9 red flowers for a crimson red garden

Exotic and adventurous red canna flower

Red flowers bring intensity and movement to the garden. Whether you create a massive red flower bed or simply pepper the area with red clusters, you’ll feel the garden gains in depth. A great many plant species display deep red blooms in different tones and hues.

Here are three magnificent red-flowered bulbs, three perennials and three shrubs that unveil crimson beauties over the year! Discover:

3 red bulb flowers

Plant these in Fall or Spring for your bulbs to decorate your flower beds. Most species also have many other colors, too. Here are three specific varieties that only bear red flowers. They’re perfect for flower beds and pot compositions, and you can also cut them for elegant bouquets.

Dahlia

  • Wine-colored red dahliaVariety: ‘Dark Spirit’
  • Blooming: a classic pom-pom flower with red and crimson linings appears repeatedly between June and October.
  • Foliage: regular green rounded folioles.
  • Planting: from March to May.
  • Location: in flower beds, along edges, and garden boxes.

Amaryllis

  • Variety: ‘Red Lion’,
  • Blooming: an evanescent fragrance wafts from a trumpet-shaped flower atop a tall, elegant stem. Blooming period is September-October.
  • Foliage: long, green leaves sprout from the base of the flower stem once the blooming is over.
  • Planting: in April-May or August-September.
  • Location: in flower beds, along edges, garden boxes and rock gardens.

Tulip

  • Variety: Tulipa praestans ‘Fusilier’
  • Blooming: produces several imperial red flowers per stem in March-April.
  • Foliage: long, wide blue-green leaves that wrap around right from the base of the stem.
  • Planting: from September to November.
  • Location: in flower beds, along edges, and garden boxes.

3 red-flowered perennials

Perennials win the top spot in terms of convenience! Set them up in a flower bed or pot, and they bloom again every year. Here are 3 perennials selected for their dramatically unique styles: wild and free yarrow, elegant and noble peony, and adventurous exotic canna.

Yarrow

  • Variety: Achillea millefolium ‘Summerwine’
  • Blooming: violet-red flat corymbs.
  • Foliage: dark green semi-evergreen leafage, compact and fragrant.
  • Planting: between February and April, or from August to October.
  • Location: in flower beds, rocky terrain, in wild prairie settings and pots.

Botanical peony

  • Red peony with fennel-like leavesVariety: Paeonia tenuifolia ‘Plena’
  • Blooming: between April and May, globe-shaped crimson red double flowers appear.
  • Foliage: long, extremely narrow leaves, similar to those of fennel.
  • Planting: from February to May or from September to November.
  • Location: in flower beds and pots.

Canna

  • Variety: Canna indica (shown in feature image)
  • Blooming: sophisticated small red flowers with an upright bearing from August to October.
  • Foliage: long wide lanceolate green leaves that form a clump.
  • Planting: from March to June, after the last frosts have subsided.
  • Location: in flower beds, pots and as standalones.

3 red-blooming flower shrubs

Shrubs are also a valuable option, they bring volume to the garden and fill in the rear portions of flower beds. These flowering shrubs will also bring a lot of color! As a backdrop to other shorter bloomers, you’ll find that that oleander, rhododendron and rose bushes truly live up to their reputation of abundant blooming.

Oleander

  • Variety: Nerium oleander ‘Otalia’
  • Blooming: cute and simple flowers with 5 deep red petals.
  • Foliage: linear, green leaves that escalate around each branch, forming a beautiful flowered shrub.
  • Planting: in April or October.
  • Location: as a hedge, in growing beds, as a standalone and in large containers.

Rhododendron

  • Variety: ‘Red Jack’
  • Blooming: clusters of trumpet-like inflorescence, with stunning large ruby red flowers.
  • Foliage: large oval evergreen emerald green leaves.
  • Planting: preferably March-April or September-October.
  • Location: as a hedge, in growing beds, as a standalone and in large containers.

Rose tree

  • The marondo is a red garden rose for a red gardenVariety: Rosa x polyantha ‘Marondo’® (ground cover)
  • Blooming: semi-double roses with a velvety feel, opening to reveal a treasure trove of yellow stamens. Blooming period: June to October.
  • Foliage: deciduous, shiny deep green.
  • Planting: between January and May, or from September to December.
  • Location: atop a mound, in beds, in containers.

Image credits (edits Gaspard Lorthiois):
CC BY 4.0: Eduardo Chacón-Madrigal
CC BY 2.0: Austin Risbeck, Jean and Fred Hort
Public Domain: Rob Bakker