16 Yellow Flowered Perennials To Brighten Your Yard

If you’re looking to add some yellow color to your garden, you’re in luck! We’ve compiled a list of the 16 best yellow-flowered perennials available today. We’ve got you covered from early spring blooms to late fall showstoppers. So, whatever your gardening style and needs, we have the perfect yellow perennial for you!

How to Use Yellow Flowered Perennials

There are so many ways to incorporate yellow-flowered perennials into your garden. They can be used as accent plants, mass planted for a bold statement, or even mixed with other colors for a unique and eye-catching look.

The color yellow is associated with happiness and positivity, so yellow flowers are a great way to add some cheerfulness to your garden. They can also help to brighten up dull areas or create a focal point.

One way to create a stunning effect is to pair complementary colors. Yellow and purple are complementary colors, meaning they are opposite each other on the color wheel. When placed next to each other, these colors create a vivid and eye-catching contrast. This color combination is sure to add some pizazz to your garden!

You can also create a harmonious effect by combining yellow flowers with other colors next to each other on the color wheel, such as green or orange. Try combining them with grey foliage and white flowering plants if you want to tone down the yellows.

No matter how you choose to use them, yellow-flowered perennials will brighten up your garden. The hardest part is narrowing down the choices. There are so many beautiful plants to choose from. This list is an excellent place to start. I’ve included all my favorites, many of which grow in my zone 3, clay-filled garden. If I can grow them here, anyone can grow them!

Yellow Flowered Perennials To Brighten Spring

There is nothing like those first spring flowers. They signify that warmer weather is on the way and that the gardening season is about to begin! And what better way to welcome spring than with a pop of yellow? Try these yellow-flowered perennials in your spring planting plan.

Spurge (Euphorbia Polychroma)

We have Spurge growing in our zone 3 garden, and its bright yellow flowers and vivid green leaves liven up our flower bed every May. It is one of the first perennials to flower each year.

Height 18- 24 inches
Spread 24-36 inches
Zone 2-9
Full sun (tolerates a little shade)

Spurge is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a plant that will brighten up your garden in early spring. This striking plant forms a neat mound of foliage, with bright golden-yellow flowers against the light green leaves.

Spurge is super easy to care for and tolerant of poor soil and hot, dry conditions, making it an excellent choice for those tricky spots in your garden. It’s even drought, deer and rabbit tolerant!

Spurge blooms at the same time as tulips and looks lovely alongside them. It also looks fabulous paired with a silver leaf plant such as silver king sage.

Primrose (Primula)

Primrose is the perfect flower for anyone who wants a low-maintenance plant that looks great. I grew up in England and have fond memories of wild primroses bursting forth each spring. They are such delicate flowers.

Height 6-10 inches
Spread 8-12 inches
Zone 3-8
Shady Moist Conditions

Primroses come in various colors, but my favorite is the pale yellow as they remind me of the wild primroses of my childhood. The Polyanthus include a bright yellow. These flowers thrive in partial shade and can be used to edge borders or fill in spaces in rock gardens and woodland areas.

Primroses’ blossoms are clusters of star-shaped flowers at the ends of their stems. They appear early and bloom until late spring. The plants boast crinkled oval leaves that remain dark green in color throughout the year. Primroses have a mounded form that makes them perfect for any garden or landscape.

Primroses look best planted in groups and look beautiful when grown with Forget-me-nots.

Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)

Alas, this beautiful yellow flower will not survive the winter in my garden. However, this is an attractive choice for those of you in warmer climates.

Height 3-6 inches
Spread 4 inches
Zone 4-7
Full sun to part shade

Looking for an early blooming yellow flower? Look no further than Winter Aconite! You’ll love its cup-shaped blooms, supported by 3-4 leaves that look like a skirt. This sub-group of the buttercup family is deer-resistant and virtually pest and disease-free.

Winter Aconite grows in early spring – when lobed green leaves appear with delicate yellow blooms shortly following suit. The yellow flowers last for a couple of days once they have bloomed, after which time the leaves form a beautiful green ground cover.

This gorgeous yellow-flowered perennial looks fabulous when planted in rock and cottage gardens. They are also a great choice if you are looking for a ground cover to line a pathway.

Globeflower (Trollius europaeus)

Looking for something a little different in your garden? Check out Globeflower. This gorgeous perennial is also a member of the buttercup family. It will add some visual interest with its masses of beautiful, lemon yellow flowers resembling giant double buttercups. These showy blooms are excellent for cutting and make a great addition to a spring bouquet.

Height 18-24 inches
Spread 12-24 inches
Zone 3-6
Partial shade, rich, moist soil

Globeflower is a low-maintenance plant that is mostly disease and pest free, making it an excellent choice for the home gardener. It prefers partial shade and is the perfect choice for use in areas where bold color is needed. Globeflowers look great planted with hostas, ferns, and meadowsweet. They like moist conditions, so they grow well alongside a garden pond.

Finding this post helpful? Take a look at our other lists of flowers.

Yellow Flowered Perennials For The Summer Months

Moving on to the summer months. There are a fantastic variety of yellow-flowered perennials to choose from. I’ve got 4 out of 5 of these growing in my garden. Here are some of my favorites.

Blanket Flowers (Gaillardia grandiflorum)

I discovered blanket flowers not long after I arrived in Northern Alberta. They are a hardy native plant that once grew so thickly that they would blanket the prairies in yellow, hence the name. They are easy to grow and thrive on neglect.

Height 6-36 inches
Spread 18-24 inches
Zone 3-10
full sun, poor soil

Blanket Flowers thrive in full sun and poor soil. Their richly colored, daisy-like flowers add a touch of color to any garden or container. They also have an extended bloom time, making them excellent cut flowers.

These drought-tolerant plants are perfect for hot, dry conditions and do really well in poor soil. They prefer full sun but will tolerate some light shade.

Blanket flowers are excellent for mass plantings, borders, and cottage gardens. Some dwarf varieties are available, and these are perfect for rock gardens.

Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)

We planted Creeping Jenny as a ground cover in the front of a sunny border. It rambles beautifully over our cobblestones.

Height 2-4 inches
Spread 24 inches
Zone 3-10
Sun to partial shade

Creeping Jenny is a yellow-flowered perennial that is perfect for those challenging areas in your garden. It’s a low-growing, spreading plant with yellow, cup-shaped flowers that bloom in summer. Its lush green foliage and small yellow flowers add beauty and softness to any hard edges.

This plant prefers moist conditions and will do well in the sun or partial shade. It’s an excellent choice for use as a ground cover or planted along the edge of a pond or stream.

This easy-to-grow creeper adds color and life to any area and can quickly spread to cover a wide area. Keep an eye on it, though, or it will soon take over! The lush foliage and small yellow flowers are a beautiful addition to any garden or landscape.

Daylily (Hemerocallis hybrida)

Looking for a colorful addition to your beautiful and low-maintenance garden? Daylilies are the perfect solution! These hardy plants form dense, broad clumps of green strap-like leaves and produce large, colorful flowers on leafless stems (called “scapes”) that rise above the foliage. We have them scattered throughout our garden.

Height 10-48 inches
Spread 24-36 inches
Zone 3-9
Sun to partial shade

Each mature plant can have 4 to 6 scapes, giving the plant a long bloom period. The flowers themselves look as if they have six petals. There are actually three larger petals, interspersed by three narrower yellow sepals.

Daylilies are incredibly easy to care for and thrive even in drought conditions. They are also pest and disease-resistant, making them ideal for those who want to enjoy beautiful flowers without all the hassle. Daylilies come in a myriad of colors, including yellow. These beautiful plants will add a touch of elegance to any garden.

Evening Primrose (Oenothera tetragona)

Evening Primrose is the perfect addition to any flower bed! Fragrant, four-petaled flowers grow above a rosette of oblong, long medium green leaves.

Height 18-24 inches
Spread 12-18 inches
Zone 4-10
Full sun

This hardy perennial blooms all season long, with beautiful fragrant flowers that open in the evening. Plant Evening Primrose next to other bold colors for an incredible display, or use it in naturalized gardens for a truly show-stopping effect.

As you can see, it has a relatively narrow spread, so it is a good choice for narrow borders. As an added bonus, Evening Primrose is insect and deer-resistant.

False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)

This beautiful plant is a show stopper in our garden. I love how long it blooms, and the flowers are perfect for cutting.

Height 24-36 inches
Spread 36 inches
Zone 4-10
Sun to partial shade

Are you looking for an eye-catching flower to add pizzazz to your garden? Look no further than False Sunflower! These beauties feature serrated oval leaves and branching stems that produce a bush-like plant. The double or single daisy-like yellow flowers surround a cone-shaped, golden-brown center disk.

This beautiful yellow-flowered perennial blooms from early summer to mid-fall. It produces masses of flowers, and they look great in garden bouquets.

False Sunflower can tolerate some shade but grow best in full sun! We quickly discovered that this plant needs extra support to stop it from flopping. After many experiments, we settled on this Peony Ring and ensured it was in place at the start of the growing season.

Yellow Flowered Perennials That Bloom in Fall

It can be tricky to find yellow-flowered perennials that bloom in the Fall. Many plants have already bloomed and are past their peak at this point in the season. But don’t despair; there are still a few yellow beauties that will bring some cheer to your garden as the days start to get shorter.

Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

Black-eyed Susan is perfect if you are looking for a drought-tolerant plant to handle poor soil. These plants are rarely troubled by insects or disease, making them a low-maintenance option for your garden.

Height 24-36 inches
Spread 12-24 inches
Zone 3-7
Full sun to partial shade

Black-eyed Susan makes an excellent cut flower. Rays of bright yellow petals and dark center discs grow over broad oval green leaves with a rough texture. Heat and drought resistant, Black-eyed Susan is a member of the daisy family.

While they can handle partial shade, you will get more flowers if they are planted in full sun. These plants look amazing when planted next to blue and purple flowers.

Yellow Brick Road Stonecrop (Sedum kamtschaticum)

Looking for a beautiful ground cover that thrives in sunny, dry areas? Look no further than the Yellow Brick Road Stonecrop! This gorgeous plant features masses of bright yellow flowers that cover the plant from mid-July to early September.

Height 6-8 inches
Spread 22-24 inches
Zone 3-9
Full Sun

The Yellow Brick Road Stonecrop is both drought tolerant and winter hardy. The small, dark green leaves and red stems provide a beautiful contrast to the vivid blooms. This plant adds beauty to your landscape, but it also attracts bees and butterflies.

Use as a ground cover on a slope, in rock gardens, and soften edges of paths or borders. It is also a beautiful container plant that will cascade and trail.

Sneezeweed (helenium autumnale)

Try sneezeweed if you need a beautiful, late-season perennial to give your garden a splash of color! This stunning flower comes in a wide array of colors, from light yellow to dark red, and is sure to add some zing to your garden from summer to fall.

Height 36-60 inches
Spread 12-24 inches
Zone 3-8
Full Sun

Sneezeweed gets its name because its dried leaves were once used to make snuff, but don’t let that scare you off! This is one gorgeous flower!

It features a winged stem bearing a yellow daisy-like flower head with drooping rays surrounding a cone covered with golden pollen.

Sneezeweed is an excellent cut flower, perfect for adding a touch of color to Fall bouquets. It looks great when used in mass plantings. Perfect for cottage style and prairie gardens.

Goldenrod (Solidago)

Goldenrod plants are a lovely addition to any garden. With delicate spires of tiny individual flowers in almost every shade of yellow, these large plants make a fantastic display.

Height 18-60 inches
Spread 12-36 inches
Zone 3-9
Full Sun

They’re easy to grow and don’t require much maintenance, making them excellent for any gardener. Goldenrod plants are also resistant to pests and diseases, so you can rest easy knowing your plants will thrive.

Goldenrod looks terrific with blue flowers such as Asters, Russian Sage, and Speedwell. You may need to stake the taller varieties so the plants don’t flop over.

Yellow Flowered Perennials That Bloom All Summer

I am a huge fan of perennials. They return every year and reward us with stunning foliage and blooms. The perennials that bloom all summer are my absolute favorites because they provide non-stop color from June until September. All they need is deadheading and the proper attention. Here are some yellow-flowered perennials that will bloom most of the summer through.

Tickseed (Coreopsis)

Looking for something that will brighten up your garden all summer long? Look no further than Tickseed! This beautiful perennial produces an abundance of bright, cheerful flowers in various rich colors, including gold, yellow, orange, and red.

Height 4-24 inches (depends on variety)
Spread 8-24 inches (depends on type)
Zone 2-11
Full sun to light shade

Their foliage is also beautiful, ranging from large leaves to finely textured mounds of narrow leaves.

This cheerful perennial is perfect for filling in gaps in your borders, and it’s happy in poor soil. They’re also drought-tolerant, so you don’t have to worry about watering them constantly. What’s not to love?

Whether you plant them alone or combine them with other flowers, they’re sure to brighten up your garden. They look stunning combined with Blue Sage or Speedwell.

Yellow Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Need a plant that will give you months of color without much effort? Look no further than Yarrow! This pretty flower is perfect for adding a splash of brightness to your garden, and it’s also great for cutting.

Height 12-30 inches
Spread 30 inches
Zone 3-9
Full sun to partial shade

Yarrow is a beautiful plant that produces showy flat-topped flower heads in various colors. The flowers come in yellow, white, red, and pink, but we also have some that are pale yellow and light peach. The leaves are ferny and delicate and quite pretty in their own right.

We grow Yarrow in hot, sunbaked, dry, south-facing flower beds. They thrive in places where even the Dandelions wilt and never need watering.

Yarrow is drought, deer, and rabbit resistant. They attract hoverflies and bees in droves, so they are suitable for bringing pollinators into the garden.

Yarrow can be a bit of a thug in the garden and will take over your flower beds and crowd out the other plants if you let it. You need to be ruthless about weeding out seedlings and keeping them in check.

St John’s Wort (Hypericum Perforatum)

St John’s Wort is an upright perennial with star-shaped yellow flowers blooming in clusters. They are produced in great numbers, typically 25 to 100 blooms per stem. The leaves are oblong, pale green, and stemless. They are very unusual in that they grow with scattered translucent dots. This gives them a perforated look when held up to the light.

Height 12-30 inches
Spread 30 inches
Zone 3-9
Full sun to partial shade

The best part? St. John’s Wort is low maintenance and generally pest and disease-free. You can enjoy its beauty all summer long with minimum hassle.

Where to Get Yellow Flowered Perennials

I recommend getting your yellow perennials from a local nursery rather than a big box store. Staff at a local nursery are usually knowledgeable about plants and what grows well in your area.

Another great place to get perennials is from fellow gardeners in your neighborhood. Most people are only too happy to share a root. Just a word of caution here. Free Perennials can sometimes carry along unwanted hitchhikers like quack grass or noxious weeds.

We grow many of our perennials from seed, but they have to be started quite early, and you need to place them under grow lights.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, my 16 favorite yellow-flowered perennials. I hope this list has inspired you to add some yellow to your garden. With so many options available, you’re sure to find the perfect yellow plant for your landscape! Whether you are looking for a plant to add color or texture, or just something easy to care for, yellow perennials are a great choice.