Growing Yellow Flowering Trees
Below you will find a list of Trees from our plant database that are yellow flowering. If you click any of the photos, you will see a Virtual Plant Tag that may contain plant descriptions, usage suggestions and a link to where you can buy that plant for your landscaping. The concept of a tree can be difficult to define since different people might consider the same plant a broadleaf evergreen, needled evergreen, conifer, bush or shrub.
Uses for these trees vary by variety, and may also thrive in partial shade, partial sun, full shade or full sun. These trees may do equally well in wet soil, average moisture or dry conditions.
Our focused search engine that sorts the data includes anything relevant. This can be confusing on pages like these because plants with flowers with yellow centers or flowers that start red but fade to yellow and similar situations are included.
Worthy of inclusion in landscaping are these yellow-flowering natives: Cucumbertree Magnolia (M.acuminata) with several striking cultivars and hybrids and the Southern Witchhazel or Hamamelis macrophylla add summer and fall blooming when few other trees are flowering.
Introduced plants that are garden classics of yellow-flowering trees are: Anderson Crepe Hibiscus, Chinese Hibiscus or H. rosa-sinensis with a myriad of selections made; Bougainvillea Goldenraintree, Chinese Flametree, Southern Goldenraintree or Koelreuteria bipinnata flowers later in the fall, extending the bloom time, after the Panicled Goldraintree, Pride of India, Varnish Tree or K. paniculata flowers in mid summer; Chinese Witchhazel or H. mollis and several hybrids add fall and winter color.
Less well-known or even unusual are: Aetna Woadwaxen, Mt. Etna Broom or Genista aetnensis which is tough enough to handle the south's weather conditions; Corneliancherry Dogwood (Cornus mas) and Japanese Cornel Dogwood (C. officinalis) add early spring color one week apart; Fragrant Wintersweet or Chimonanthus praecox flowers in the summer; Goldenchain Tree, Waterer Laburnum (L. x watereri) flowers in early fall but is less heat tolerant, where Scotch Laburnum (L. alpinum) has spring color and is cold hardy.
Trees that flower yellow add a brightness, capturing the sunshine. Yellows and Golds blend surprisingly well with cool colors purple and blue but also with warm colors of red, orange and peach. Trees with yellow blooms look great with green and yellow leaves or needles of variegated groundcovers, ornamental grasses, perennials, evergreens and shrubs.