Best Red Flowers for UK Gardens

Red is the boldest colour in the border. It jumps out at you more than blue or white, so a little goes a long way. Think of it as a full stop, not a whole sentence.

What makes a good red flower

Every plant here earns its place in three ways. It flowers for a long time. It holds its colour rather than fading to pink in hot sun. It’s hardy, or at least easy to keep through winter.

The list runs in order of how useful each plant is in a real border. For more seasonal ideas, see our guide to the best summer flowers for UK gardens.

A red border in July. Crocosmia, dahlias and salvias give months of colour from one planting.

Red perennials that come back every year

Red perennials are the backbone of a lasting red scheme. They come back each spring, bulk up over a few years, and need replacing far less often than bedding.

Penstemon Firebird has tubular red flowers from July to October, the longest run of any hardy perennial here. Monarda Cambridge Scarlet brings in bees from July and smells of bergamot when you crush a leaf. Red hot poker Kniphofia Royal Standard sends up red and yellow torches in summer, on poor dry soil where little else does well. For ideas on mixing these, read our guide to the best perennial plants for UK gardens.

Monarda Cambridge Scarlet is a bee favourite. The open flowers make feeding easy.

Gardener’s tip: Only cut crocosmia leaves to the ground once they’ve turned fully yellow in late autumn. The dying leaves feed next year’s corms, so cutting them green means fewer flowers next summer.

Red dahlias for the longest run of colour

Dahlias flower for longer than any other red here. They start in late June and keep going to the first frost if you deadhead them. They aren’t fully hardy, so lift the tubers in cold areas or mulch them deeply on well-drained soil.

For drama, Dahlia Arabian Night has near-black red double flowers, though doubles don’t do much for bees. Deadhead every two or three days. A faded flower tells the plant to make seed and stop. Our guide to growing dahlias in the UK covers lifting, storing and dividing tubers.

Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff. Single flowers for the bees, and bronze leaves that look good all season.

Red roses and shrubs for height and structure

Red roses and flowering shrubs add height and last for years. A repeat-flowering red shrub rose blooms from June to the first frost with little fuss.

Rosa Munstead Wood has deep crimson, strongly scented flowers on a 1m shrub. Rosa Darcey Bussell is a shorter crimson at about 75cm, good for smaller borders and pots. Both want full sun, rich soil and a yearly mulch. For pruning and feeding, see our guide to growing roses in the UK.

For shrubs, Chaenomeles Crimson and Gold opens scarlet flowers on bare stems in March and April, one of the earliest reds of the year. Weigela Bristol Ruby has trumpet flowers in May and June. These woody reds hold the scheme together while perennials and dahlias take over later. There are more ideas in our roundup of the best flowering shrubs for UK gardens.

Rosa Munstead Wood. Deep crimson, beautifully scented, and flowering again and again from June.

Red flowers compared by height and season

Find the height and flowering time you need, then see what job each plant does best.

No single plant flowers all year, so layering is the trick. Combine an early scarlet like oriental poppy, a long-flowering dahlia and a hardy perennial such as penstemon. That gives you red from May to November without gaps. Tulips stretch it back into April, but treat them as annuals on heavy clay.

A month-by-month plan for red garden colour

Red can run from early spring to late autumn with a bit of planning. Here’s what to do and what’s flowering in an average UK garden.

Red hot poker loves poor, dry soil. Handy for hot gravel beds where crocosmia would sulk.

Common mistakes with red flowers

Most red schemes go wrong for the same few reasons.

• Dotting red about. One red plant here and there looks like an accident. Plant in groups of three or five so it looks like you meant it.
• Forgetting about fading. Scarlet pelargoniums and some roses bleach to pink in hot south-facing beds. Give the deepest reds some afternoon shade.
• Choosing doubles for bees. Double dahlias and roses look full but hide their nectar. Pick single, open flowers if you want bees and hoverflies.
• Expecting tulips to come back on clay. Red tulips rarely return well in heavy, wet soil. Treat them as annuals or grow them in pots.
• Skipping the deadheading. A faded dahlia or rose tells the plant to stop. Snip off old flowers every few days to keep the show going.

How to pair red with other border colours

Red needs a good neighbour to look its best. The easiest partner is plain green, which cools the colour down.

For a hot border, mix red with orange and yellow. For contrast, set it against silver leaves such as artemisia. Keep red away from strong pink, which clashes. Deep reds with bronze leaves, like Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff, can carry a border on their own. To cool things down, see our roundups of the best purple, pink and blue flowers and the best white flowers for UK gardens. Before you buy, check the RHS Plants for Pollinators list to find reds that feed insects too.

Now you’ve got your reds sorted, build the rest of the colours around them. Read our guide to the best yellow flowers for UK gardens to plan a hot border, or browse the plants section for more ideas.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best red flower for a UK garden?

Crocosmia Lucifer is the most reliable. It is fully hardy, flowers for weeks from July, and needs no staking. The arching scarlet sprays look great in borders and vases. Plant the corms in spring in full sun for the strongest colour.

Which red flowers bloom the longest?

Dahlias flower longest, often from late June to the first frost. Deadhead every few days to keep them going. Salvias and penstemons are close behind, carrying red into October in mild areas.

Are there red flowers that come back every year?

Yes, plenty of red perennials are fully hardy in the UK. Crocosmia, oriental poppies, penstemons, monarda and red hot pokers all come back each year. Dahlias survive if lifted or mulched over winter. Tulips are best treated as annuals on heavy soil.

What red flowers grow well in shade?

True reds are scarce in shade, but a few cope. Astilbe Fanal has deep red plumes in moist part shade. Lobelia cardinalis and red hardy fuchsias also put up with dappled light. Most scarlet flowers need sun, so save shady beds for these few.

Do red flowers attract bees and butterflies?

Single red flowers attract bees, hoverflies and butterflies. Bees don’t see red well, but they still visit for the nectar. Monarda, single dahlias and salvias draw the most insects. Double red blooms hide their nectar and feed very little.

Why do my red flowers fade to pink?

Strong afternoon sun bleaches them, especially pelargoniums and roses. The petals pale a little more each hot day. Plant your deepest reds where they get some shade in the afternoon. A cooler spot and good soil help the colour last through summer.