7 Red Plants to Give Your Garden a Bright Pop of Color

Every garden needs a pop of red.

Building a good landscape is a lot like making a beautiful painting. It's all about creating a good composition with dynamic shapes, textures, and colors. And if there's one color that can make a statement in any museum painting or garden plot alike, it's the color red. Adding red plants to you garden can help draw the eye and create a strong focal point in your landscaping. So, we've rounded up some red plants—including both plants with red flowers and plants with red foliage—for inspiration. Keep these plants in mind as you build your outdoor masterpiece.

Related: 8 White Flowers You Should Consider Adding to Your Garden

Azalea

Azaleas are a highly popular flowering shrub, thanks to their hardy nature and vibrant blooms, which can be found in a range of colors, from peachy pinks to bold purples. If you want to add some statement-making red to your garden, look for one of the many red varieties, like 'Buccaneer,' 'Red Ruffles,' and 'Autumn Embers.'

Lobelia Cardinalis

Lobelia cardinalis, or the cardinal flower, boasts bright red tubular flowers that grow from tall, terminal spikes. This plant is a great choice if you're looking to build a pollinator-friendly garden as the nectar will attract humingbirds, butterflies, and bees.

Related: How to Create a Pollinator-Friendly Garden

Anthurium

Anthurium is a striking tropical perennial shrub that produces bright red heart-shaped "flowers" (which are technically spathes). They're popular houseplants, but they can also grown outdoors in warm climates or during the summer months, as this plant is cold sensitive.

Begonia

Begonias are shade-friendly, easy-to-grow plants—great for beginner gardeners—and they're loved for their long-blooming flowers. For red varieties, try out 'Surefire Red,' which has glossy green foliage, or 'Surefire Cherry Cordial,' which has dark purple foliage.

Cordyline Australis Red Star

If you're looking for red foliage versus flowers, Cordyline australis 'Red Star' can provide with it's dark burgundy palm-like leaves. The plant will add a tropical flare to any garden or landscape and it's generally pretty low maintenance.

Japanese Maple

For a dramatic showing of red foliage—and more verticality in your garden—consider adding a dwarf variety of a Japanese maple tree. Aside from their bright red leaves, Japanese maples are also known for their delicate, weeping shape.

Superbena Red Verbena

'Superbena Red' verbena offers a versatile way to add pops of red to your landscape or garden. The annual can be grown in containers, hanging baskets, or as a ground cover, quickly creating a lush carpet of red flowers.

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