Winter and early spring are gloomy times. The days are short, the weather is murky and most garden plants are dormant. What you really need is a bit of sunshine.
Fortunately, there are a few plants that produce bright, sunny yellow flowers despite the cold. This ‘winter gold’ will warm your heart and lift your spirits, even on the darkest of days.
Primula
These are great bedding plants for containers and come in a huge range of colours, from off-white and butter yellow to orange tones.
Crocus
Most crocus varieties are purple, but there are a few that produce rich yellow flowers. They open wide in early spring sunshine and look great naturalised in the lawn.
Witch hazel
This deciduous shrub produces incredible flowers with strappy petals that look like fireworks. Great for cutting and bringing indoors to display.
Winter aconite
These woodland plants bloom in the depths of winter and produce cup-shaped flowers above a ring of leaves. Plant them under deciduous trees or shrubs to keep them cool in summer.
Daffodils
daffodils
The classic yellow garden flower. Daffodils herald the arrival of spring, with some varieties flowering as early as January. Try Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’ and ‘Tete-a-tete’.
Coronilla valentina
This is a bushy evergreen shrub with silvery-green leaves and scented, pea-like yellow flowers. It blooms from summer right up to winter.
Pussy willow
Small willow trees or salix produce furry catkins that bear yellow pollen in early spring. Small varieties look great in pots with yellow bedding plants put in around the base.
Viola
Small-flowered violas can be bred to flower in autumn and winter, making them perfect for containers. Keep them moist for a long display.
Forsythia
This is a great shrub for garden colour. It produces little yellow flowers all along the branches in spring.
Mahonia
These shrubs have lovely evergreen leaves and long spires covered in delicate yellow flowers that bloom early in the year.
Wintersweet
Grow Chimonanthus praecox up against a sunny wall for delicate flowers and a spicy scent along the woody stems from November to March.
Cytisus
Broom is a popular shrub that produces little yellow flowers in spring. It will grow in any soil and can be evergreen or deciduous.
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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