Flower meadows enchant with their diversity. In contrast to lawns, meadow flowers are more colourful, require less water and the local wildlife, especially insects and birds, also get their money's worth. Here we present native yellow meadow flowers.

In a nutshell

  • Meadow flowers bring a piece of nature into the home garden
  • offer a variety of flower shapes and colors
  • serve as a habitat for numerous small animals
  • have a much better eco-balance than lawns
  • great variety, even with only a single flower color

From the umbelliferae family (Apiaceae or Umbelliferae)

Sickle-Leaf Hare's Ear (Bupleurum falcatum)

  • perennial, herbaceous, 20-100 cm high
  • erect stems with basal tufts of leaves
  • flowers from July to September/October
  • yellow, button-like disc flowers
  • prefers full sun
  • calcareous, nutrient-poor, well drained, warm and dry substrates

Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)

Spring Adonis (Adonis vernalis)

  • perennial herbaceous plant
  • Height of growth: 10-40 cm, rarely 60 cm
  • Flowering time: March to May
  • Flower shape: yellow cup flowers
  • thrives in sunny open spaces
  • well-drained, dry, nutrient-poor soil
  • frost hardy and highly poisonous

Yellow anemone (Anemone ranunculoides)

  • loosely bred, persistent, herbaceous, 20-25 cm high
  • early flowering from April to May
  • yellow, radiating flowers
  • Meadow flower for partially shaded locations
  • fresh, permeable substrates, pH value 5.5 to 7.5
  • belongs to the poisonous meadow flowers

Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)

  • perennial herb, 10-20 cm high
  • grows ground covering
  • Flowering time: March to May
  • golden-yellow, long-stalked, star-shaped flowers
  • sunny to shady locations
  • slightly moist, nutrient-rich soils
  • partially toxic

Tip: Collect young, fresh leaves intended for consumption only before flowering.

Globeflower (Trollius europaeus)

  • grows persistently herbaceous, with growth heights of 20-60 cm
  • blooms from May to June
  • bright yellow, cupped inflorescences
  • loves sunny locations
  • poorly drained, nutrient-rich, moist to swampy substrates

Legumes (Fabaceae or Leguminosae)

Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)

  • biennial to perennial meadow flower
  • Height of growth: 30-100 cm
  • long flowering period from June to September
  • Nodding butterfly flowers arranged in narrow, multi-flowered racemes
  • smells intensely of hay in muggy, warm weather
  • loves sunny locations
  • sandy-loamy and nutritious soils
  • positive properties as a bee food plant

Notice: All parts of the plant contain coumarin. This can lead to headaches if used in excess of the spice level.

Horseshoe vetch (Hippocrepis comosa)

  • perennial herbaceous growth
  • reaches height of 10-25 cm
  • Flowering time from April/May to September, depending on location
  • yellow, fragrant, nodding umbel-like inflorescences
  • with fine brown veins
  • warm, semi-shady to sunny places
  • dry to moderately moist, stony and alkaline soils

daisy family (Asteraceae)

Dyer's dog chamomile (Anthemis tinctoria)

  • bushy, upright, clump-forming
  • aromatic leaf and flower scent
  • Growth height: 30-60 cm
  • Flowering period: June to September
  • flowers: radiate
  • sunny locations are ideal
  • well-drained, dry, sandy, mineral and rocky soils

Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

  • grows loose, stiffly upright, 50-250 cm high
  • Flowering period: August to September
  • yellow flower heads, panicles
  • thrives in sunny to partially shaded locations
  • Soil: dry to moderately dry, poor in nutrients, tolerant of lime
  • slightly alkaline to slightly acidic pH value

Meadow goat's beard (Tragopogon pratensis)

  • Perennial herbaceous, 30-80 cm high depending on location
  • Main flowering period: May to July
  • large yellow flower heads
  • Flowers open in the morning and close in the afternoon
  • prefers warm, semi-shady locations
  • moderately fresh, nutrient-rich locations
  • Risk of confusion with poisonous Greater goat's beard

Meadow hawkweed (Hieracium caespitosum)

Source: Konstantin Ryabitsev from Montréal, Canada, Yellow Hawkweed, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Perennial, upright, forming rosettes, 20-50 cm tall
  • surface and subterranean offshoots
  • blooms from May to August
  • Umbel-like entire inflorescence, cup-shaped partial inflorescences
  • ideally sunny locations
  • Soil dry to moderately dry, sensitive to lime
  • neutral to slightly acidic pH

Meadow Pippau (Crepis biennis)

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Crepis_biennis#/media/File:20160529Crepis_biennis.jpg.webp
  • biennial meadow flower, 30-120 cm high
  • upright growth, branched above
  • Flowering period: May to September
  • yellow flower heads, pseudoflowers
  • loves sunny locations
  • nutrient-rich and low-base substrates

Notice: The meadow pippau is often confused with the Jacob's ragwort. However, the Pippau has more petals.

Allium family (Allioideae)

Spider rocket (Descurainia sophia)

Source: Javier martin, Descurainia sophia habitus 2011-4-24 RioMontoro SierraMadrona, edited by Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
  • annual, herbaceous, 25-100 cm tall
  • Flowering period: June/July to August/September
  • Flowers radiate
  • overgrown gardens, fallow land, dry roadsides
  • dry to fresh, sandy, nitrogen-rich soil

Golden Leek (Allium moly)

  • grows upright and forms clumps, 20-30 cm high
  • Flowering period: June to July
  • bright golden yellow, edible umbels
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • humus-rich, moderately nutrient-rich soil
  • dry to moderately moist, sandy to loamy, tolerant of lime

Chalice Alyssum (Alyssum alyssoides)

  • annual herbaceous and rare
  • Growth heights of 5-20 cm
  • Flowering period: April to September
  • Flowers are yellow at first, then white after flowering
  • stone and open spaces in full sun
  • warm, open, calcareous soils
  • poor in nutrients, dry, permeable

Lily family (Liliaceae)

Meadow Yellowstar (Gagea pratensis)

  • dainty, perennial, herbaceous bulbous plant
  • Growth heights of 8-20 cm
  • Flowering time: March to the end of April
  • loose umbellate, star-shaped inflorescences
  • narrow, pointed petals
  • warm, sunny to full sun locations
  • normal, well-drained garden soil not prone to waterlogging

Tip: This meadow flower is on the red list of endangered plant species in most federal states.

Poppies (Eschscholzia californica)

California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

  • annual or perennial, glabrous herbaceous meadow flower
  • blooms between May and June
  • depending on the time of sowing also from July to August
  • sunny, warm and appreciated places
  • slightly sandy to loamy substrates
  • dry to fresh, rich in humus, moderately nutritious, tolerant of lime
  • is one of the poisonous meadow flowers

Notice: The seeds can lie in dry soil for several years. When it rains, they germinate and quickly begin to bloom.

Celandine (Chelidonium majus)

  • deciduous, biennial to perennial plant
  • Forming runners, up to 70 cm high
  • Flowering period: May to October
  • unfilled single flowers, pseudo umbels
  • sunny to semi-shady locations
  • moderately dry to fresh, rich in nutrients and humus, tolerant of lime
  • neutral pH
  • all parts of the plant slightly poisonous

Rose family (Rosaceae)

Common avens (Geum urbanum)

  • Evergreen, persistent, upright, herbaceous, 30-120 cm tall
  • Main flowering period: May to September
  • single flowers arranged in cymes
  • sunny to semi-shady locations
  • fresh to moist soil, tolerant of lime
  • Edible parts: flowers, flower buds, leaves, roots

Cinquefoil (Potentilla anserina)

  • perennial, herbaceous, creeping meadow flower
  • grows to 10-20 cm
  • blooms from May to September
  • sunny to full sun locations
  • nutrient-rich and dense substrates

Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria)

  • deciduous, persistent, herbaceous
  • usually 30-100 cm high
  • Flowering period: July to August
  • elongated, racemose inflorescences
  • partially shaded to sunny places
  • loose, nutrient-poor, calcareous soil

Blush family (Rubiaceae)

Bedstraw (Galium verum)

  • grows persistently herbaceous, with growth heights of 20-70 cm
  • subterranean and aboveground offshoots
  • Flowering period: May to September
  • Flowers: dark yellow panicles, scented with honey
  • prefers sunny locations
  • calcareous, dry to alternating wet places
  • nutrient-poor meadows and pastures

Common bedstraw (Cruciata laevipes)

  • Deciduous, upright herbaceous, up to 50 cm high
  • Flowering time: April to June
  • small yellow flowers arranged in whorls
  • also has bracts during flowering
  • Flowers smell like honey
  • light to semi-shady locations
  • fresh to wet, nutrient-rich, humic and lime-poor soil

Butterfly family (Faboideae)

Common kidney vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)

  • Perennial, herbaceous meadow flower, 10-40 cm high
  • form-rich species from the genus kidney vetch
  • ascending, erect stems
  • Main flowering period: June to August
  • multi-flowered flower heads
  • Location ideally very sunny
  • dry, calcareous soils

Rough-haired elecampane (Inula hirta)

  • loose, bushy, persistent growth
  • flowering native wildflower
  • grows 15-50 cm in height
  • blooms from June to July
  • yellow, radiating flowers
  • loves sunny locations
  • permeable, poor, dry, low-nitrogen and calcareous soils

Broomrape family (Orobanchaceae)

Shaggy Rattle (Rhinanthus alectorolophus)

Source: AnRo0002, 20160518Rhinanthus alectorolophus2, edited from Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
  • Meadow flower lives as a semi-parasite
  • annual with growth height of 10-80 cm
  • Flowering period from May to September
  • Flowers yellow with protruding blue "teeth"
  • helmet-shaped, lemon-yellow flower lips
  • on rough meadows and moderately fresh fat meadows
  • nutrient-rich, calcareous, moderately fresh soil
  • Slightly toxic due to the aukubin content

Notice: This plant owes its name to the lenticular, dry fruits that rattle or rustle when touched.

frequently asked Questions

Do flower meadows have to be mowed?

Similar to lawns, mowing is the most important care measure here. It is necessary so that the less assertive and more sensitive meadow flowers are not pushed out by other more robust species. It should be mowed at least once a year, better two or three times.

Do wildflowers need fertilizer?

Fertilizer can usually be completely dispensed with here. Species richness is usually greatest on meadows that are not or only minimally fertilized.

Lime the meadow or not?

In a flower meadow, you should pay particular attention to so-called indicator plants. Nettles, clover, dandelion and couch grass, for example, indicate that the soil is rich and consequently in need of leaning. If the soil is acidic, this is reflected in the growth of pansies, dog chamomile or meadow sorrel. This can be counteracted with lime, ideally in the spring.

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Garden plants