Companion Plants for Yellow Bells

Yellow bells (Tecoma stans or esperanza) have relatively few pest issues. So long as they have sun and heat, they thrive. The best companion plants for yellow bells tend to be those that accentuate its beauty or protect it from the cold.

Contrast

The intense yellow of the yellow bells blossoms pairs well with the small, tubular blue blooms of blue plumbago or blue daze. Purple or red-leaved specimens such as purple fountain grass, copper plant or Chinese fringe flower stand out marvelously. Pink or red-blooming roses or hibiscus also stand out well, but should be placed beside or behind the yellow bells if they grow large, so that they don't block it.

Nectar

Butterfly and hummingbird gardens aren't up to snuff until the nectar-feeding stars of the show arrive. Yellow bells can grow large enough and put on such copious blooms that they can be used as a bulletin board advertising your wildlife refuge. Plant them next to butterfly bush, lantana or pentas to make sure the butterflies have plenty of nectar to stick around for, or plant hibiscus or turk's cap nearby for hummingbirds to feed on.

Season-Long Color

Once esperanza starts to decline in the cold weather, you need another plant to take up the visual interest duties. Yaupons can be planted behind yellow bells to display their red berries, and evergreen plants of any size make good neighbors. Their foliage not only provides winter interest, but also provides a protected microclimate for the crowns and roots of the yellow bells so it's not exposed during the winter.

Another Yellow Bells

Yellow Fritillaries (Fritillaria pudica) are also referred to as yellow bells. These are small (less than 12 inches tall) herbaceous flowers that produce vivid yellow blossoms that hang downward and move like ringing bells in the wind. So long as these full-sun-loving annuals are planted in front of taller plants, but not in their shade, they thrive.

References

• Aggie Horticulture: Esperanza, Yellow Bells, Hardy Yellow Trumpet, Trumpet-flower, Yellow Elder
• University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Tecoma stans angustata; Arizona Board of Regents; 2004
• University of Florida IFAS; Gardening in the Panhandle; David W. Marshall; December 2007
• University of California at Berkeley; Yellow Bells; UC Regents; 2005