18 Yellow Flowering Shrubs

The Best Yellow Flowering Shrubs For Your Garden

Yellow doesn’t just brighten up your garden; it uplifts your mood! This energetic, vibrant colour is cheerful and warm. It provides a pop of colour that will immediately attract the gaze. 

So, why wouldn’t you want glorious yellow flowering shrubs in your garden? This article will help you choose which shrubs with yellow flowers to go for. 

1. Yellow Roses

Scientific name: Rosa

Roses are a must-have in any British garden. There are several yellow flowering Rose shrubs of particular note, including:

• Golden Wedding Rose
• Midas Touch
• Graceland
• Sunbright
• Summer Sunshine.

Yellow Roses are a well-known symbol of friendship and happiness. Supposedly, they will bring you good fortune in these areas when planted. 

2. Cotton Lavender

Scientific name: Santolina chamaecyparissus

Cotton Lavender’s yellow pompom blooms are accompanied by green-grey powdery foliage. This evergreen plant grows from 1 – 3ft tall and makes an excellent groundcover. 

It’s a Mediterranean plant, so it works best in a garden reflecting this region. Cotton Lavender’s name is deceiving, as it’s not related to lavender or cotton. 

3. Forsythia

Scientific name: Forsythia

Forsythia has long branches adorned with striking yellow blooms. The blooms appear before the leaves, so you get the pleasure of an unimpeded view! This early flowerer signals the start of spring; the colder months are over! 

Reaching a height of 8ft, this voluminous plant puts on a staggering show. 

4. Shrubby Cinquefoil ‘Goldfinger’

Scientific name: Potentilla fruticosa

Shrubby Cinquefoil is the perfect understated yellow flowering shrub with a more subtle appearance. Its buttercup-like flowers stick around from spring right up until autumn. 

It extends further in width than height, reaching 4ft wide and 3 ft tall. This makes it an ideal addition to a border. 

5. Oregon Grape

Scientific name: Mahonia aquifolium

This evergreen shrub grows up to 10ft tall and 5ft wide, so it’s a lofty yellow delight. Its sweet-scented yellow flowers grow alongside spine-toothed leaves, similar in appearance to holly. 

Oregon Grape is ideally suited to urban landscaping due to its high tolerance to chemical pollution. 

6. Magnolia Yellow River

Scientific name: Magnolia denudata

This plant sports a less intense colouration than other yellow flowering shrubs, but that doesn’t diminish its beauty. Spreading tall and wide, this plant grows over 30ft upwards and outwards. Its buttery blooms grow to 15cm each.  

The Magnolia Yellow River is a popular specimen tree as it quickly matures. 

7. Japanese Rose

Scientific name: Kerria japonica

This deciduous shrub is a scrambling plant that produces golden yellow blooms. It’s a popular ornamental plant in gardens, parks, and shopping centres and is cherished amongst birds. 

But think twice before you plant it in a seaside garden; it’s invasive in coastal habitats. 

8. Yellow Azalea

Scientific name: Rhododendron luteum

The Yellow Azaelea’s funnel-shaped flowers release a sweet aroma, making this plant easy on the eyes and the nose. Although it smells scrummy, Yellow Azalea’s nectar is toxic, so beware. 

It grows up to 5ft tall and sports luscious leaves that transform into a multitude of colours throughout the seasons.

9. St John’s Wort

Scientific name: Hypericum perforatum

The big blooms make up for what this medium shrub lacks in size. Its stunning yellow flowers with tendrils that extend out of their centre attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators in abundance. 

If you want a low-maintenance yellow flowering shrub, St John’s Wort is the plant to choose.

10. Lydian Broom

Scientific name: Genista lydia

Lydian Broom produces a bounty of blooms. It’s a compact plant sporting thousands of tiny yellow flowers. If you’re an avid gardener, you may have come across this plant’s very similar, better-known relative; the Scotch broom. 

This is a low-growing plant, extending less than 2ft upwards. It isn’t fussy; it’ll even thrive in nutrient-poor soil. 

11. Darwin’s Barberry

Scientific name: Berberis darwinii

The contrast between this plant’s deep, verdant leaves and orange-yellow flower clusters is where Darwin’s Barberry really stands out from the crowd. This plant isn’t shy of colour, with vibrant red stems adding to the display! 

The weighty flowers hang much like a bell, facing downwards. Darwin’s Barberry is loved by birds, bees, butterflies, and deer alike. 

12. Golden Oriole Azalea

Scientific name: Rhododendron ‘Golden Oriole’

Golden Oriole Azalea is a hybrid plant. Its flower buds transform from deep orange to a vivid yellow as they mature. This plant is highly resistant to pests, making it an easily maintainable addition to any garden. 

Mature, Golden Oriole Azalea can reach 6ft tall and extend up to 6ft wide if grown under the right conditions. 

13. Moonshadow Euonymus

Scientific name: Euonymus fortunei ‘Moonshadow’

This evergreen shrub has striking, two-toned leaves, with yellow outer edges and green in the centre. Moonshadow Euonymus produces a dense screen and is frequently chosen for hedging.  

This plant changes with the seasons – every autumn, the stems turn a bright shade of red, and the leaves gain a pink tinge.   

14. Yellow Hibiscus

Scientific name: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Yellow’

Yellow Hibiscus is a tropical plant that favours humid conditions. It extends to the lofty height of 15ft, so it will give you much-needed privacy from intrusive neighbours. The plant’s characteristic yellow blooms are decorated with a bright pink centre.

It’s Hawaii’s state flower and a popular ornamental in this region. 

15. Golden Currant

Scientific name: Ribes aureum

Golden Currant is known and loved for its yellow flowers and edible black berries. This Blackcurrant and Redcurrant relative has a highly ornamental appearance, so it’s often grown in wildlife gardens and used for natural landscaping.

The flowers emit a characteristic fragrance similar to that of vanilla or cloves.

16. Golden Camellia 

Scientific name: Camellia nitidissima

It’s best to keep Golden Camellia in warmer spots, as it’s not a big fan of the cold. It’s an evergreen plant that produces showy, yellow flowers that are waxy to touch. 

Although loved as a garden plant, Golden Camellia is endangered in the wild. 

17. Sun King

Scientific name: Sophora microphylla ‘Sun King’

Sun King has downward-facing yellow flowers protruding from thick stems. During winter, the blooms reveal themselves, giving your garden a well-needed pop of colour on dull, rainy days. 

This plant favours full sun (hence the name) and won’t do well in shady spots. It grows 10ft tall and wide, so make sure you’ve got lots of space for this one!

18. Witch Hazel

Scientific name: Hamamelis x intermedia

Unlike Sun King, Witch Hazel loves the shade. It’s an easy-going, low-maintenance plant that doesn’t need a whole lot of care. 

Witch Hazel is best known for its unique petals that are long and spindly-looking. The characteristic petals are temperature-sensitive; they’ll outstretch when the weather’s warm and curl up when it’s cold. 

Concluding Remarks

Bring a burst of yellow to your garden with one of our yellow flowering shrubs. Whether it’s privacy you’re seeking or just an eye-catching showstopper, you can’t go wrong with a shrub with yellow flowers.