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Roll out the Red Carpet: Tips & Picks for Vibrant Red Blooms
- Painters Greenhouse
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The color red is associated with both positive and negative emotions. It is linked to passion and love as well as power and energy (...and sometime anger!). In any form, it elicits a strong response. And in plants, people love it or hate it. It's the color that refuses to blend in.
Because it is so eye-catching, it can be used sparingly as an effective accent, or you can "paint the town red" and go all in with lots of scarlet color.
Hot colors, like red or orange, are visually advancing colors, meaning they 'jump forward' and can create an appearance of looking closer than in actuality. In a large yard, plant a mass of red at the far edge of your property to visually pull the boundary in. (Pineapple sage, anyone?)
Similarly, because the human eye easily locks onto red colors so easily, you have some great ways to use this. You can make it a single focal point to draw the eye exactly where you want people to look: a floral focal point! (Perfect use for the quintessential red geranium.) You could use the red as a frame for a different specimen plant. Or you could repeat the same red plant in a sweeping drift through a garden bed to guide the viewer's eye across the landscape. (Designers often recommend these rivers of color instead of scattering single plants randomly which can make the eyes jump around nervously.)
How red behaves also depends on what is sitting next to it. Pair red with its complementary green color and that foliage acts as the perfect stage to make the scarlet blooms absolutely explode. Pair red with more vibrant yellows or lime greens (like a bright sweet potato vine) to create a high-energy, summery vibe that creates a pop of joy. Or for a more sophisticated match, pair red with deep purples, burgundies, and blues (i.e. trailing blue lobelia or an alternanthera) to cool down the aggressive nature of the red and create a rich color combination.
And for sure, if you are wanting to view hummingbirds and pollinators from your porch, red is your cheat code. Plant native honeysuckle, beebalm, and annual sages close to windows or patios where you can enjoy the show!
Whatever your design choice, make it a red-letter day! Join us at Painters and grab your favorite ruby-hued bloom. Just be careful not to fill your cart too high—you wouldn’t want to get caught red-handed taking the very last one... or would you?
(As always, our inventory sells fast. Before you get your beating red heart totally set on one particular plant, check prices, sizes, and current season availability on our Growing & Availability Lists:)
