11 Yellow Flowering Trees to Plant This Year + Growing Guides
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Yellow is associated with light and positive energy. Growing one of the yellow trees I’ll be sharing brightens the landscape and sets a positive tone in your yard.
Without further ado, let’s explore these yellow flowering trees that complement orange flowers and green foliage, creating a blooming and vibrant floral display.
Quickly Find The Yellow Flowering Tree That You’re Looking For:
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.”
Alfred Austin – “The Garden that I Love”
1. Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia baileyana ‘Purpurea’)
If you have a Mediterranean garden, the cootamundra wattle is an excellent pick. It’s a small tree filled with evergreen blue-grey leaves on branches and a widespread canopy.
The blue-green foliage on the tree remains throughout the year, but the real magic happens in late winter or early spring when the tree starts flowering. It produces rounded, golden-yellow flowers that cover the branches, creating a mesmerizing and cheerful display.
Botanical Name: | Acacia baileyana ‘Purpurea’ |
Growth Rate: | Fast-growing |
Native Range: | Australia (New South Wales) |
Hardiness Zones: | 10 to 11 |
Soil Needs: | Loan or sand-based fertile soil with a slightly acidic pH |
Exposure: | Requires full sun to grow optimally |
Blooming Period: | Winter-Spring |
2. Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas)
This pest-resistant and winter-ready ornamental tree can be planted on beds and borders or be shaped as hedges or screens. It can be the centerpiece of your traditional garden, producing dark green leaves that turn purple during fall.
In early spring, the tree blooms with round, clustered flowers on a dark-brown bark with minimum foliage.
Botanical Name: | Cornus mas |
Growth Rate: | Fast-growing |
Native Range: | Southern Europe and Western Asia |
Hardiness Zones: | 5 to 8 |
Soil Needs: | Sand, loam, clay, and chalk soil with adequate drainage is crucial |
Exposure: | Can be planted in full or partial sun |
Blooming Period: | Winter-Spring |
3. Yellow Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
The yellow twig dogwood is an easy-to-grow and care-for tree. Its striking appearance makes it the preferred choice for shrub borders, ponds, and meadows. This shrub makes your winter landscape shine bright with its luminous yellow-colored shrubs.
Although the stems are yellow, the plant produces green leaves in the summer and spring seasons. The yellow twig dogwood grows white flowers that later turn into white berries that attract birds and squirrels.
Botanical Name: | Cornus sericea |
Growth Rate: | Fast |
Native Range: | North America |
Hardiness Zones: | 5 to 8 |
Soil Needs: | Rich well-draining soil |
Exposure: | Plant in partial shade or under the full sun |
Blooming Period: | Long |
4. Yellow Oleander (Cascabelathevetia)
It’s a wide-spreading shrub with funnel-shaped flowers produced in clusters during their blooming season. The strap-like leaves further elevate the striking visuals. The flowers on the yellow oleander are sweet-smelling and are a yellow-orange color.
Botanical Name: | Cascabelathevetia |
Growth Rate: | Moderate |
Native Range: | Mexico and Central America |
Hardiness Zones: | 8b to 10 |
Soil Needs: | Rich in nutrients, sandy soil |
Exposure: | Partial or full sun |
Blooming Period: | Short (Summer to fall) |
5. Yellow Azaleas (Rhododendron luteum)
Filling up your garden space with its sweet and fragrant smell, the yellow azaleas produce massive flower clusters as spring starts. The leaves are mild green in the summer and slowly turn to an orange-red shade in the fall.
It’s ideal if you have an outdoor patio, along the borders, or for the front of your house. Besides increasing a garden’s appearance, the plant attracts bees, butterflies, and birds, giving off a more natural outlook, especially during the day.
Botanical Name: | Rhododendron luteum |
Growth Rate: | Fast growth |
Native Range: | Eastern Europe, Southern Russia |
Hardiness Zones: | 6 to 9 |
Soil Needs: | A well-drained clay, sand, or loam-based soil with acidic pH |
Exposure: | Can be planted under full or partial sun |
Blooming Period: | Winter-Spring |
6. Golden Chain (Laburnum anagyroides)
In full bloom, this deciduous plant produces clusters of pea-like yellow flowers that droop down from the branches. The tree creates a mesh of hanging flowers emitting a fragrance that keeps the garden space smelling fresh.
Botanical Name: | Laburnum anagyroides |
Growth Rate: | Vigorous growth |
Native Range: | Central and Southern Europe |
Hardiness Zones: | 5 to 7 |
Soil Needs: | Moist and well-drained soil |
Exposure: | Full or partial sun |
Blooming Period: | Winter-Spring |
7. Golden Trumpet Tree (Allamanda cathartica)
Producing trumpet-shaped blooms, this exotic flowering tree thrives in temperate regions without an issue. The variety is not very popular in nurseries but it is becoming available as more gardeners and nature lovers plant this unusual tree.
When fully grown, the tree forms a magnificent crown that generates clusters of bright yellow bell-shaped flowers and silvery-gray leaves that enhance its appearance.
Botanical Name: | Allamanda cathartica |
Growth Rate: | Fast |
Native Range: | Brazil and South America |
Hardiness Zones: | 8b to 11 |
Soil Needs: | Loan, clay, or sand-based soil with adequate nutrients |
Exposure: | Requires full sun exposure |
Blooming Period: | Winter-Spring |
8. Yellow Tabebuia (Handroanthuschrysotrichus)
The tree has trumpet or bell-like flowers, is perfect for outdoor environments, and can tolerate drought-like conditions when fully grown. Although the blooming period is short, it makes the garden space highly appealing to the eye.
Botanical Name: | Handroanthus Chrysotrichus |
Growth Rate: | Moderate |
Native Range: | Mexico and Argentina |
Hardiness Zones: | 9 to 11 |
Soil Needs: | Moisture-retaining and fertile soil |
Exposure: | Full or partial sun |
Blooming Period: | Short (March and April) |
9. Yellow Jacaranda Tipu Tree (Tipuana tip)
The Yellow Jacaranda is a fast-growing tree that can grow up to 30 meters in height. It’s a close relative of the Purple flowering Jacaranda. Besides providing a splash of vibrant yellow during its blooming period, this tree can be used for shade in your garden, near the patio, or on the streets.
Botanical Name: | Tipuana tip |
Growth Rate: | Fast |
Native Range: | South Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina |
Hardiness Zones: | 9 to 11 |
Soil Needs: | Dry to moist soil wth acidic pH |
Exposure: | Full sun |
Blooming Period: | Medium |
10. Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteriapaniculata)
If you are looking for a small, deciduous tree that changes color as seasons change, the golden rain tree is the right choice. The leaves of this beautiful tree emerge as pink or purple during spring, change to apple-green in the summer, and turn bright yellow in the fall.
The tree’s yellow flowers accent the leaves during their blooming period in summer, creating a spectacular floral display.
Botanical Name: | Koelreuteriapaniculata |
Growth Rate: | Moderate |
Native Range: | China and Korea |
Hardiness Zones: | 6 to 9 |
Soil Needs: | Moist and well-drained soil with varying pH |
Exposure: | Full sun exposure is required for optimum growth and foliage |
Blooming Period: | Winter-Spring |
11. Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipiferah)
The tree grows magnificent tulip-shaped flowers with a yellowish-green color and an orange base. You might not notice intricate color distribution at first, but looking at the flowers when in close range will catch anyone’s attention.
Besides adding a pop of color to the landscape, the tree has a great spread and provides effective shade outdoors.
Botanical Name: | Liriodendron tulipiferah |
Growth Rate: | Moderate |
Native Range: | North America |
Hardiness Zones: | 4 to 9 |
Soil Needs: | Well drained but moist soil with a slightly acidic pH |
Exposure: | Full sun exposure required |
Blooming Period: | Short (April to June) |
Final Thoughts
The bright yellow color of the trees I mentioned here accents the colors of any garden. My personal preference for my yard garden was the flowering Dogwood tree, it grows well in my climate and adds a pop of color to an otherwise bleak-looking early spring.
Before you plant any flowering tree, don’t forget to check the tree’s height, whether the conditions are feasible to grow trees, and the USDA zone to ensure the tree thrives in the best possible environment.
Before you go!
Flowers I’m Growing that Look Like Feathers
11 Flowers that Look Like Hydrangeas For Your Spring Garden
11 Flowering Plants for a Small Beautiful Balcony
10 Bright Yellow Perennial Flowers to Add to Your Garden