Here are suggestions for 15 plants featuring red flowers or seed structures that contribute this vibrant color to your garden. Bold red, and lots of it, can make an undeniable statment in a garden design. But planting bicolor flowers, in which a predominate red also includes a related yellow or orange hue or a contrasting white, is also worth considering. Bicolor coreopsis flowers, for example, can help you achieve maximum effect with minimal design effort. Hardy hibiscus plants have a shrubby growth habit and woody, but they generally die back in the winter. Cut the stems back to 3 to 4 inches in winter in cooler climates.

USDA Growing Zones: 4–9 (depends on variety)Color Varieties: Red, pink, purpleSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Moist, rich

This perennial plant forms mounds to a height of about 16 to 18 inches, with a spread of up to twice that. It’s excellent for attracting butterflies, plus the birds and the bees, while deer reputedly tend not to eat it. Since established plants tolerate drought, Ruby Frost coreopsis does furnish you with another option for xeriscaping, although they will not bloom as prolifically in low-water gardens.

USDA Growing Zones: 5–9Color Varieties: Red with white or peach edgesSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, well-drained

If you grow them as perennials, make sure to keep mums pinched back during the spring and summer to force them into a fuller, bushier growth for fall. Left to their own, these plants can get leggy and flimsy.

USDA Growing Zones: 5–9Color Varieties: Red, bronze, orange, white, yellowSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Moist, rich, well-drained

USDA Growing Zones: 4–9Color Varieties: Scarlet redSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Medium to wet; good tolerance for boggy soils

P. tenuifolia, the fern-leaf peony, has bright crimson flowers. It is a somewhat temperamental plant, but once established in a location it likes, it will thrive for many decades. The very common hybrid herbaceous peonies based on P. lactiflora and other species are also very long-lived plants. Some good red hybrids include ‘Red Charm’, ‘Jean Ericksen’, ‘Fairy Princess’, and ‘Early Scout’. Tree peonies with red blooms include Paeonia suffruticosa, and cultivars such as ‘Dutchess of Kent’.

USDA Growing Zones: 3–8Color Varieties: Red, pink, white, purpleSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Medium moisture, rich, well-drained

The zonal geraniums are tropical perennials that are usually planted as annuals. Although sometimes regarded as over-used plants, zonal geranium hold up so well with so little care than their continued popularity is guaranteed. Known as “zonal” because the leaves exhibit divided zones of color, these plants are known for large clusters of flowers that continue to bloom almost non-stop from spring until frost. Zonal geraniums have an upright growth habit, but a closely related plant, Pelargonium peltatum, is the ivy-leaved geranium, which has a trailing habit that makes it excellent for hanging baskets or to cascade over the edge of large pots.

USDA Growing Zones: 10–11; usually planted as annualsColor Varieties: Red, pink, purple, white, bicolorsSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Average moisture, rich, well-drained; good tolerance for dry conditions

Maltese cross in a Mediterranean native and will do best in climates that resemble that region—mild winters and hot, dry summers.

USDA Growing Zones: 4–10Color Varieties: Scarlet redSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Consistently moist, well-drained

Oriental poppies self-seed freely, but the volunteer offspring may not resemble the parent plants. Therefore, this short-lived plant is better propagated by taking basal cuttings and replanting them.

USDA Growing Zones: 3–7Color Varieties: Red, orange, purple, whiteSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, rich, well-draining

USDA Growing Zones: 3–8Color Varieties: All color except blueSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Medium moisture, rich, well-drained

There are also azaleas bred for colder climates, as far north as zone 3. Azalea shrubs can vary greatly in size, ranging from dwarf varieties growing 3 or 4 feet tall to 15-foot varieties. The azalea is a good choice for foundation plantings since most varieties remain a relatively compact plants. Apply an organic mulch to protect its shallow roots from water loss and extremes in soil temperature.

USDA Growing Zones: 3–9Color Varieties: Red, pink, white orangeSun Exposure: Part shade (some varieties will tolerate full sun)Soil Needs: Rich, moist but well-drained, acidic

Traditionally a shade plant, there are now types of coleus that can be grown in the sun. It remains, however, a great plant for brighting shady spots of th e garden. While it does bloom, the flowers of coleus are insignificant and often are pinched off to promote more vigorous foliage.

USDA Growing Zones: 10–11; can be grown everywhere as an annualColor Varieties: Foliage colors include reds, pinks, greens, purples, oranges, and multi colorsSun Exposure: Part shade to full shade; some varieties tolerate full sunSoil Needs: Moist, rich, well-drained

Because of its color, red salvia is useful in decorations for holidays such as Halloween and 4th of July. Although it is a perennial plant in tropical climates, red salvia is treated as an annual in most regions where it is used. Typically, salvia plants grow rapidly and thrive in warm summer temperatures.

USDA Growing Zones: 10–11 (can be grown as an annual everywhere)Color Varieties: Red (white and bicolor cultivars also available)Sun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Evenly moist, well-drained

Notoriety aside, caster bean is an important crop and can create an interesting accent in a garden that is carefully supervised. Visitors will be quite curious about these unique plant, towering 6 to 12 feet tall with enormous glossy leaves. But these are not plants to grow where curious children play.

USDA Growing Zones: 9–11; grown as annuals elsewhereColor Varieties: Reddish seed pods; foliage may be green, reddish, or bronzeSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Evenly moist, rich, well-drained

The seeds of amaranth are sometimes harvested and used as an addition to cereals and in bread recipes.

USDA Growing Zones: Grown as an annual in all zonesColor Varieties: RedSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Moist, well-drained

This plant should be used carefully, since it can engulf structures and cause damage to wood surfaces. But it can be great for disguising unwanted features, like old garden sheds or walls. It can also work as a ground cover in areas where there are no vertical structures to climb.

USDA Growing Zones: 4–9Color Varieties: Green summer foliage gives way to brilliant red-burgundy is fall (greenish-white flowers are insignificant)Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained