When it comes to the joyous arrival of spring, few flowers capture the sunny optimism of the season quite like the tulip. And for those who love bright colours in the garden, yellow tulips are an absolute must-have.
Whether you favour the elegant simplicity of a classic 'Golden Apeldoorn' or the ruffled, double-flowered charm of 'Flaming Evita', this cheerful colour range offers endless possibilities to light up your garden. Vibrant yellow tulips pair beautifully with a host of other plants, from the soft blues of grape hyacinths to firework-like displays of purple alliums. Tulips also make superb cut flowers, allowing you to bring their sunny dispositions indoors to brighten any space.
We've asked professional gardeners, plantspeople, garden writers and designers to reveal their picks of the best yellow tulip bulbs to grow. The list includes everything from delicate species tulips to ruffled peony-types.
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The best yellow tulips to grow
Tulipa ‘Beauty of Spring’
A large, yellow flower feathered with red. It’s particularly effective planted en masse or in small groups in the border.
50cm. April.
Tulipa ‘Colour Spectacle’
Flaming yellow and red, and multi-flowering, this tulip is aptly named. A fitting finale to the end of the tulip season.
45-50cm. Late April to May.
Tulipa ‘Flaming Evita’
In full bloom, this peony tulip resembles a lightly whipped and delectable omelette.
35cm. Early to mid April.
Tulipa ‘Golden Apeldoorn’
Tall and sturdy, one of the best Darwin Hybrids and a reliable perennial.
60cm. April.
Tulipa ‘Monte Carlo’
Show-stopping, lemon-yellow flowers. Thrives in full sun, but happy in partial shade.
Award of Garden Merit. 30cm. AGM. April to May.
Tulipa ‘Olympic Flame’
Mimosa yellow with scarlet flames swirling up from the base of the flower.
Award of Garden Merit. 55cm. April.
Tulipa ‘Yellow Spring Green’
Zesty yellow petals, each flushed with a perfectly contrasting lime-green stripe bring a zing to spring.
40cm. April-May.
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Tulipa orphanidea ‘Flava’
A yellow form of the diverse T. orphanidea species that occurs in the wild. The yellow flowers are greenish in bud, with a brown blotch on the reverse of the outer tepals. An easy garden tulip, it flowers in mid spring often produces more than one flower.
20cm. April to May.
Tulipa ferganica
The star-shaped, yellow tepals are delicately dusted with fine hairs. The reverse of the tepals are washed with a light, orangey-brown. A very elegant species, named by the Russian botanist Aleksei Vvedensky in 1935 after Fergana, a region in east Uzbekistan.
25cm. March to April.
Words: Jonny Bruce, Marina Christopher, Kristy Ramage, Camilla Swift, Anna Pavord, Hannah Gardner, Stephanie Mahon, Mat Reese, Polly Nicholson, Tom Coward, Alys Fowler, Dan Pearson, Tom Brown, Asa Gregers-Warg.
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