Mediterranean Garden Society
Mediterranean Garden Society
Falling in love with yellow in the garden
by Sue Wake
photographs by Sue Wake
Photographs to illustrate the article published in The Mediterranean Garden No. 113, July 2023
The photo at the top of this page shows yellow broom (Spartium junceum) (Photo Yvonne Barton)
Sue Wake is Branch Head of MGS in Pelion & Sporades who travelled the world before settling in Greece in 2003. She writes:
On my first holiday visit to Pelion in May 1988 I discovered the enticing scent of yellow broom (Spartium junceum)on the evening breeze. I was captivated but the colour belonged to the countryside, not to a garden.
Since moving to live permanently in Pelion in 2003 my gardening life has had two phases: first the terrace of a village house and a flight of whitewashed outside steps suitable only for pots, plus a vegetable plot not far away. During the second ten years I have created a garden just outside the village with a series of semi-enclosed spaces linked by paved paths. Trees are now well established and the usual process of trial and error, punctuated by gifts from friends, ensures colour and form.
Previously when gardening in England I found yellow rather unattractive apart from early daffodils. Many of my then spring flowers were in varying shades of pink, for example a huge Clematis montana which spread along the entire south-facing side of the house. Eriocapitella × hybrida (syn. Anemone hupehensis var. japomica) or Japanese anemone reappeared unfailingly each year to fill a bed, there were beautiful peonies of varying shades and the deep pink of Silene coronaria (formerly Lychnis coronaria, Rose campion) with its silver leaves. These were preceded by Syringa vulgaris, common lilac, and followed by a panoply of bush and climbing roses, none of which were yellow.
The closest to that primary colour was Alchemilla mollis (lady’s mantle) which bordered the driveway above a low stone wall. There was also some Hypericum calycinum (Rose of Sharon) which was kept in a pot to limit undesired spreading.
Looking at some old photographs I started to think about how my attitude to yellow has changed as I have embraced it in my Greek garden. Let me share some examples.
Rosa banksiae f. lutea (Lady Banks’ rose) covers an entire building (Photo YB)
Two species stand out against the blue of the Greek spring sky: Rosa banksiae f. lutea (Lady Banks’ rose) and even more spectacularly Acacia dealbata (mimosa or silver wattle). However both have their downsides: the rose is usually found above 500m in its native China - here at 330m the pale yellow flowers are exquisite but rather short-lived in the sun. Our altitude can also be a problem for the mimosa, as happened in the winter of 2016 when mine succumbed to an extreme drop in night temperatures.
Another member of the rose family is Rosa xanthina ‘Canary Bird’, with lemon-yellow flowers, which I planted in memory of my father whose favourite rose it was. It has very attractive fern-like foliage throughout the summer months and usually flowers again during our second spring in September.
Phlomis fruticosa (Jerusalem sage) (Photo YB)
I have already mentioned silver leaved plants and another one which stands out is Phlomis fruticosa (Jerusalem sage), native to central and southern parts of Greece and Crete. The combination of mid-yellow flowers and silvery-grey leaves, and the shape of the plant, are very pleasing in a garden setting and it is a trustworthy shrub. Santolina chamaecyparissus (lavender cotton) features gold pinheads standing proud on a grey-silver plant which cascades down a low wall in full sun.
An early harbinger of spring which has colonised a high wall supporting the swimming pool is Gelsemium sempervirens (yellow jessamine). I have tried to take cuttings of this very attractive bright yellow climber without success but haven’t given up as it receives many compliments. However, a successful propagation from last autumn is very exciting. Supplied by Oliver Filippi from the South of France, this is another small garrigue-type bush with extraordinarily prolific deep yellow blooms throughout the summer from early May until October. It is Cistus × tardiflorens, a hybrid cross between Cistus atriplicifolius and Cistus halimifolius. Each flower consists of five petals with a tiny splotch of brown on each surrounding a white pistil.
Cistus × tardiflorens (Photo YB)
My initial plant is now 3m wide and 1.50m across, covered in flowers, and it will need serious pruning in the autumn although it is not at all woody. White Cistus creticus (rockrose) is found on exposed hillsides here in Pelion but I favour the Portuguese Cistus ladanifer (gum rockrose) as a garden specimen, also white but with yellow stamens with tiny deep burgundy leaf-shaped spots surrounding them.
Other yellows which thrive here are the sweet-smelling narcissi and freesias which lift our spirits at the end of the winter. The latter were named by botanist Christian Ecklon after a friend, Dr Freese, as a symbol of their friendship. Gazania rigens (treasure flower) is a native of South Africa and its genus name is dedicated to Theodore of Gaza who translated the botanical works of Theophrastus from Greek into Latin. Gazanias with their interesting and varied palette of colour do not always come through the winter at our altitude.
Cascabela thevetia (Yellow Oleander) (Photo Sue Wake)
More and more yellows are coming to mind. I have a Parkinsonia aculeata (Jerusalem thorn)tree which is a member of the pea family. This tree is coppiced to avoid it blocking views of the sea, and this has an unexpected benefit as the golden flowers with small points of amber are closer to the eye - but beware its spikes. The so-called Yellow Oleander (not in fact an oleander but Cascabela thevetia, formerly Thevetia peruviana)might be toxic but with its narrow deep green leaves it is most attractive to me.
I was told that our site is too high for citrus trees but I do have success with lemons and a grapefruit has not yet given up although neither has it flowered. There is not much yellow in the vegetable garden apart from courgette and cucumber flowers. Melons need too much water but gourds are worth planting. This year I have found lemon-coloured marigolds (Tagetes erecta)which should keep away pests and yellow Begonia semperflorens Cultorum Group (wax begonias) to brighten some dark corners.
At the end of April I had to come up with a design for our annual Plant Fair and Bazaar. I found a gorgeous image of lemon, gold and blue flowers which I used as a surround for a pale yellow inset on which to write the text. Some days later the coronation of King Charles III dominated the television screens. What a surprise to see so many yellow and blues amongst the decorative flowers! Was this a nod to the Ukrainian flag or just further proof of yellow’s gathering aesthetic acceptance? If the latter, will I have to find some blues to complement all the plants I have mentioned here?
Postscript: In a pot I have a two-tone yellow marguerite daisy which was given to me by a friend here. I had seen hers and told her how much I had appreciated this variety which I had also seen in many locations on the Cycladic island of Kea (Tzia), off Lavrio near Athens. I believe it is a form of Argyranthemum frutescens, a Canary Islands native also known as the Canary marguerite. Can anyone help with a name for it?
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