey-green foliage and an unusual chartreuse-green bloom, enhance the neighboring yellow flowers. We love the large Euphorbia characias, spectacular but a bit cumbersome, or the smaller little cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias). On the wild grass side, the Carex elata'Aurea' spreads its long golden ribbons, ideal for humid places at the end of winter. In dry soils, blue fescue forms compact bluish-gray cushions. With the almost black foliage of the Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens', which forms a 20 cm clump, or the intense purple leaves of the heuchera 'Plum Pudding' or 'Palace Purple', the contrast is more marked, bringing a certain modernity. 

How yellow promotes biodiversity

In nature, yellow is not neutral! It attracts insects; you quickly realize this in summer when you wear yellow clothing... In the flower, being yellow allows you to be quickly spotted by insects which, on visiting it, will leave with the body loaded with pollen towards another flower, and thus ensure pollination. When flowers display other colors, they often have a yellow streak across the petals, like an airstrip to guide the insect to the source of nectar. One more reason to plant these bright yellow flowers in the spring: they are quickly identified by insects hungry for food. And it's good for the food chain, because who says insects also say something to delight the birds and their broods? And a whole ecosystem is being set up!

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