Add a Vibrant Touch with These 11 Striking Annual Red Blooms
**Brightening Your Garden with Red Annual Flowers**
For a vibrant and colourful garden, annual flowers are an excellent choice, and here are some red-flowering options that will bring a burst of colour to your outdoor space. Each of these flowers has unique characteristics and growth requirements to suit various gardening conditions.
**1. Scarlet Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus)** - Type: Annual vine - Flower: Striking red blooms from mid-summer to early fall - Height: Climbs up to 10-12 feet - Sun: Full sun - Soil: Well-drained, adaptable soil types - Zones: 3-9 - Additional perks: Produces edible beans, attracts pollinators like bees and hummingbirds - Planting: Sow in spring after frost danger passes
This vine is great for vertical interest on trellises or fences and is both ornamental and practical.
**2. Geum ‘Mrs J. Bradshaw’** - Type: Herbaceous annual or perennial (often grown as an annual) - Flower: Semi-double bright red flowers - Bloom time: June to August - Height: Up to 60 cm tall - Requirements: Thrives in sunny positions with well-drained soil - Noted for: Long flowering season and an Award of Garden Merit for its large, well-colored flowers on slender stems
**3. Potentilla ‘Gibson’s Scarlet’** - Type: Low-growing annual or perennial used as an annual - Flower: Red flowers on 45 cm stems, blooming June to August - Sun: Prefers sunny spots but tolerates light shade - Soil: Light, well-drained soil - Use: Ideal for front of borders due to its compact habit
**4. Garden Verbena (Verbena ×hybrida)** - Type: Annual in most zones outside 8-11 - Flower: Tiny clustered red flowers (among other colors), fragrant, in clusters up to 3 inches across - Bloom season: May through October - Sun: Full sun with at least 8 hours a day - Soil: Average, well-drained soil - Height: Varies from low-growing trailing to somewhat upright forms - Notes: Long blooming and attractive to pollinators
**5. Cockscomb (Celosia argentea var. cristata)** - Type: Annual - Flower: Large, velvety deep red (also orange, yellow) blooms - Height: Stems up to 12 inches tall - Zones: 2-12, thrives in warmer climates - Requirements: Full sun, moist neutral soil, weekly watering - Planting: After last frost in spring, blooms through fall - Note: Known for its unique velvety texture and vibrant color
The table below summarises the key details of these red-flowering annuals:
| Flower | Type | Height | Sun | Soil | Zones | Bloom Time | |---------------------------|---------------|----------------|---------------|--------------------|----------|-------------------| | Scarlet Runner Bean | Annual vine | 10-12 ft | Full sun | Well-drained | 3-9 | Mid-summer to fall | | Geum ‘Mrs J. Bradshaw’ | Annual/herbaceous | 60 cm | Sunny | Well-drained | N/A | June to August | | Potentilla ‘Gibson’s Scarlet’ | Annual/Perennial | 45 cm | Sunny/light shade | Light, well-drained | N/A | June to August | | Garden Verbena | Annual | Variable | Full sun | Average, well-drained | 8-11 hardy | May to October | | Cockscomb | Annual | ~12 inches | Full sun | Moist, neutral | 2-12 | Summer to fall |
These red-flowering annuals offer a combination of bright, attractive blooms and relatively straightforward care, making them excellent choices to bring continual red color to your garden throughout the growing season. Most prefer full sun and well-drained soil and bloom from early summer into fall, ensuring a long-lasting display.
- For a vertical interest in your garden, consider the Scarlet Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus), an annual vine that blooms striking red flowers from mid-summer to early fall, growing up to 10-12 feet tall.
- Geum ‘Mrs J. Bradshaw’, a type of herbaceous annual or perennial, offers semi-double bright red flowers from June to August, reaching heights of up to 60 cm, thriving in sunny positions with well-drained soil.
- Potentilla ‘Gibson’s Scarlet', a low-growing annual or perennial, is ideal for the front of borders due to its compact habit, producing red flowers on 45 cm stems from June to August, preferring sunny spots but tolerating light shade and light, well-drained soil.
- Garden Verbena (Verbena ×hybrida) is a versatile annual, boasting tiny clustered red flowers (among other colors), blooming from May through October in full sun with at least 8 hours of daylight, in average, well-drained soil.
- Cockscomb (Celosia argentea var. cristata), an annual, features large, velvety deep red (also orange, yellow) blooms, growing up to 12 inches tall in full sun, moist neutral soil, and weekly watering.
- The colorful red blooms of these annuals elevate your garden's decor, harmonizing with today's fashion-and-beauty and home-and-garden lifestyle trends.
- Transforming your landscaping into a thriving, vibrant red-flowering paradise can be both a pleasing pursuit and a fulfilling addition to your lifestyle.
