Yellow Flowers Bursting Sunny February

Yellow is bursting out of the gate as the hot color this year for inside the home as well as in the garden. Inhaling deeply of the perfume from a pair of venerable Chinese witch hazels covered with yellow flowers on a (relatively) warm, sunny February day is as uplifting to the spirits.

This cheerful hue can range from creamy white butter to spicy saffron tones to endless shades in between. It's the kind of color that, simply, makes you happy. An exuberant patch of lanky, gold sunflowers will put a smile on your face every time. So, you'll be planting some sunshine this spring when you give these winners a try.

• Gaillardia, ‘Mesa Queen’: This blanket flower is recommended for its drought-hardy, daisy-like flower. The 20-inch tall "Mesa Queen" was chosen as a 2010 Flower Award Winner for its cheerful, yellow blooms that continue to bloom all summer. As an extra, bees and butterflies are attracted to it, too!

• Echinacea ‘Mango Meadow bright’: This glowing-yellow addition to the coneflower family boldly separates itself from its pink-purple cousins with its narrow petals and sassy new color. Use it to display some fireworks in your summer garden!

• Hosta, ‘Dawn’s Early Light’: Bright yellow foliage can be just as exciting as flowers and leaves last longer. Heavily textured leaves emerge as gold in spring and change to chartreuse in the summer -- an excellent way to brighten up a shady area.

• Clematis, 'Guernsey Cream': Pale yellow petals combine with a dark, yellow center for a subtle appearance. Blooms cover a compact, 6-8 foot vining plant in late spring/early summer.

• 'Golden Bowl' tree peony: The incredible flowers point to why tree peonies became the favorites of the Greek gods and Japanese emperors. ‘Golden Bowl’ is a royal expression of golden-yellow with its paper-like petals and fluffy, gold-red anthers. Its blooms are the "event" of the mid-spring garden.