Turn up the heat with these red perennials for your summer garden.

Bold monochromatic gardens are a hot trend that is easy to achieve. While yellow is the color of the year for 2021, we think it’s time to turn up the heat and start seeing red. Try these fiery annuals and perennials to get your garden looking red-hot.

 

Cute Crimson Coneflowers

Coneflowers come in tons of shades and make a bold statement. These red perennials keep boasting blooms into the late summer. With good weather and some deadheading, they can even last into September. Plant coneflowers in hues of red, orange, and yellow for a sunset vibe. Coneflowers attract equally colorful pollinators like butterflies, birds, and bees: they’re the colorful plant that doesn’t quit! One more bonus of planting coneflowers—they are also known as echinacea, which is commonly used in home remedies for colds and burns (and your guests will absolutely need a burn remedy after seeing your red hot garden!)

 

Delightful Daylily

Daylilies are an iconic addition to any gorgeous garden, and the Ruby Stella variety is the perfect addition to your red hot yard. Ruby Stella daylilies are red perennials with long stalks that grow up to 2 feet tall. You’ll find subtle differences within this variety, some flowers may be a vibrant fire engine hue, while others are a deeper hue of burgundy. Some daylilies will only bloom for a few weeks during the summer, but you can find reblooming varieties that will continue showing off into late summer.

Wonderful Weigela

Weigela is a wickedly wonderful way to add some red into your garden. Weigela is a deciduous shrub that blooms with gorgeous clusters of vibrantly-hued flowers that are the perfect attraction for pollinators. They do most of their flowering during spring months, but there are also some amazing reblooming varieties that allow you to enjoy blooms until the end of summer! Choose a variety of weigela that fits your color palette and that will thrive in the space you plant it.

 

Hot Hibiscus

If you’re looking for some red hot tropical flavor for your garden, grow some hibiscus! Hibiscus comes in many red-colored varieties and you can choose between tropicals or hardy hibiscus. Your best bet for growing hibiscus in Iowa is to choose the hardy variety if you’re looking for long-lasting perennial blooms. These hardy varieties love full sun conditions and plenty of water.

Lovely Lobelia

Lobelias are usually tender perennials that are commonly known for their bright purple flowers, but they also come in hardier varieties in shades of red, also known as Cardinal Flowers. The tube-shaped flowers are an absolute delight to hummingbirds, so plant your Lobelia where you like to do your bird-watching. Lobelias are a great choice if you’re looking for red perennials that are low maintenance—they can stand a bit of neglect and don’t need too much water to thrive.

 

Royal Roses

While a bit of an obvious choice, we just can’t resist the classics! Roses are timeless and you can always count on finding a variety that tickles you pink. Whether you want rose bushes with pops of red, or want a vining variety to cover your fence, you can count on roses to bring on the beauty. You can also bring your outdoor reds inside by cutting them fresh and arranging them in a vase. Try these red hot perennials and watch your garden’s temperature rise! We’d love to find out which ones worked for you this year. If you’re looking for red plants in Bettendorf, come visit us! We’ll show you what’s in stock and how to make it work in your summer garden.