Red Perennial Flowers to Add a Touch of Brightness to Your Garden
The phrase “seeing red” takes on a whole new meaning when you look out at your garden and see those bright red flowers adding a touch of bright color to your yard or garden.
From early spring right up until the first autumn frost red perennial flowers add a brightness and touch of drama to your property.
Best of all, you can find red flowers in bushes, vines and as stand alone plants, so there is always the perfect flower to meet your needs.
Here is a look at some great red flowering perennials to brighten your garden or yard.
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9 Gorgeous Red Perennial Flowers
#1. Red Asiatic Lily
The Asiatic lily originally comes from Asia and is an easy to grow low maintenance flower that is sure to brighten any yard or garden. They come in a whole host of colors including pink, white, orange, yellow and plum, but the red lilies are extremely bright and eye catching.
Asiatic lilies grow to be between 2 and 4 feet in height. And they feature straight stems and flowers whose blooms can be 4 to 6 inches wide and are either bowl shaped or have gently curving petals.
These flowers bloom in early to mid summer and have a long growing season, lasting about a month.
The Asiatic lily grows best in zones 4 through 9 and prefers full or partial sun and well-drained soil. They make wonderful cut flowers to adorn your home.
#2. Red Bleeding Heart
Another red perennial flowering plant that is native to Asia is the bleeding heart flower. This flower gets its name from the puffy heart-shaped flowers that hang from arching stems with a single white petal under the point of the heart.
While most of the bleeding heart flowers come in red, you can also find them in pink or white. These flowers grow 1 to 3 feet tall and blooms from mid to late spring.
The Bleeding heart flower grows best in zones 3 through 9 and is toxic to people and pets.
#3. Cardinal Flowers
Native to the United States and Canada the Cardinal flower earns its name from the bright robes of the Catholic Cardinal. These flowers have tall spikes of bright red (also pink or white) trumpet shaped flowers that sit above dark green foliage.
The cardinal flower is a fast growing plant that can grow to be 3 to 4 feet in height. This flower blooms from summer until early fall.
They grow best in zones 2 through 9 and prefer full sun and moist to well soil. These flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies, but toxic to humans and pets.
#4. Red Carnations
Carnations or Dianthus flowers are native to the Mediterranean region and are very popular flowers used in boutiques, boutonnieres, and are a favorite of many gardeners.
They are known as clove pink and come in a various color, including red, scarlet, pink, yellow and white.
Carnations have ruffled looking blossoms and gray-green foliage. The flowers have a clove-like scent and grow to be 12 to 18 inches tall and blooms late spring and will rebloom later in the season.
They grow best in zones 7 through 10 and prefer full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil.
#5. Hibiscus
The Hibiscus plant is a hardy shrub native to Asia and North America. These flowering bushes can grow 3 to 10 feet tall.
The flowers have oval, lance shaped or palm-like leaves and trumpet shaped flowers with papery petals that can be up to 10 inches in diameter. Hibiscus come in red and also pink, white, orange and yellow flowers. And they bloom summer to fall.
The hibiscus plants grow best in zones 5 to 11 and prefer full sun to partial shade and moist well-drained soil. This plant attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
#6. Livermere Oriental Poppy
Native to Asia, the Livermere Oriental Poppy comes in brilliant red. These flowers grow 20 to 30 inches tall and features rich green thistle like leaves that are deeply lobed.
The stems of these flowers are hairy and the red flowers look like crepe paper. They bloom in June and July.
These flowers grow best in zones 3 to 8 and prefer full sun and moist well-drained soil. They make excellent cut flowers and are highly attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.
#7. Red Valerian
Red Valerian is native to the Mediterranean and is a low maintenance shrub type plant. This flowering shrub has several bushy branches and flowers that are star-shaped.
These flowers are a lovely shade of red (also white and pink). The red valerian grows between 2 and 3 feet tall and requires very little maintenance.
It grows in zones 5 through 8 and prefers full sun and has the ability to thrive even in poor soil. The flowers of this plant make great cut flowers and are attractive to both hummingbirds and butterflies.
#8. Scarlet Bee Balm
Scarlet Bee Balm also known as Red Bergamot is a member of the mint family. These flowers are 2 to 4 feet tall with deep green lance shaped leaves that are actually edible.
The flowers themselves are a bright deep red and are about 3 to 4 inches wide with a really wonderful fragrance.
Scarlet bee balm grows best in zones 4 through 9 and is a cold tolerant plant that prefers full or partial sun and moist or wet soil. The flowers are highly attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies.
#9. Red Tulips
Tulips are one of the first flowers to emerge each spring. While these flowers come in a wide variety of colors, red tulips add brightness to an early spring day.
Tulips feature dark blue-green leaves and cup shaped flowers with 3 petals and 3 sepals. These flowering perennials grow to heights between 6 inches and 2 feet. They thrive in zones 3 through 8 and prefer full or partial sun and well-drained soil.
Final Thoughts on Perennial Red Flowers
Red flowers add flair to any garden. Best of all, you can find a type of red flower that meets your taste so you can have scarlet blooms in your garden from early spring up until the first frost.
