9 Red Plants to Consider Growing in Florida


Red plants can add a splash of vibrant color to your home. Which ones should you consider growing in Florida?
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Red plants can add a splash of color to any landscape or interior design. They also make a gorgeous contrast when mixed with other plants. Red is a warm color that can influence how people view a space. Using red flowers on a border can draw attention away from an untamed portion of your yard.

Even in Florida’s harsh climate, many red plants thrive without much care and maintenance. Your yard can be as beautiful and low-maintenance as a wildflower meadow.

Use these natural wonders to your advantage by incorporating them into your landscape.

1. Azalea

Azaleas are a classic Southern plant that produces so many flowers at once that they completely cover the foliage. These are cold-hardy plants that thrive in South Florida’s cooler areas.

Azalea is a beautiful background plant in shaded areas even without its flowers; however, it blooms with a stunning display of color in the spring. During the rest of the year, these shrubs can be used to form a dense hedge or as an accent in a mixed bed.

pinkish red azalea flowers

2. Coleus

Coleus is a heat-tolerant, long-lasting annual with vibrant foliage. It comes in green, pink, red, and maroon, so there are many options for adding bright color to both sunny and shady areas of your garden during the summer.

Coleus is both very difficult to kill and easy to cultivate, making it an ideal choice for gardeners of all skill levels. These versatile plants work well in hanging baskets, patio planters, and garden beds.

beautiful and bright coleus plectranthus

3. Hibiscus

Hibiscus, with its brightly colored flowers, offers a vibrant tropical scene. These tropical plants work well as accents or decorative hedges in any garden design. Flowers can be single or double and usually last one day.

The size of the flowers ranges from saucer-sized singles to ruffled double blooms. Some flowers are multicolored, while others are plain. They bloom virtually all year in South Florida.

red hibiscus flower blooming under the sun

4. Firebush

Firebush blooms in clusters of slender tubular shapes ranging in color from brilliant orange to crimson. Its nectar-filled flowers vary in length, and it has an abundance of berries that various birds and small animals eat.

Firebush, a superb wildlife plant and one of Florida’s most gorgeous native plants, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. It typically blooms from spring until fall, though it can bloom all year in warmer areas.

clusters of blooming firebush

5. Red Gerberas

Gerbera daisies have long-lasting 3 to 4-inch flowers in various shapes and hues, including yellow, white, pink, lavender, red, and orange. These plants form dense clusters of long, fuzzy leaves up to 12 inches tall.

Gerbera daisies do well in containers or as perennial bedding plants. Gerberas not only produce flowers for an extended period in the garden, but their blossoms also generate long-lasting cut flowers that can be used to decorate your home’s interior.

6. Florida Anise

Florida anise is an excellent shrub for a shaded, moist spot in your garden. Its dense foliage, rich green leaves, and all-year lushness make it an ideal choice for an informal hedge.

Maroon to purple flowers appear in the spring, followed by star-shaped seed pods later in the summer. The alternating elliptic to lanceolate evergreen leaves are grouped in pseudo-whirls at the end of each stem.

florida anise flowering shrub

7. Camellia

Camellias bloom throughout the fall and winter when other plants begin to lose their color. They’ve proven reliable additions to the southern landscapes, where they flourish and blossom despite minimal care.

Their luxuriant, evergreen foliage remains attractive throughout the year. Camellias are excellent landscaping plants that should be used more frequently because of their consistent growth and low maintenance requirements.

8. Firecracker

Hummingbirds and butterflies are drawn to the natural and feathery free-form of the firecracker plant and its cascading fiery red flowers. The tubular flowers, usually red, resemble a fountain-like spray of fireworks, making this plant appealing and intriguing.

Florida firecracker can grow up to six feet wide, making them an eye-catching focal point when planted with smaller plants. They look great when combined with tall bushes or towering palms.

beautiful firecracker floral plant

9. Ixora

Ixora shrubs are characterized by their dense clusters of brilliant flowers. The flowers come in various shades of red, orange, yellow, and pink. The plant is also known as jungle flame and flame of the woods.

One of the best attributes of Ixora is that it blooms all year. Each bloom cluster can last between 6 and 8 weeks, providing your landscape with long-lasting and breathtaking colors. Ixora shrubs require relatively little maintenance.

Phillis Butler
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