Stunning Red Flowers: Types and Beautiful Photos

The flowers

Every red flower in the library

42 of the 82 flowers here carry this colour, ordered by how much of it the photograph actually shows. The library keeps one picture per flower and most of these come in several colours.

Crimson CarnationDianthus caryophyllusSummer bloomer

8 photos of Carnation

Red carnation against city skyline backdrop

Crimson RoseRosaSummer bloomer

8 photos of Rose

Scarlet AmaryllisHippeastrumSpring bloomer

8 photos of Amaryllis

Vibrant red flowers glistening at sunrise.

Vibrant red flower against dark background

Vibrant red flowers against city skyline.

Scarlet BegoniaBegonia x semperflorensSpring bloomer

8 photos of Begonia

Begonia (Begonia x, waxsemperflorens types) (1)

Scarlet PoppyPapaverSpring bloomer

8 photos of Poppy

Scarlet Busy Lizzie (Garden Impatiens)Impatiens wallerianaSpring bloomer

Cherry and mid red TulipTulipa spp. (incl. Tulipa gesneriana hybrids)Spring bloomer

8 photos of Tulip

Scarlet ZinniaZinnia elegansSummer bloomer

8 photos of Zinnia

Crimson AnemoneAnemone coronariaSpring bloomer

Why

Why red is the colour it is

Red comes from anthocyanins, and which red depends on which one. Pelargonidin gives scarlet, the red with orange in it, the red of geranium and salvia. Cyanidin gives crimson, the red with blue in it, the red of a dark rose or a peony. A handful of families skip anthocyanins altogether: cacti, bougainvillea and the beet relatives build red from betalains instead, a completely separate chemistry, which is why their magentas never appear in a rose. Red also has a job. Most insects see red poorly, birds see it well, so a red flower is usually a flower that has given up on bees and is advertising to hummingbirds.

Why your red bed looks restless

Scarlet next to crimson makes both look dirty, the same way two whites of different temperature do. Pick one red per view. If you must have both, put a mass of dark green, bronze or white between them and the eye stops arguing.

The honest sort

How red each one really is

The same flowers again, this time grouped by how much of the colour is actually there in ordinary daylight rather than on a label.

Scarlet, the orange red14Pelargonidin. Bright, hot, advances towards you.

Scarlet Sage

Geranium

Poppy

Canna Lily

Mexican Sunflower

Begonia

Busy Lizzie (Garden Impatiens)

Zinnia

Gerbera Daisy

Amaryllis

Also here Crocosmia Marigold Lily (true lily) Sunflower

Crimson, the blue red14Cyanidin. Deep, cool, recedes into shade until it disappears.

Peony

Rose

Camellia

Dahlia

Chrysanthemum

Carnation

Anemone

Azalea

Also here Clematis Lenten Rose (Hellebore) Cornflower (Bachelor's Button) Garden Phlox Lupine Morning Glory

Cherry and mid red10Neither one nor the other. Safe next to both.

Tulip

Ranunculus

Snapdragon

Daylily

Hibiscus

Vibrant orange and yellow flowers blooming

Alstroemeria

Anthurium

Petunia

Also here Coreopsis (Tickseed) Dancing Lady Orchid

Sold as red, reads pink4Fine flowers. Not red at a distance.

Cosmos Yarrow Lantana Garden Verbena

Putting it together

What red sits well with

Crimson and creamThe classic. Cream stops crimson turning to a hole in the border.

Scarlet and bronze foliageHeat on heat; the leaf does the work, not another flower.

Deep red and silverArtemisia or lamb's ear lifts a red that would otherwise vanish at dusk.

Meaning

What red says

Red is the least ambiguous flower there is: love, declared and not hedged. The dozen red roses convention is barely two centuries old, but it is now firm enough that red carries the message whether or not it was intended.