Nothing brightens the garden with bright yellow flowers 🔆 more than the yellow bells. This tough shrub provides a garden with color for months.
The yellow trumpet flower attracts hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators to the garden. So, you can expect the perennial to bloom until the first frost arrives.
The plant has undergone many scientific name changes, which we will discuss here. But most importantly, you will receive the best tree care tips here.
Plant Name: Tecoma stans
Other Name: Yellow Bells, Yellow Elder, Esperanza, Yellow Trumpetbush
Plant Type: Perennial, shrub
Native Areas: North America, South America, Central America
Light Requirement: Full sun to part sun
Watering: Average
Fertilizer: Ammonium phosphate fertilizer
Toxicity: Toxic to humans and pets
Temperature: Warm climates
Propagation: Cuttings
Growth: 3-9 feet tall and 6-12 feet long and 6-12 feet wide
Soil Type: Neutral, alkaline, loamy, and sandy soil
USDA Hardiness Zones: 10-11
More About Tecoma Plant
The yellow bells have gone through different botanical names that include:
Bignonia stans
Stenolobium stans
Tecoma stans var. angustatum
It also has many common names but is favored by the name yellow bells, with the newest scientific name, Tecoma stans. It is a broadleaf evergreen shrub you can grow as a small tree. It displays showy yellow trumpet-shaped flowers 💐.
You see the bright yellow flowers in spring until frost, but you can see the yellow trumpetbush flowering year-round in a warm area. It typically grows up to six feet tall but can reach 25 feet.
The yellow bells shrub belongs to the Trumpet Creeper or Bigoniaceae family that grows in tropical areas. The leaves of the plant are pinnately compound with up to 13 leaflets. The foliage is olive green and elliptic to lanceolate and has serrated margins.
The Tecoma stans flowers emerge in clusters and have a mild fragrance. It also produces thin, green fruit to a grayish-brown that is conspicuous during the fall. The seed pods are filled with a lot of seeds. It grows in a multi-trunked shape with hanging branches.
The bark is light brown to gray, and the flower’s nectar attracts hummingbirds, butterflies 🦋 and other small mammals.
Similar Yellow Trumpet Flower Varieties
When it comes to yellow bells, you can find some beautiful backdrop varieties to grow in the garden or containers.
The Sunrise Yellow Bells have red-orange throats on the flowers, giving it the name Sunrise. These plants look fabulous in a mixed border.
Orange Bells are more cold-tolerant than Yellow Bells and thrive in full sun.
The Gold Star has vibrant yellow blooms that shine like stars ✨ and remain small, reaching four feet tall.
The Orange Jubilee is a beautiful variety with orange trumpet-shaped flowers.
Caring For Yellow Bells Shrub
While these plants have a showy appearance, they are not high-maintenance and are heat, cold, and drought-tolerant.
It is a great choice for rock gardens or to grow as perennial and annual depending on the growing zones. In the garden, you can grow yellow bells in pots to enjoy an early spring to late summer color.
⚠️Still, a note of warning is that the yellow bells are considered invasive in certain parts like Florida as it is fast growing outside the native USDA zones like South America.
Where to Plant Esperanza Yellow Bells
Provide yellow bells with a space of four feet apart in a spot to receive enough sun. You can plant them in mid-spring after the last frost. Then make a hole for your seedlings and amend it with organic material to add good drainage and apply for containers.
Also, please provide them with wind protection when grown in the ground.
Lighting Needs Esperanza Flower
The yellow elder thrives in full sun, but you can grow them in partial shade. Still, they will not grow tall or lush with bright yellow blooms in partial shade. When grown in humid climates, ensure that they receive at least six hours of sun daily.
Soil Conditions Esperanza Flowers
Tecoma stans can grow in many soil conditions but prefer moist, well-draining soil. You can add a healthy amount of compost to the mix to provide adequate drainage.
Watering Esperanza Tree
Yellow trumpetbush prefers dry to medium moisture. They are drought tolerant when growing in the desert and can handle dry spells. Hence, it is essential not to overwater your yellow bells. The natural rainfall will provide enough water 💦 for your Tecoma stans to survive.
In droughts, you can provide yellow bells with added water.
Tecoma Stans Temperature and Humidity
These shrubs you find growing in their native habitat in warm regions like the Sonoran Desert. Thus these shrubs are cold and heat-tolerant but will go dormant in freezing temperatures. The shrub is very drought-tolerant and can handle humid conditions well.
Fertilizing Yellow Bells
Most of the time, the plant does not need feeding, but if you notice it grows slowly or does not bloom, a well-balanced fertilizer given once during the growing season is sufficient.
Repotting and Pruning Yellow Elder
Sd yellow bells have a compact growth. You can plant them in a pot. We recommend choosing one with enough drainage holes and at least 12 inches larger and broader than the shrub size. A great choice is clay pots, as it wicks away excess water.
As the yellow bells grow fast, you can expect to repot them in a larger pot often. These plants are easily transplanted by tipping the pot on its side and tapping the outside to loosen the roots.
Slide your plant and place it in a larger container with fresh potting soil. You can also prune yellow bells annually to help maintain the shape and boost new growth. You can do this in late winter after frost.
Remove old growth to the inner branches by cutting old woody growth back. If no green growth is present, you can cut your plant down to the ground to re-grow in spring.
Tecoma Stance Overwintering
In the USDA zones 10 to 11, you need not provide your Tecoma stans with winter care. But when grown outside these zones, keeping them in pots to move into a sheltered spot is best.
Tecoma Stans Propagation
An easy way to propagate Tecoma stans is with cuttings taken in late spring to early summer. Alternatively, you can also sow the seeds.
Cuttings
Take your garden snips and remove a cutting several inches long at the tip.
Prepare a container with well-draining soil and bury the cut end into it.
Then moisten the soil and cover your cutting with a plastic bag to keep the moisture in.
To moisten the soil, place the pot in a warm area with bright indirect light.
Once new growth appears, remove the plastic bag and transplant the seedlings into larger containers.
Then start hardening them off before planting them in the garden.
How to Grow Yellow Bells From Seed
Collect the seed from the seed pods and follow these easy steps:
Wait for the seed pods to become brown and dry.
Then crack open the capsules and remove the seeds.
Fill a small container with well-draining soil like peat moss or vermiculite.
Lightly cover the growing medium with the seeds.
Water and keep it moist
Place in a warm spot with bright indirect light, and you should notice germination taking place in three weeks.
Yellow Bells Common Pest and Diseases
Yellow bells are not bothered by pests or diseases. The main problem is overwatering, leading to root rot. Another concern is when the plant does not flower.
The lack of flowering can result in different reasons. These reasons can include not enough light, space, or drainage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, these shrubs grow fast and vigorously to fill a space, but they can become a problem as they are invasive.
These shrubs can reach four to six feet tall in gardens.
When flowering, the shrubs bloom and form clusters in early spring to fall, attracting wildlife to the garden.
No, these shrubs are perennial in warmer regions and do not need winter care. In zones where the temperatures do become freezing, most gardeners grow them as annuals or in pots.
The yellow bells, also called the yellow trumpetbush native to Florida, Mexico, and West Indies. The foliage is evergreen and blooms from late spring to fall, displaying yellow trumpet-shaped flowers.
Tecoma stans, better known as yellow bells, grow best in full sun with some shade in the afternoon. You can grow the yellow elder as a shrub or a small tree.
The best feed is an ammonium phosphate one given in spring, or you can work in some organic matter when planted.
Provide your plants with direct sunlight and good drainage. You can deadhead the spent blooms to help encourage new blooms, giving them a bushier appearance.
Whether you want to buy, sell, or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!
