Easy Garden Rainbows - Yellow
After Coreopsis finishes its first flush of blooms, it generally takes a little break, but during this time, they aren't unattractive. They look like little buttons. Cut the whole plant back by about 1/3 when the buttons are more numerous than the flowers. The sheared foliage is neat and unobtrusive. The plant will then rebloom.
Leopard's Bane There are many species of Doronicum, and no matter which one you choose, you will be rewarded with the first golden daisies of the flower year. All Leopard's Banes prefer moist soil in full sun or partial shade. There are double Doronicums and dwarf Doronicums, but all have large, sulphur yellow flowers to 8 cm (3 inches) across.
Cotton Lavender Santolina chamaecyparissus is a highly-grey leaved plant, in fact, one of the greyest around. Like most grey plants, this one tolerates extreme heat and tolerates drought. All that fuzz on the leaves helps to protect it from the elements. It is normally grown for it's clean scent, for use in crafts (the stems dry wonderfully), or as a shrubby edge for herb gardens. In mid-summer, Cotton Lavender sends up bright yellow buttons, highly ornamental in their own right. The buttons last for the rest of the summer, fading to brown over time.
Santolina is hardy to -15 degrees celcius, but will live in colder climates than that. At -20 degrees celcius, the shrub is cut back to the ground by the cold, and resprouts from the base. It doesn't matter how mild your climate is if you plant Santolina in a wet spot. They do not tolerate wet feet in the winter. Be sure to plant in an area with good drainage if lots of winter precipitation is an issue.
When the plants become straggly, clip back to shape, much as you would a lavender. Some gardeners find that Santolina is short-lived. I have had one plant for 7 years, and it shows no sign of fading.
Santolina has a long history as a medicinal herb. Read more about that here.
Golden-Chain Tree All parts of Laburnum vossii are poisonous to eat, but for a short time in mid-spring these trees send forth large, hanging clusters of bright yellow flowers. It is a bean relative, so they have the appearance of a large yellow wisteria tree. They are fast growing -- a tree planted at 6 feet tall can attain a height of 15 feet or more in 6 years. Their eventual height
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