All Things Yellow

Christina here and today I’m going to talk about all things yellow because I seem to be surrounded by this colour at the moment! To me, it signifies spring, sunshine and Easter, among other things. And it’s a colour I’ve always associated with happiness – just looking at it makes you want to smile because it’s bright and beautiful!

Now that the clocks have changed, and with spring finally having arrived here in the northern hemisphere, we can enjoy a lot more sunshine and the world feels like a brighter place. Although I’ve never been affected by SAD, and actually love the darker months of the year, it’s still great when you can go outside and feel the sunlight on your face. It’s not surprising that the sun was so important to our ancestors, and that some of them saw it as a deity. We may not literally worship it these days, but we certainly appreciate its appearance for longer each day.

The best thing about spring for me are the flowers, and the majority of them seem to be yellow. This colour reflects the light really well so that the blooms stand out against the greenery. There aren’t that many insects at this time of year, but they are needed for help with pollination. Being yellow helps the flowers to attract them, so that makes sense.

I like how the spring flowers appear in a particular order every year – it’s as if they’ve decided to take turns, one after the other so we won’t be without at any time. They all seem to have slightly different shades of yellow too. Crocus, which tend to be the first to come out in our garden, have that deep saffron colour that indicates the lovely spice and dye that can be obtained from the type Crocus Sativus (although not our common garden variety unfortunately). The saffron-yielding ones can be grown in the UK, but you only get about 1 gram of saffron from 150 flowers, so I don’t think that’s for me!

Next comes my favourite, the primrose – I adore both the flowers and the colour. They are apparently an important source of nectar for butterflies, but for me they are like little splashes of sunshine on the ground. I’ve made sure there are lots in my garden! Almost at the same time the cowslips emerge – a relative of the primrose and with nearly the same delicate colour. Before moving to the UK, I had actually never seen primroses as we only had cowslips in Sweden for some reason. But they are both gorgeous.

At the moment, our garden – and indeed every garden and roadside in this part of the UK – is covered in a carpet of daffodils (and other narcissi). It’s the national flower of Wales and I can totally understand why they’d choose it as it’s beautiful. Their cheerful colour lights up the landscape. Daffodils were not native to the UK but were brought here by the Romans, who apparently believed that the sap from these flowers had healing powers, according to Google. (Do flowers have sap?)

Whenever I see them, I can’t help but think of William Wordsworth’s beautiful poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, beginning with

              I wandered lonely as a cloud

              That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

              When all at once I saw a crowd,

              A host, of golden daffodils;

              Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

              Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

(The rest of the poem can be found here). That is exactly what I see when I wander round outside at the moment. No wonder it made him wax lyrical!

Right now the Forsythia is starting to flower too, brightening up the hedges and gardens around here, and I have two of these bushes. (It’s apparently named after a Scottish botanist called William Forsyth (1737-1804) who was a royal head gardener.) And there’s a yellow broom that will soon start as well.

Tulips follow soon after, and although I prefer the red ones, the deep yellow ones are gorgeous too. As you probably know, tulips first came to England in the 1630s, when a sort of “tulipmania” swept the nation (and indeed much of Europe). It must have been a beautiful sight for those who had never seen them before!

There is one type of yellow flowering plant that is missing from my garden, however, and that is a mimosa tree. When I lived in London, I used to walk past one in a nearby garden square and you could smell its divine scent for almost a whole block. It was slightly over-powering, but still gorgeous. I really must find one and hope it will thrive here, although it’s not particularly suited to colder climes.

There are so many evocative names of the different shades of yellow. Who can fail to like colours called canary, lemon, citrine, primrose, sunflower, jonquil or butterscotch? I’m less keen on mustard and ochre, but I particularly like jonquil (from the French for daffodil – jonquille), one of those instances where the English language has both a French and an Old English word for the same thing. I first came across this particular shade in one of Georgette Heyer’s novels, where the heroine wore a jonquil yellow gown. It sounded lovely and much nicer than the insipid white the debutantes always seemed to have to wear!

I wondered about the etymology of the word ‘yellow’ and found that it comes from the Old English geolu, which makes sense to me as it was gulr in Old Norse and is still gul in modern Swedish.

Although the word yellow symbolises happiness, warmth and sunshine in most cultures, it can of course also have negative connotations – cowardice and deceit, being ‘chicken’ or calling someone ‘yellow-bellied’ (a bit old-fashioned). But to me, it’s an overwhelmingly positive colour so I prefer not to think about that.

A few other strange facts about yellow that may or may not be true:-

• Apparently it’s seen as a childish colour by men (male readers, do you agree?) and should therefore be avoided when marketing products to men.
• If you have too much yellow in a baby’s room, they cry more. (I would totally disagree with that as both my girls had primrose yellow bedrooms as babies and it didn’t make any difference as to whether they cried or not).
• Too much yellow can make you lose focus.
• Too little causes insecurity and low self-esteem.
• Yellow gemstones help you make decisions.
• It means different things in different cultures – in Japan it means courage, in India it stands for knowledge and learning.
• It was tradition for women to wear yellow ribbons when they waited for their men to come back from war.
• Yellow flowers are a symbol of friendship.

Now Easter is almost here and this season is filled with yellow – eggs, chicks and flowers – and I shall continue to enjoy it. I hope you do too!

Do you like the colour yellow and, if so, which is your favourite shade? Or do you have a favourite spring flower, one that makes you feel like winter is definitely over?

 

Comments

[Mary M.]

My motto, while wearing a purely yellow sweatshirt that feels like a warm hug: "It's hard to feel blue when you're wearing yellow!"

Christina, I do love all those lovely golden flowers you named. But you missed the "working breed" flowers (to carry the dog theme through from the previous post): Brassica, the flower of the humble rapeseed, the plant from which canola oil is extracted.

One of the highlights of a motor trip I once took around England at this time of year was seeing field after field of solid yellow flowers. The photo on Wikipedia (under "canola oil") doesn't do justice to that wave of sunshine on the season's cloudy days. It didn't matter that the skies were grey/gray when the earth was wearing yellow!

[Christina Courtenay]

What a brilliant motto, Mary, I totally agree! And you're right about the rapeseed, it's beautiful. I forgot about it because I haven't seen any yet this year but I'm sure I will very soon. Thank you!

[Quantum]

Christina, your impressions of yellow in the countryside and garden are very similar to my own. Forsythia, primrose and cowslip with daffodils everywhere and especially the wild ones in the woods near Newent and Kempley... they have a special daffodil walk with tea and cake at one of the churches! I have never considered yellow as a childish colour and think that Wolves, the premier league football side, play in yellow shirts for home games .... definitely not childish!

Thanks for the lovely yellow start to the day. 😊

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you, Quantum, I'm so glad you don't consider it a childish colour - I was sure that must be wrong! What a lovely idea to have a daffodil walk, that would certainly cheer people up I'm sure.

[Karin]

Yellow is not a color I like to wear-it makes me look sallow. But I love seeing the yellow spring flowers in my garden. Daffodils are the first thing to bloom. I had a beautiful Kerria japonica bush which unfortunately died on me some years ago. It's a gorgeous shrub, with golden yellow flowers that look like miniature pom-poms. I recently got a Carolina Jessamine, which is a very fast growing vine, and it blooms prolifically in early spring, with clear yellow trumpet shaped blossoms.

[Christina Courtenay]

That sounds lovely, Karin! I think I have one of those 'pom-pom' shrubs, but didn't know what they were called - it's flowering right now and is very pretty. As for clothing, I only wear primrose or lemon yellow, any other shades would make me look sallow too.

[Minna Puustinen]

My favourite spring flower is coltsfoot (in Finland it's called "widow's leaf).

[Christina Courtenay]

Oh yes, those used to be the very first ones to appear in Sweden too! (We call them "tussilago" there for some reason). Haven't seen any here in the UK but I'm sure they're around somewhere - lovely!

[Annette N]

If I wear yellow, someone will invariably ask when did I get over whatever was wrong with me....looks like some dread disease just left.
In another life, I had lots of gardens. And I had planted nearly every kind of daffodil I could find. I also had yellow mums in profusion. I love yellow flowers. And one of the prettiest is a dandelion. If you are a kid, they are treasures.
Here a mimosa tree is not considered a good tree. And it does not have actual flowers. It is a feathery thing that is pink and yellow. And the leaves are also light looking. I always liked them, but I have not seen one in many years.
Thanks for this lovely post. You have cheered me on a cloudy day.
OK - on the count of one - everyone smile.

[Pamela Denius Gillam]

When I was young, I wanted a yellow room...it was a bright primary yellow. In my home now, I plan to brighten my dark living room with a pale yellow on the walls. My favorite formal dress in school was a yellow gown that my Mom made. In my garden I have pops of yellow in the spring with daffodils and Black-eyed Susans in the summer. Yeah, I like yellow. On the subject of yellow and moods, back in the day when my Mom was teaching she would wear a yellow blouse on rainy days to give the students a pop of color to focus on and it helped boost there moods. Back when I was facing customers every day, I remembered that lesson and wore yellow or other bright colors on dreary days so the customers I had at my guests had a break from the gray of the day and a warm smile to help pick up their moods.

[Christina Courtenay]

I agree about the dandelions, Annette, I don't want to get rid of them as they are so cheerful! Interesting about the mimosa tree - I had no idea. I would still like one but I'm not sure it would thrive here. We will see!

[Christina Courtenay]

What a great idea to wear yellow to cheer people up, Pamela! And I too like yellow on walls - I always have at least one primrose yellow room in our house (usually the kitchen). So pretty.

[Camille Biexei]

In the house where I raised my children I washed the walls primrose and golden yellow in the bedroom of my youngest daughter, at her request. I loved it so much I did the same for the living room. I really miss that house. I have recently renewed my affection for yellow and knit a circular shawl in van Gogh yellow--it looks like a sunburst or a chrysanthemum. Thanks for the reminder of what a happy color yellow is!

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you Camille and that sounds gorgeous!

[Teresa Broderick]

I love the humble primrose. It looks so fresh. For some reason they are in very short supply here in Ireland now. When I was growing up they were everywhere and I took them for granted. I saw some on a walk recently and felt so excited because they are the first I've seen this year.
I know they're not yellow but I love the bluebell. My favourite wild flower.
Lovely post Christina.

[Kareni]

Thank you, Christina, for your cheerful post. I don't believe I have a favorite spring flower; I am happy to see them all brightening my day.

[Tina Brown]

Yellow is my son's favourite colour and he's 37. My brother picked his favourite football team when he was younger because their colours were yellow and blue.
An old wives tale I grew up with is, don't buy a yellow car because they are lemons and will constantly break down. I haven't seen any evidence with this yet in my 40 years of driving experience. LOL

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you Teresa! Yes bluebells are gorgeous too and I have some coming up in the flowerbeds right now. Love when there’s a whole carpet of them!

[Christina Courtenay]

Many thanks Kareni, so glad you enjoyed it! Yes they’re all pretty, aren’t they - such a joy!

[Christina Courtenay]

That’s good to know about your son and brother - they have great taste! And how funny about the car - I was always told not to buy a green one LOL! (Had a green one for ten years and loved it - no problems with it at all.)

[Anne Gracie]

Lovely post, Christina. I also love yellow, though not on me. But I have my current kitchen is yellow, and I love it when the jonquils and the daffies start to flower in spring. I think mimosas might also be Australian wattles, and it's a glorious sight when they flower in early spring, a splash of bright gold against the grey-green of the Australian bush.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you Anne! My kitchen is also yellow - a pale primrose colour. Makes it feel sunny and warm. I love the sound of spring flowers in an Australian setting!

[Patricia A. Justicia-Linde]

What a lovely post! Our yard, or garden as the Brits say, is definitely starts out “yellow”with daffodils and forsythia. We have no luck with tulips, as they are favorites of rabbits and deer. If any are spared, the squirrels lop off the blossoms and leave the stems, just for the fun of it! As the spring progresses, our garden turns to various shades of purple, fuschia, and pink with lilacs, azaleas, rhododendron, peonies, and tea roses. The white lilies-of-the-valley are the exception. By summer we plant our annuals: geraniums, begonias, pansies, and impatiens in shades of salmon, peach , and purple. Tiger lilies arrive in July, and hydrangeas arrive in August. September brings the dahlias, and the yellow and rust-colored mums round out the growing season in late September and October. Thankfully, we have evergreens and holly in our yard to add cheer to the long, cold Western New York winters. When “yellow” returns once again, I am filled with joy!

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you for that lovely description Patricia - your garden sounds wonderful and I’m glad you get so much enjoyment out of it!