Plants with Big, Bold Red Flowers for Stunning Garden Color

When it comes to choosing plants with eye-catching flowers, it’s hard to beat those with big, bold blooms in vibrant shades of red Ranging from bright cherry red to deeper burgundy tones, red is one of the most striking colors in the garden It draws the eye, commands attention, and adds excitement to garden beds, borders and containers.

Red flowers also attract pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies, who are drawn to the vibrant blooms. So adding plenty of red flowering plants to your garden design is a great way to bring in more wildlife. Even better, red blooms show up well from a distance, so they are perfect for creating floral focal points within your landscape.

Here’s an overview of some of the best plants for big bold red flowers to brighten up your garden with gorgeous color

Dahlias

It’s impossible to talk about big, showy flowers without mentioning dahlias. These classic tuberous annuals are practically synonymous with huge, dinner plate-sized blooms, and they come in a full spectrum of colors including many rich shades of red.

Popular red dahlia varieties include ‘Mathew Alan’, ‘Waltzing Mathilda’, ‘Grande Wine’, and ‘Gallery Art Deco’. Plant in full sun for the largest blossoms on strong, sturdy stems perfect for cutting. Dahlias grow 3 to 6 feet tall depending on the variety.

Cannas

Another plant prized for its outrageously large and flamboyant blooms, cannas feature flowers in fiery shades of red, orange, yellow and bi-colors. The huge blossoms can measure up to 5 inches across and sit atop tall stems with large, tropical-looking leaves.

Some standout red flowering cannas to try are ‘Intrigue’, ‘Pretoria’, ‘Red King Humbert’, and ‘Wyoming’. Give them full sun and rich, moist soil for best results. Most grow 4 to 6 feet tall.

Hibiscus

Hardy hibiscus are gaining popularity in colder climates thanks to their ability to survive winters outdoors. But the main draw is still those dinner plate-sized blossoms, available in shades like deep red, pink, white and bi-colors.

Some popular red varieties include ‘Plum Crazy’, ‘Cranberry Crush’, ‘Midnight Marvel’, and ‘Kopper King’. They bloom throughout summer, love full sun, and grow to around 4 to 6 feet tall in one season.

Geraniums

No roundup of red bloomers would be complete without geraniums. These classic container plants pump out tons of small yet vivid red flowers all season long. The most common red geranium is still ‘Red’, prized for its bright cherry red color.

Other top choices include ‘Patriot Red’, ‘Maverick Red’, ‘Ringo Red’, and ‘Fireworks Red’. Give them full sun and they’ll reward you with nonstop color in flower beds or containers from spring to fall. Most grow 12 to 18 inches tall and wide.

Begonias

For big, rose-like red blooms even in shade, wax begonias can’t be beat. Varieties like ‘Big Red with Bronze Leaf’ and ‘Crazy® Red’ produce abundant clusters of large, waxy flowers atop fleshy stems and foliage. They bloom nonstop from spring to frost with minimal care.

Dragon wing begonias are another shade loving option, but with dangling clusters of smaller red or pink-red flowers. Good varieties for red include ‘Lipstick’, ‘Salsa’, and ‘Vento Red’. Both types grow 12 to 18 inches tall.

Lilies

Of all the flowers typically thought of as red, lily blooms are some of the largest. Species like oriental lilies can produce upward facing flowers 8 inches or more across in the most vivid shades of red.

Great red lily varieties to try are ‘Scheherazade’, ‘Black Beauty’, and ‘Muscadet’. Plant the bulbs in fall in zones 4-9, where they’ll bloom mid to late summer and reach heights of 3 to 4 feet tall.

Roses

No list of red bloomers would be complete without mentioning roses. While sizes vary, shrub and floribunda roses in particular produce nice sized blossoms 3 to 4 inches across in deep red hues.

Good red rose varieties include ‘Knock Out’, ‘Oso Easy Paprika’, ‘Drop Dead Red’, and ‘Super Hero’. Give them full sun and prune yearly for the best flower production. Most red rose shrubs reach 3 to 5 feet tall and wide.

Zinnias

For big, bold red flowers on easy to grow annuals, zinnias are ideal. Varieties like ‘Scarlet Flame’, ‘Giant Dahlia Flowered’, and ‘State Fair’ produce blossoms 3 to 5 inches across in shades from cherry red to deep crimson.

Zinnias are carefree plants that thrive in full sun and heat while tolerating drought very well. Simply scatter the seeds where you want them to grow and they’ll bloom all summer into fall, reaching heights of 2 to 4 feet.

Sunflowers

What plant has bigger, bolder blooms than a sunflower? Varieties producing large red flowers on multi-branched plants are especially popular for gardens, instead of the pollen-less single stem types used for cutting.

Top picks for big red sunflowers include ‘Ruby Eclipse’, ‘Chianti’, and ‘Mars’. Sow seeds in spring once soils have warmed. Sunflowers love full sun and grow quite tall, commonly 5 to 10 feet depending on the variety.

Daylilies

Daylilies produce hundreds of colorful blooms throughout summer, with individual blossoms measuring 3 to 6 inches across depending on the variety. For big red flowers, look for daylily cultivars labeled as tetraploid, meaning they have double the normal number of chromosomes.

Some tetraploid daylilies with large red blooms are ‘Ruby Spider’, ‘Pirate’s Patch’, ‘Frances Joiner’, and ‘Primal Scream’. Give them full sun to part shade and they’ll thrive, reaching 2 to 3 feet tall.

Anthurium

For an easy houseplant that produces showy red flowers, look no further than the anthurium. Its glossy red, heart-shaped bracts (modified leaves) surround the true flowers and last for many weeks indoors.

Popular large-bracted red varieties include ‘Red Champion’, ‘Midnight’, ‘Firebird’ and ‘Shining Red’. Provide bright, indirect light indoors and keep their soil slightly moist. Most grow 1 to 3 feet tall in containers.

Mandevilla

One of the showiest red flowering vines for containers outdoors is mandevilla. Through summer and fall it produces huge quantities of trumpet-shaped red blossoms up to 3 inches long and wide.

Top red mandevilla varieties are ‘Red Riding Hood’ and ‘Sunmandecrim’. Grow them in full sun and provide a sturdy trellis or obelisk for support. Treat as annuals in all but the warmest zones (10+) where they grow 8 to 12 feet long each year.

Hydrangeas

Though many hydrangeas have blue or pink flowers, varieties like bigleaf (macrophylla) and panicle hydrangeas (paniculata) can also have blooms in the red color spectrum. Deep burgundy red varieties include ‘Preziosa’ and ‘Strawberry Sundae’ panicle hydrangeas.

The mophead flowers are smaller than some on this list at 2 to 4 inches across, but they completely cover the shrubs in summer for a big visual impact. Most red hydrangeas grow 4 to 6 feet tall and wide.

Coleus

Most coleus are grown for their colorful foliage, but newer varieties like the Main Street series produce spikes of flowers too. Main Street ‘Redstone’ has deep burgundy leaves and bright red flower plumes up to 10 inches tall.

It loves shade and adds eye-catching color to flower beds and containers. Give it rich, moist soil and pinching back tips to encourage bushiness. Red coleus varieties grow 14 to 30 inches tall depending on type.

impatiens

Another popular shade loving annual, impatiens produce abundant flowers all season long in all sorts of colors. For big 3 to 4 inch blooms in bright red shades, look for large-flowered varieties like ‘Super Elfin XP Red’ and ‘Big Red’.

Red impatiens thrive in part to full shade and their succulent stems easily root to fill beds and containers with color. Most grow 10 to 20 inches tall. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more flowers.

Red Hot Pokers

Also known by their botanical name Kniphofia, red hot poker plants shoot up towering flower spikes in summer topped by tubular red and yellow blooms. The flower heads can be 6 inches across or more on large varieties.

Good red hot pokers for big blooms are ‘Fire Dance’, ‘Flamenco’, and ‘Shining Sceptre’. They thrive in full sun and require minimal care. Stake the flower spikes