Yellow flowers in borders a no-no?

Hostafan1

When I was a garden designer , I was guided by what the client wanted, not by fashion.

a1154

I didn’t hear it was a no no, but I’m really uneasy about yellow. I thought it was just me! I’m interested cool/hot idea, and it influencing the colours next to it, as I’ve never worked out why yellow looks ok sometimes and not at other times. I’ll keep on trying combinations, but when they involve yellow I’m often disappointed.

Doghouse Riley

Colour coordinaton is best  left to fashionistas.

Nature is quite fond of  (never to be seen) red and green together.

I never give a thought to the fact  that any of my plant/colour choices might not be to everyone's taste. But I wouldn't criticise their's either.

I've just today planted out a dozen of these my wife bought on a shopping channel.

I would have put them along the edge  of the long border, but we've cyclamen  in that.

So they're in three shallow tubs on the patio steps.

BenCotto

I’m interested in the fact (or is it opinion?) that people are much more relaxed about colour combinations in their garden than in their wardrobe. I frequently see - on other forums I will hastily add - photos of gardens where pink is next to yellow or orange but I would be fairly confident in saying the garden owners do not dress like that.

Interested, as we are, in how best to grow plants I think it naturally follows to give significant thought to their colour and placing so, @matthewdavidbrown, thank you for the question.

Doghouse Riley

As they say, each to their own, but if nature isn't bothered what goes next to what, why should I?

The "rules" on colour coordination are entirely "man made" and if combinations look a bit odd in my garden to some, it's not a problem for me. We like "random."

and if this looks a bit odd to some, we don't mind.

Fairygirl

I don't like certain shades of yellow - it's as @Dovefromabove says. How you associate it is quite important. I don't like a combination that most people love - blue and yellow, but that's because I don't like blue. Especially that forget me not colour of blue. 
That's surely the point though - if you like that, then you have it. 

I loathe the brash colour of Hypericum flowers, and forsythia, but I love golden yellows. If you want to 'tame' the colour, then add other planting which softens it, or use creamy yellows rather than strong ones. If you want a really strong, 'hit me with a blast of colour' effect, then nothing's off the menu 

Dovefromabove

The so-called ‘rules’ about colour may be man made but they are based on observable scientific facts of how different colours are perceived by the human eye when placed in juxtaposition with one another. Some colours will act to emphasize another … red and green are opposite each other on the Colour Wheel and even a small amount of one will stand out against a lot of the other … this fact has been understood and employed by artists of all sorts, including garden designers, for many years. If you look at his painting The Haywain you’ll see that Constable used little highlights of red against the predominantly green painting to draw the onlooker’s eye into the scene … https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/john-constable-the-hay-wain. Learning about how different colours are perceived by the human eye when used together can help to achieve soft harmonies or striking discordance, or something in between … whichever you want, without expensive experimentation 😊

Loxley

I've never heard of anyone saying to avoid yellow flowers! Lots of gardeners are snobby about yellow though. I think it comes down to timidity and this notion that mauve, blues and soft pinks are "safe" colours 

Dovefromabove

Dovefromabove said:

 … this fact has been understood and employed by artists of all sorts, including garden designers, for many years. ...

It is also used in marketing and retail of course ... strategising how your products stand out on the supermarket shelf 

https://ecrm.marketgate.com/blog/2019/03/Color-Blocking-Strategies-Make-Your-Brand-JUMP-off-the-Shelf

Lyn

This reminds me of a saying my mum use to used if she thought I had the wrong colour clothes combination ‘Blue and green should never be seen except in nature’s colour scheme’
Years ago they were thinking of changing the colour of fire engines to yellow so they would be noticed note on the road.