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Why We Love Red Flowers in the Garden

When it comes to hot colors, you can’t beat red. Just a touch captures your attention and pulls you in. It’s best used as an accent, to mark entrances, or as a focal point. 

Too much red can be exhausting, though. Illustrator Norman Rockwell always added a small spot of red in his paintings to draw the eye in and create movement. 

We can’t talk about red flowers without thinking about hummingbirds. Bees and many other insects can’t see red, but the hummers can and are drawn to it. 

When choosing flowers for your garden, be sure to look for nectar-rich blossoms to entice these fascinating little fliers. Tubular-shaped blooms are a favorite since the nectar is hidden where only a hummingbird’s tongue can reach it.

3 Tips for Using Red in the Garden

As red is a strong color, it’s important to consider its role in the three-dimensional garden.

• Red’s boldness looks beautiful when paired with gray or blue-green-leaved plants. 
• Red and white work well in moderation. A lot of sharp contrasts can be tiring on the eyes. Less is more so don’t overdo it, especially in a small space. 
• Red can be seen from far away, so it can be effective for mass planting in a large space. Shades of red can range from orange-red to wine-red.

20 Red Flowers To Catch the Eye

Spice up a drab garden bed with a few of these red flowers. Consider the bloom time and choose reds that will catch the eye during different seasons.

Red-Flowering Bulbs

1. Tulips

There is not much red in the early spring palette, but red tulips are a sure cure for our winter-weary eyes. 

There are many solid red hybrids to choose from, such as early-blooming ‘Red Emperor’ and late-blooming ‘Sky High Scarlet’, or try a fun, red-striped one like ‘Candy Apple Delight’. Extend the party by planting early, middle, and late-season bloomers. 

• Depending on the variety, tulips range from 6 to 24 inches tall.
• Full to part sun
• Zones 3 to 8
• Bloom all spring.

2. Cannas

Technically, cannas aren’t grown from a bulb but from a rhizome. Native to Central and South America, these flamboyant flowers will bring a touch of the tropics to your yard. Grow the rhizome in a pot if you want to overwinter it inside; otherwise, they can be planted in the ground. 

They like rich, moist soil. ‘South Pacific Scarlet’ grows 4 feet tall with clusters of 6 to 7 bright red, 4-inch wide blossoms per stalk, making it a striking accent plant. or try ‘Black Knight’, which has red flowers and dark chocolate foliage. Find more info on growing cannas.

• Depending on the variety, cannas can grow from 2 to 8 feet tall.
• Full sun
• Zones 7 to 11
• Summer blooms

Annuals

3. Red Geraniums 

Geraniums are the workhorses of summer, a classic for windowboxes and summer containers. This assumes that you keep them properly deadheaded, watered, and fertilized.

There are too many to choose from, but I have had great success with ‘Pinto Dark Red.’ Grown from seed, it blossoms early and is about 12 inches tall. When summer is over, bring them inside, and they will bloom all winter long in a sunny window. For an ivy leaf variety, check out ‘Red Tornado’. It is well-branched and naturally trailing, making it a great choice for a hanging basket.

• 12 to 18 inches tall
• Full sun
• Zones 10 to 11
• Spring to fall

4. Salvia

With names like ‘Bonfire’ and ‘Sizzler,” these salvias are sure to be red! 

‘Bonfire’ is 24 to 30 inches tall and sends up multiple spikes of red blossoms all summer long. ‘Sizzler’ is more compact at 10 to 12 inches tall. They make great cut flowers or can be used as bedding plants. 

• 10 to 30 inches tall
• Full sun
• All can be grown from seed
• Bloom all summer long

Learn all about growing salvia.

5.    Petunia 

‘Tidal Wave Red Velour’ is a spectacular, dark red petunia sure to win your heart with its non-stop profusion of dark, velvety red blossoms and vigorous growth. An All-America Selections winner in 2015, it is just as popular today. Fertilize weekly when watering to keep it pumping out the flowers. Use it as a ground cover or in a hanging basket.

• 16 to 22 inches tall
• Full to part sun
• Can be easily grown from seed
• Blooms from summer into fall

Learn how to grow and care for petunia flowers.

6. Love Lies Bleeding

A South American native, this striking architectural plant (Amaranth caudatus) produces long chenille-like, twisted tassels that look like red dreadlocks. It can grow to be over 6 feet tall and will be covered with many long tassels. Be sure to give it a sturdy support or grow it where it can hang over a fence. It reseeds readily so check to see if it is considered an invasive in your area before planting. The tassels are stunning in fresh or dried arrangements.

• 4 to 6 feet tall
• Full sun
• Easily grown from seed
• Flowers until frost

7. Starflowers 

Tropical plants, starflowers (Pentas lanceolata) are native to Egypt, but that does not deter our native butterflies from taking advantage of their nectar. Each flower head is made up of many, small star-shaped blossoms. 

It can be grown in a pot or in the ground and does especially well in the hot and humid South. Look for compact (10 to 12 inch tall) ‘Lucky Star Dark Red’ for your containers or taller (18 to 24 inch) ‘Sunstar Red’ for planting out in the garden.

• 10 to 24 inches tall, depending on the variety
• Full sun
• Pots can be wintered over inside
• Blossoms all summer

8. Zinnias 

Reliable summer blooms, zinnias can be tall or short, and there are many reds to choose from. Hummingbirds and butterflies are drawn to them for their color and their nectar. 

We like California Giants and Benary’s Giants for cut flowers. The more you cut, the more they branch and the more blossoms they produce. For a front-of-the-border zinnias, look for Profusion Red. It forms neat 8 to 14-inch clumps covered with blossoms. Zinnias are native to Mexico and are heat and drought-tolerant.

• 6 inches to 4 feet tall, depending on the variety
• Full to part sun
• Easy to grow from seed
• Bloom from summer to fall

Vines

9. Scarlet Runner Beans 

Scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) are edible and decorative. Their bright red blossoms adorn the quick-climbing annual vines and form pods. Keep them picked to keep the blossoms coming. 

They can be steamed and eaten; let the last few mature on the vine to give you beans to replant next year. Plant as you would any type of pole beans, giving them something to climb, like a teepee of poles, a trellis, or mesh fencing. Hummingbirds will flock to the bright red blossoms!

• 10 to 20 feet tall
• Full sun
• Direct seed outdoors after the threat of frost has passed
• Blossom all summer until frost

10. Cardinal Climber 

A delicate-looking annual vine, the Cardinal Climber (Ipomoea quamoclit cardinalis) is tougher than it appears. Given a fence or trellis to climb, it will quickly cover it with deeply cut green leaves and bright red tubular-shaped flowers, irresistible to hummingbirds! 

• 10 to 15 feet tall
• Full to part sun
• In the Morning Glory family, so seeds are poisonous
• Blooms from midsummer to fall

Perennials

11. Jupiter’s Beard 

Also called red valerian, Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus ruber) has clusters of fragrant, red, star-shaped flowers atop fleshy, bright green leaves. 

It is drought tolerant and prefers lean, sweet soil with a pH of 7 to 7.5. Deadhead older stems to keep the blossoms coming.

• 2 to 3 feet tall
• Full sun
• Zones 4 to 8
• Summer blooms

12. Cardinal Flower

A North American native, the Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is often found growing wild along streams and ponds. It is a great choice for your rain garden—plant it in a location with morning sun, afternoon shade, and moist soil. 

It sends up stalks covered with tubular-shaped red blossoms that are a rich, late-season source of nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies.

• 2 to 4 feet tall
• Sun to part shade
• Zones 3 to 9 
• Late July through September

13. Bee Balm 

Plant bee balm (Monarda didyma) in a separate area where it can run free; it’s part of the invasive mint family as indicated by its square stem. The vivid red, shaggy, dome-shaped blossoms of this native are a hummingbird’s favorite.

The whole plant has culinary and medicinal uses. The smell of its fragrant leaves will bring Earl Grey tea to mind! Plants are prone to powdery mildew, so look for mildew-resistant cultivars such as 15-inch tall dwarf ‘Fireball,’ 3-foot tall ‘Gardenview Scarlet,’ or 4-foot tall ‘Jacob Cline.’ Tolerates moist, heavy soil.

• 1 to 4 feet tall
• Sun to part shade
• Zones 4 to 7
• Blossoms July-August

14. Columbine

Another native, columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), is one of the first spring bloomers, providing nectar for hummers, bees, and butterflies. It looks dainty but is a rugged native able to thrive in a wide range of conditions.

• 1 to 3 feet tall
• Sun to shade
• Zones 3 to 8
• Blooms April thru June

15. Penstemons

Also called beardtongues for the hairs on the lower lip of its trumpet-shaped flowers, this plant offers several colors, including some excellent reds. 

For example, (P. barbatus) ‘Pristine Scarlet’ is native to the southwestern US and Mexico, drought tolerant, and hardy to zone 4. (P. schmindel) ‘Red Riding Hood’ has showier flowers and is hardy to zone 3. They loathe wet feet. 

Some are semi-evergreen, while others die back to the ground in winter. All produce tubular red flowers on tall spikes that hummingbirds love. Choose one hardy in your area.

• 1 to 4 feet tall, depending on the variety
• Sun to part shade
• Zones 3 to 9, depending on the variety
• Flower late spring to summer

16. Lychnis Chalcedonica 

An old-fashioned cottage garden favorite, Lychnis chalcedonica is a pollinator magnet. ‘Maltese Cross’ has dense, slightly domed, vivid red flowerheads, each made up of many smaller blossoms.  A short-lived perennial, it will self-seed and is known to naturalize so make sure it is not considered invasive in your area before planting. 

• 2 to 3 feet tall
• Full sun to part shade
• Zones 3 to 7
• Blossoms all summer

Shrubs

17. Rhododendron 

A slow grower, this red rhody is the perfect understory plant to grow beneath trees and taller rhodies. ‘Nova Zembla’ has deep red balls of funnel-shaped blossoms and blooms mid-spring, providing bumblebees with early nectar. It grows 4 to 6 feet tall. 

Dwarf ‘Scarlet Wonder’ tops out at only 2 feet tall.  There are many, many more reds to choose from that will suit almost any location. 

• 2 to 6 feet tall, depending on the variety
• Sun to shade
• Zones 4 to 8
• Spring flowering

Learn more about growing and caring for rhododendrons.

18. Flowering Quince 

This bright red quince, Chaenomeles speciosa, blooms on old wood, so prune after it flowers to encourage new growth for next year’s blossoms. The crimson 2-inch wide, 5-petalled flowers open before the leaves emerge in early spring. They are followed by tart, yellow-green fruits that make delicious jelly.

• 6-10 feet tall
•  Sun to part shade
• Zones 4 to 8
• Early spring flowering

19. Weigela 

Blossoming on last year’s wood, wait until this weigela is done flowering before pruning. ‘Red Prince’ has funnel-shaped red flowers that hold their color without fading. ‘Sonic Bloom’ flowers profusely in late spring and blooms again, not as heavily, in late summer. ‘Rubidor’ has soft chartreuse foliage, which contrasts nicely with its deep red, funnel-shaped flowers. All weigelas attract hummingbirds.

• 4 to 8 feet tall, depending on the variety
• Sun to part shade
• Zones 4 to 8
• Blossoms in late spring 

20. Roses! 

We can’t talk about red flowers without including roses! There are almost too many to pick from, but here are some reliable bloomers.

For a climber, try ‘Ramblin’ Red’. It is an everbloomer with deep red, semi-double 3 to 4-inch wide fragrant flowers. Vines grow 6 to 10 feet tall on their own roots and are resistant to black spot.

Knockout Roses have made growing roses much easier. For a red shrub rose, try ‘Double Knock Out Radtko’. It looks like a classic tea rose but is much less finicky and extremely disease-resistant. 

You can’t beat an heirloom rose for beauty and fragrance. Check out ‘Red Moss’. The American Rose Society rates it as one of the best old garden roses. Its exceptionally fragrant, 3 ½ inch wide blossoms can have as many as 40 petals each. 

• 4 to 10 feet, depending on the variety
• Sun to part shade
• Zones 3 to 9
• Summer blossoms

Add some exciting red, hot red flowers in your garden this year. The hummingbirds will thank you for it!

Interested in exploring other color palettes? See our recommendations for pure white flowers, pink petals, true blue blooms, and sunny yellow flowers!