Best yellow tulips to grow
Find room for some of these cheery yellow tulips in your plot.
Yellow tulips make a cheery addition to spring borders and patio pot displays. They look wonderful with red and orange flowers in 'hot' border schemes, but work equally well with pale pinks, blues and whites, for a more delicate effect.
When planting your tulips, make sure you plant the bulbs at the right depth, at three times their own depth. Delay planting until November or December if you can, to limit the risk of tulip fire virus.
In addition to the many cultivars available, there are several beautiful species tulips with yellow flowers. These will reflower in subsequent years, unlike garden-bred varieties, which are best planted fresh every year.
Related content:
Discover some of our favourite yellow tulips to grow, below.
Tulipa 'Monsella'
'Monsella' is a double-flowered tulip with golden-yellow flowers streaked with red 'flames'. It's a brilliant variety to grow in a hot-toned spring border.
Tulipa 'West Point'
As the name suggests, 'West Point' has pointed, mid-yellow petals with wavy edges. Great for combining with daffodils and purple camassias for colourful spring displays.
Tulipa 'Dance Line'
'Dance Line' has lovely banana yellow flowers with fuchsia pink accents on the tip of each petal. Each double bloom is large, rounded and has a peony-like appearance – perfect for adding volume to cut flower displays.
Tulipa 'Gold Fever'
If you're after a tulip with rich, deep yellow flowers, it doesn't get much better than 'Gold Fever'. This variety has large, peony-like double flowers held on thick stems.
Tulipa 'Verona'
'Verona' has pale yellow, cup-shaped flowers flushed with fresh green, epitomising the new growth of spring. As with other varieties of tulips, you should deadhead the flowers before they start producing seeds, so the bulb's energy can be spent on next year's flowers.
Tulipa 'Moonlight Girl'
This lily-flowered tulip has lemony yellow flowers that turn a creamier hue as they mature. 'Moonlight Girl' looks lovely paired with snowflakes and forget-me-nots.
Tulipa tarda
Tulipa tarda is one of several beautiful species tulips with yellow flowers. It's a short variety – growing to 15cm tall – with yellow-centred blooms that are fringed with white. Like all tulips, it enjoys well-drained soil and full sun.
Tulipa altaica
Tulipa altaica is a species tulip hailing from the Altai Mountains, hence the species name altaica. Though low-growing, it has deep yellow, cup-shaped flowers that are sure to catch the eye.
Tulipa sylvestris
The wild or woodland tulip, Tulipa sylvestris, is a fabulous candidate for naturalising in grass or in perennial meadows. On top of this, the flowers have a delicate citrus fragrance.
Tulipa foliage
With all tulips you should avoid cutting back the foliage until it's dry and withered. Only then can you be sure that all the energy contained in the leaves has been drawn back into the bulb, boosting the chances of flowering next year.
Christmas offer
Gift a subscription to BBC Gardeners' World magazine and save 51% on the shop price.
Year Planner 2025 on sale
Starting to plan your gardening year? The Year Planner 2025 is packed with expert advice from the Gardeners’ World team, to ensure you have your best gardening year yet.
New podcast series
Join Monty and the team for advice on winter gardening, tulips, caring for birds, house plants and more in the new BBC Gardeners' World Magazine podcast series.
