That’s what makes this list of perennials with yellow flowers so great. Each of these needs full sun, meaning they’re perfect for those of us with sun-filled gardens. They’re perfect for containers, borders, walkways, and flower beds that soak up the sun’s rays during the spring and summer.
Whether you are looking for a classic yellow daffodil, a bold yellow sunflower, or delicate yellow yarrow, there’s a summer-loving yellow-flowering perennial that’s sure to bring joy and beauty to your garden.
Adding height and visual interest to your garden is easy with tall perennials boasting cheerful yellow blooms. Their lofty stems provide vertical accents while brightening borders, meadows, and cutting patches.
Rising above lower plants these yellow beauties make excellent thriller elements in container designs. They attract pollinators with their showy flowers and provide birds with seeds when seed heads form. With smart placement they can highlight focal points or lead the eye towards exotic garden features.
I’ve selected 15 of my favorite tall perennials with yellow flowers to inspire your planting plans. They range in height from 2 to 5 feet when mature and bloom at different times from spring through fall. I’ve included sun lovers as well as plants that tolerate part shade. Read on for details on growing requirements and suggestions for using these striking plants in your own landscape.
Best Tall Yellow Perennials
1. Yellow Coneflower (Echinacea paradoxa)
Native to the Ozarks region, yellow coneflower boasts large drooping yellow petals surrounding a spiky brown cone. This tough plant thrives with neglect and reaches 3 to 4 feet in height. Plant it in full sun and watch bees flock to its nectar-rich blooms from May to June. Hardy in zones 4 to 8.
2. Moonshine Yarrow (Achillea ‘Moonshine’)
With its upright form and dense, flat-topped lemon yellow flower clusters on 2 to 3 foot stems, ‘Moonshine’ yarrow makes a fantastic border plant It holds its color very well throughout the summer into fall Plant it in full sun and average to poor, well-drained soil. Hardy in zones 3 to 8.
3. Lemon Queen Sunflower (Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’)
Lemon yellow, daisy-like blooms shine brightly on tall straight stems from midsummer into fall. ‘Lemon Queen’ sunflower thrives in heat, humidity, and poor dry soils. Let it tower to 5 feet in cottage gardens, meadows, or the back of sunny borders. Hardy in zones 3 to 9.
4. Goldstrum Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’)
A classic among perennials, ‘Goldsturm’ black-eyed Susan remains popular for its 2 to 3 foot stems blanketed in bright golden daisies from midsummer until frost. Grow this tough, adaptable plant in average soil in full sun Deadhead spent blooms to encourage reblooming. Hardy in zones 3 to 9
5. Blue Meadow Rue (Thalictrum flavum subsp. glaucum)
Reaching 4 to 6 feet tall, this meadow rue boasts airy sprays of lemon yellow flowers on wispy stems in late spring and early summer. It thrives in moist soil and will spread readily when happy. Use it in partly shady areas of borders, woodland gardens, or native plantings. Hardy in zones 4 to 8.
6. Silvermound Artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Silvermound’)
With its striking, silvery-white lobed foliage that hugs the ground, ‘Silvermound’ artemisia makes an ideal companion to taller yellow perennials. Let it spill over edges of raised beds or taller container plantings. Clip it back hard in early summer to encourage fresh growth. Grows 12 inches tall. Hardy in zones 4 to 9.
7. New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
In late summer and fall, bright golden daisy blooms appear in abundance atop straight stems that reach 3 to 5 feet tall. New England asters thrive in average soil and full sun to part shade. They’re magnets for visiting pollinators. Allow them to naturalize in meadows or plant them in borders. Hardy in zones 4 to 8.
8. Lemony Lace Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa ‘Lemony Lace’)
Feathery golden leaves create a cloud-like effect on this large, fast-growing shrub. Creamy lemon flowers in spring give way to red elderberries. Grow it as a focal point or background plant, allow it to spread and form thickets, or keep it pruned into a tree form. Grows 8 to 12 feet tall. Hardy in zones 4 to 7.
9. Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia sphaerocarpa)
Showy spikes of bright yellow pea-like blooms rise above blue-green foliage from late spring into early summer. This North American prairie native flourishes in dry, poor soil and full sun. Let it stand out in cottage gardens, borders, and meadows. Grows 3 to 4 feet tall. Hardy in zones 4 to 9.
10. Yellow Foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora)
Yellow foxglove sends up tall flower spikes 4 feet in height, lined with tubular yellow blossoms with brown speckles inside. Biennial but reseeds freely in partly shady gardens. Provide support for its weak, floppy stems. Plant it alongside ferns, hostas, and bleeding hearts. Hardy in zones 4 to 8.
11. Sunny Knock Out Rose (Rosa ‘Radyod’)
This disease-resistant, reblooming shrub rose pumps out 3 to 4-inch single yellow roses nonstop from late spring until frost. Let it form a cheerful, informal hedge or stagger it down sunny garden borders. grows 3 to 4 feet tall. Remove spent blooms to encourage new flushes of flowers. Hardy in zones 5 to 9.
12. Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
Tall upright stems lined with whorls of small white flowers make Culver’s root a magnet for pollinators in mid to late summer. It prefers evenly moist soil and will thrive in full sun or part shade. Looks fantastic in borders, rain gardens, and native plantings. Grows 4 to 6 feet tall. Hardy in zones 3 to 8.
13. Missouri Evening Primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa)
Bright yellow, lightly fragrant flowers bloom for weeks atop 2 to 3 foot stems starting in early summer. This tough, adaptable primrose thrives in poor, dry soil. Grow it in full sun gardens, rock gardens, or native prairie plantings. Will spread by rhizomes to naturalize. Hardy in zones 3 to 8.
14. Golden Fleece Masterwort (Aruncus aethusifolius)
Finely cut, fern-like foliage forms an attractive 18 inch tall clump. Tall, airy plumes of tiny yellow flowers rise above on 2 to 3 foot stems in late spring and early summer. Does best in evenly moist soil and part sun to part shade. Use to add delicate texture to borders and woodland gardens. Hardy in zones 4 to 7.
15. Stella de Oro Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro’)
A classic reblooming daylily, ‘Stella de Oro’ pumps out a continuous stream of golden yellow flowers from early summer into fall. Clumps reach about 2 feet tall and wide. Grow it in full sun to part shade and provide ample moisture for best bloom. One of the longest blooming perennials. Hardy in zones 4 to 9.
Designing With Tall Yellow Perennials
When planning where to situate tall yellow perennials in your landscape, keep these tips in mind:
- Use as focal points or thriller elements in containers
- Grow in the middle or back of garden beds and borders
- Underplant with low carpeting plants like sedums
- Mass in groups of 3, 5 or 7 for bold splashes of color
- Pair yellows with contrasting cool colors like purples and blues
- Highlight or frame focal points such as sculptures or water features
- Use along fences, trellises, arbors and other vertical structures
- Stake floppy plants like foxgloves to keep stems upright
With a careful selection and placement of taller yellow perennials, you can create serene yet lively garden spaces. The vertical dimension they provide adds beauty, pollinator appeal, and an eye-catching element.
Try combining some of these lofty yellow perennials with shorter flowers and foliage plants. Soon your landscape will be flowering in bright golden hues sure to lift your spirits every time you step outside.
Iris (Iris spp.)
Yellow iris is a hardy perennial with large, showy flowers in shades of yellow, gold, and orange. They prefer full sun and well-draining soil, and they are often used as a focal point in the garden. They bloom in summer, making them a popular choice for cut flower arrangements.
Height: 30-90 cm (1-3 ft)
Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
Soil type: Well-draining
Blooms: Late spring to early summer
Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum)
Does anything else scream summer like a daisy? Yellow Shasta daisy is a hardy perennial with large, white flowers with yellow centers. They prefer full sun and well-draining soil, and they make great naturalized ground cover. They bloom in summer, making them perfect for cut flowers and gardens of all sizes.
Height: 60-90 cm (2-3 ft)
Sun exposure: Full sun
Soil type: Well-draining
Blooms: Summer to fall
20 Best Tall Perennial Flowers
FAQ
What is a tall perennial plant with yellow petals?
Lemon Meringue is a baptisia hybrid that is a very long-lasting and stunning perennial. It forms an upright, vase-shaped mounded habit that reaches 36 inches tall. The lemon-yellow flowers are carried by charcoal stems coming from blue-green foliage.
What plant is tall with yellow flowers?
17. Canna Lily. Add tropical flair with this heat-lover featuring exotic yellow flowers on tall stalks.
What is a tall stalk with yellow flowers?
Common mullein. In midsummer, the tall flower stalks of common mullein, Verbascum thapsus, begin to poke up, making this common weed in the family Scrophulariaceae highly noticeable in the road cuts and waste areas where it thrives.
What is a tall spike plant with yellow flowers?
Mullein’s first year of growth as a biennial is a rosette of pale green, fuzzy leaves that may span only a few inches across or be several feet wide. The second year, a flower spike emerges—some grow up to six feet high—with bright yellow flowers favored by bees and other pollinators.
What is a yellow flowering perennial?
Our favourite yellow flowering perennials are Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ with its beautiful, golden-yellow, daisy-like flowers with prominent, strongly-contrasting black centres; Lupinus ‘West Country Desert Sun’ producing tall, rich custard yellow flower spikes favoured by bees; and Iris pseudacorus with cheery bright …
Can tall yellow perennial flowers grow in shade?
Most tall yellow perennial flowers thrive best in full direct sunlight – no surprise when considering how well these blooms capture and reflect the sun’s own magnificence! On hot days, however, a bit of shade might be required. By now, you’re probably eager to learn more about some specific varieties of tall yellow perennial flowers.
What are the different types of yellow perennial flowers?
Probably the most recognized name when it comes to the varieties of tall yellow perennial flowers is the Sunflower. The unmistakable blooms of this towering plant have been etched into the minds of children and adults alike from time immemorial. The sunflower’s ubiquitousness as a famous species of plant is the result of a variety of factors.
What is a yellow flowering plant?
This herbaceous perennial is a bushy, upright, deciduous shrub that produces bright yellow flowers. The blossoms are so profuse that it covers the entire foliage, consisting of small green pinnate leaves. Making ideal for sunny borders. It flowers in summer and autumn, making it a later bloomer than most other perennials.
Are yellow perennials a good accent plant?
Yellow perennial flowers that grow nice and tall make excellent accent plants for providing vertical interest. Their bright hues draw the eye upwards and make stunning additions to cottage gardens cutting gardens and pollinator plantings.
What are the best yellow perennials?
Try these tall yellow perennials at the back of your garden bed. Each plant profile includes both its common name and scientific name (in parentheses). Make sure to look for its scientific name at the nursery to make sure you are purchasing the right plant! 1. Maximillian Sunflower ( Helianthus maximiliani)