The best red plants for your home and garden

Concentrating on a favourite colour is a great way of not only personalising a garden, but also creating a theme to unify your plantings. Red is a colour that many people love and a bold choice for a planting scheme. Make it even hotter by combining red plants with other hot tones such as orange and yellow. For a calmer use of red plants, combine with tones of green, silver and grey.

A quick way to add your favourite colour is with red-toned annuals, including petunias and calibrachoa (spring, summer and autumn) and pansies and violas (autumn, winter and spring). Bulbs including red varieties of tulips and hyacinths bring splashes of spring colour to gardens. Select the colour you like and plant it in key spots in the garden or in a container as a colour accent. Pots of colour are also a good way to introduce a colour theme to gardens for a special event.

For longer lasting colour, include flowering perennials, climbers, shrubs and trees with red flowers. For colour throughout the year, choose plants with colourful foliage including tones of red.

The best red plants

See our selection below of plants with red flowers and foliage, including plants with red new growth. Once a few key plants are selected, look for other varieties to extend your collection and the timing of flowers. Also include plants that tone well with red including orange, silver, white and shades of green.

Red plants for indoor pots

• Anthurium - many varieties display red flowers throughout the year. Display indoors in a brightly lit spot when in flower. Best outdoors in a sheltered spot when not in bloom. Click to shop anthuriums.
• Kalanchoe - also known as ‘Flaming Katy’, with flowers autumn to winter. Display indoors in a brightly lit spot when in flower. Best outdoors in a sheltered spot when not in bloom. Click to shop kalanchoes.
• Poinsettia - popular Christmas and special occasion plants, these are available for summer colour for indoors. Consider these temporary indoor plants only. Click to shop poinsettias.
• Red foliage options - there are plenty of indoor plants displaying red variegated foliage. Here are a few of our favourites.
  • Caladium - best in bright light but not near hot sun coming through a window, which can burn and damage leaves. Click to shop caladiums.
  • Ficus - red variegated forms include Ficus elastica 'Burgundy' and Ficus elastica 'Tineke Ruby'. Click to shop ficus.
  • Aglaonema - 'Red Valentine' and 'Wishes' offer splashes of red. Click to shop aglaonemas.

Clockwise from top left: Anthurium, Ficus elastica 'Burgundy', Kalanchoe, Ficus elastica 'Tineke Ruby' and Poinsettia offer striking splashes of red for indoor pots.

Red plants for outdoor pots and gardens

Red-flowering perennial plants, shrubs and trees for sunny garden spots

• Bromeliad. Click to shop bromeliads.
• Canna. Click to shop cannas.
• Dahlia (summer to autumn). Click to shop dahlias.
• Hypoestes, also known as freckle face or polka dot plant. Click to shop hypoestes.
• Salvias, including select plants from the Heatwave series (spring to autumn). Click to shop salvias.
• Geraniums including ‘Big Red’. Click to shop geraniums.
• Azaleas including ‘Red Wing’ (late winter to spring). Click to shop azaleas.
• Callistemon, including ‘Kings Park Special’ and other varieties (spring) . These plants are also known as bottlebrush. Click to shop bottlebrush.
• Grevilleas including ‘Robyn Gordon’ and other cultivars (flowers throughout the year). Click to shop grevilleas.
• Hibiscus including ‘General Corteges’, ‘Cairo Red’ and other varieties (summer and autumn). Click to shop hibiscus.
• Rhododendrons (spring). Click to shop rhododendrons.
• Roses including ‘Mr Lincoln’, ‘Double Delight’, ‘Burgundy Iceberg’ (spring to autumn). Red roses often have strong perfume. Click to shop roses.
• Lagerstroemia or crepe myrtle (late spring to autumn). Click to shop crepe myrtles.
• Flowering gums including ‘Wild Sunset’, ‘Mini Red’ and 'Wildfire’. Click to shop flowering gums.
• Illawara flame tree (Brachychiton acerifolius, summer). Click to shop Brachychitons.
• NSW Christmas bush (late spring and summer red bracts). Click to shop NSW Christmas bush.
• Metrosideros, or New Zealand Christmas bush (summer). Click to shop Metrosideros.

Red-flowering shrubs and perennials for shaded areas

• Camellia japonica varieties including ‘Black Tie’, ‘Bob Hope’, ‘Red Red Rose’, ‘Wildfire’ and ‘Royal Velvet’ (winter). Click to shop japonica camellias.

Red-flowering climbing plants

• Bougainvillea (year-round). Click to shop bougainvilleas.
• Mandevilla ‘Crimson Fantasy’ (spring). Click to shop mandevillas.

Clockwise from top left: Camellia japonica 'Bob Hope', Bougainvillea 'Temple Fire', Callistemon, Mandevilla 'Crimson Fantasy' and Rose 'Mr Lincoln'.

Red-leafed perennials, shrubs and trees

• Alternanthera. Click to shop alternantheras.
• Begonias including ‘Ruby Slippers’ and 'Thousand Wonders'. Click to shop begonias.
• Canna 'Tropicanna'. Click to shop cannas.
• Cordyline. Click to shop cordylines.
• Nandina domestica ‘Nana’. Click to shop nandinas.
• Japanese maples (autumn leaf colour). Some species and varieties including ‘Sango Kaku’ feature red bark at different times of year. Click to shop Japanese maples.
• Lilly pilly ‘Cherry Surprise’ (red new growth). Click to shop lilly pillies.
• Photinia ‘Red Robin’ (red new growth). Click to shop photinias.

Clockwise from top left: Lilly pilly 'Cherry Surprise', Alternanthera 'Little Ruby', Photinia 'Red Robin', Nandina and Rex Begonia.