17 Bushes With Red Flowers Perfect for Every Season

Adding bushes with red flowers to your garden is always a great idea! We have listed different options for you to choose from that will bring a sense of excitement and will complement your green garden.

Let’s begin to identify them one by one to discover which of them will suit your needs. Learn some of the most important details that you have to know if you desire to grow any of these plants.

List of Bushes With Beautiful Red Flowers

Here, we cover a good variety of beautiful red flowering shrubs that you can grow for every growing season, but before we start, keep in mind that some plants on the list are toxic. Some will require pruning to keep them in your desired shape, and some are easy to grow and maintain, whereas others will require a lot of your attention.

1. Red Cascade

This attractive shrub will be the perfect fit for the red garden ideas that you want to implement. The common names Red cascade, Creek bottlebrush, and Weeping bottlebrush are referring to the plant Melaleuca viminalis. It is a large flowering shrub belonging to the Myrtaceae family. It is native to Western Australia and Queensland.

Red cascades attract pollinators like hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. It also serves as a food source for small animals. This bush requires very low maintenance once established, but remember that it is an invasive plant because of its matting root system and fast-growing characteristic.

2. California Sweetshrub

California sweetshrub, Western sweetshrub, or Spice bush is a genus of flowering plants that naturally form into a rounded shape. It is a member of the Calycanthaceae family that is native to California.

One of the distinctive features of California sweetshrub is that it produces dark red colored blooms that have a spicy fragrance, hence the common name Spice bush, which deer tend to shy away from.

3. Escallonia

Escallonia is an excellent plant to grow as a hedge or in screens and borders. It produces sweet-smelling flowers in a wide array of colors and aromatic foliage that attract beneficial insects, such as bees and butterflies.

They are also simple to grow and care for and self-sufficient, so they do not require much of your attention while growing. Escallonia is a genus of shrubs belonging to the family Escalloniaceae, which is native to South and North America.

4. Chinese Hibiscus

Chinese Hibiscus, China rose, Hawaiian hibiscus, Rose mallow, and Shoeblack plant are the common names referring to Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. It is a perennial bush with red flowers from the Malvaceae family. It is grown and cultivated as an ornamental plant and prized for its vibrant showy flowers that typically grow up to 6 inches in diameter. Chinese hibiscus is an excellent plant to grow in screens and hedges in your perennial garden.

5. Protea

Protea plant is a genus of over 1,000 flowering plants native to South Africa. Given that Protea has a wide variety of forms, its genus name was taken after the Greek god Proteus who has the ability to change forms. It was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1735.

Protea can grow as shrubs or tall trees, depending on the species you have planted. Its blooms are ideal to use for fresh bouquets and for dried flower arrangements. However, remember that its seeds, nectar, and flowers are poisonous to humans and animals.

6. Meadowsweets

Spiraea or Spirea is a genus of about 100 species from the Rosaceae family. This shrub is native to the Northern Hemisphere. Some species were traditionally used as food and medicine.

Meadowsweets and Steeplebushes are its common names. This plant is becoming popular among gardeners because of its easy to grow and maintain nature.

7. Rose Bush

Rose bush from the genus Rosa of Rosaceae family is a woody perennial flowering plant. Rose bushes are either climbing, trailing, or standing erect. This perennial flower is pretty popular among gardeners. It has over 300 species and 10,000 cultivars and hybrids.

It is widely grown and admired for its beautiful, aromatic, and symbolic flowers that bloom abundantly during the summer season. Rose bushes are also low maintenance plants. As long as they are receiving plenty of water and nutrients, they will flourish and bloom profusely.

8. Waratah

Another red flowering bush on the list is Waratah or Telopea speciosissima. It is a species of large shrubs and small trees native to Australia. It belongs to the family Protaceae.

Famous for its large red inflorescences that are often visited by birds and insects, Waratah is cultivated in home gardens and commercially grown in numerous countries as it is perfect to use as a cut flower. Its blooms come in shades of red, white, and pink.

9. Egyptian Starcluster

Egyptian starcluster or Pentas lanceolate is a species of flowering plant from the Rubiaceae family. It is native to Africa and Yemen and is prominently used as an ornamental garden plant, especially in butterfly gardens.

These tropical shrubs are loved by butterflies and bees for their sweet-tasting nectar. Their long-blooming tiny flowers grow in clusters in colors of red, lavender, pink, or white.

10. Weigela Florida

Weigela florida is the most popular cultivar within the genus Weigela. It belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family that is native to eastern Asia. This deciduous shrub produces numerous red, pink, and white flowers that bloom during early summer and typically attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

This plant is commonly grown for its flowers when it was first introduced, but new cultivars are continuously being made as this plant has interesting foliage. This plant is relatively simple to care for. Just remember that it should receive at least 8 to 10 hours of sunlight daily, or it will fail to bloom.

11. Cardinal Flower

Cardinal flower or Lobelia cardinalis belongs to the Campanulaceae family native to the Americas. This red flowering plant is an ideal landscape plant in the area of your garden that has moist soil. Given that Cardinal flowers are naturally found and thrive in wet areas like swamps and streams, they are simple to grow as long as they are receiving plenty of sunlight and water.

However, just like the other species of the Lobelia genus, cardinal flowers are highly poisonous to humans and pets. Ingestion can cause several serious symptoms, such as digestive problems, convulsions, and death.

12. Lantana

Lantana is a perennial flowering plant from the Verbenaceae family. This genus has over 150 species and is native to the warm tropical regions of the Americas and Africa. Lantana has become popular among gardeners because of its fragrant bright flowers that come in different colors.

Its flowers also attract numerous species of butterflies because of its nectar. Lantanas are an excellent plant to grow as ground covers, border shrubs, or in hanging baskets. They are also relatively easy to grow but are toxic to pets and considered invasive in several areas.

13. Flowering Quince

Chaenomeles speciose, with the common name Flowering Quince, Chinese quince, or Japanese quince, is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub from the Rosaceae family. It is native to eastern Asia and widely cultivated in temperate regions.

Flowering quince is commonly grown for its lovely red blooms, which also come in pink and white shades, not for its fruits. It is a perfect plant to grow for borders and barriers. It has an easy-to-grow characteristic. Make sure to provide it with full sun to encourage blooms.

14. Hydrangea

Hydrangea is a genus that has about 75 species that can either be deciduous or evergreen flowering plants. They are native to Asia and the Americas, and Hydrangeas have been popular among gardeners as an ornamental plant for decades. It is prized for its showy rounded flower heads that come in different shades. However, depending on the variety of species, some of the blooms are flatter, smaller, and more delicate.

Hydrangeas can adapt to a big range of growing conditions and are rapid growers. However, be aware that they are toxic to humans and pets, so be careful if you plan to give it a try in your ornamental garden.

15. Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea is native to eastern Southern America from Brazil, Peru, and southern Argentina. This genus is from the Nyctaginaceae family of thorny vines, bushes, and trees. Bougainvillea is known for its vibrant hues in shades of pink, red, orange, purple, yellow, and magenta.

This flowering shrub blooms profusely and has a sprawling habit that may require pruning and trimming to maintain your desired shape. Make sure to prune during the fall season after the growing season is finished to ensure that the plant will bloom from the next season’s sprout.

16. Azalea

Rhododendron is the botanical name of Azaleas. It is a large genus of over 1,024 species in the Ericaceae family. Most of its species are native to the Himalayan regions and eastern Asia.

This shade-loving plant produces charming colored blooms that will bring color to your garden from late winter through early summer. However, remember that Azaleas are quite toxic to humans and animals and can possibly cause digestive distress and cardiac arrest.

17. Butterfly Bush

Buddleja, commonly known as Butterfly bush, is a genus of flowering plants with over 140 species. They are native to the Americas, Africa, and Asia. This deciduous shrub produces spectacular flowers in a wide range of colors and has rich nectar and a honey-like scent that attracts hummingbirds.

This popular plant can be a great addition to your garden landscape while you enjoy their ease of growth, low maintenance, and tolerance to pests, drought, and stress.

Conclusion

There are a lot of options when we are talking about bushes with red flowers that will give a pop of color to your garden. Here are the reasons why you must consider them:

• Protea and California Sweetshrub have no serious pest issues.
• Lantanas, Butterfly bushes, Rose bushes, and Escallonia produce fragrant flowers.
• California Sweetshrub is a flowering shrub that is deer resistant.
• Weigela Florida, Red Cascade, Meadowsweets, Cardinal Flower, and Flowering Quince are the easy-to-grow plants on the list.
• Red Cascade, Escallonia, Waratah, Egyptian Starcluster, and Weigela florida typically attract beneficial pollinators.

Given that red is a vibrant color, anything you choose from the selection we have listed will surely be perfect and bring sparkle to your ornamental garden.

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