5 Spectacular Trees with Red Flowers Perfect For Your Garden
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see the privacy policy for details.
If you are looking for a way to bring a splash of color into your garden, then selecting plants with red flowers will do the trick. Red flowers give a sense of warmth and offer a vibrant display amongst shades of green commonly found in the garden.
Trees with red flowers are something else altogether. Their height for a start helps the red flowers stand out from the crowd. But unlike some colors, red-flowered trees come in all shapes, sizes, and textures.
Here are 5 trees with red flowers that work wonderfully planted in your garden.
5 Trees With Red Flowers
Royal Poinciana Tree
Also known as the flame tree, Royal Poinciana is an evergreen tree with beautiful crimson-red flowers covering the tree like a blanket. Each large flower is made up of 5 open petals, with a seed pod in the middle. The seeds grow into fruit which can reach over a foot each in length.
The tree itself originates from Africa and can reach 40 feet tall and up to 70 feet wide. It has a very extensive root system which means that it is best suited to a large garden where it can be planted away from a building.
Royal Poinciana Trees grow best planted in full sunlight and with soil that has good drainage. When watering, you need to ensure that the soil dries between watering and watering even less frequently during the winter when the tree enters dormancy.
A top tip to know about Royal Poinciana Trees is that they take a long time to mature. Your tree may not flower for the first 6-10 years.
Flowering Quince
Although technically classed as a shrub, the Flowering Quince can grow up to 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide – so we’ve included it in this list, and with good reason.
Available in a range of varieties, each Flowering Quince is just as spectacular as the other. They have delicate flowers with round, overlapping petals often in white, orange, red, or pink, with yellow stamen in the centre.
For red flowering quinces, consider planting the Japanese flowering quince or Texas Red.
Flowering Quince requires full sunlight and well-drained soil for the best growing conditions. Though quite hardy, a young plant may need extra protection if you live in colder temperatures. Ensure to mulch around your tree and cover it if you have a young tree.
As a member of the rose family, it can be at risk of fire blight. Make sure to keep an eye on the stems to look out for this disease. You can also check stems during pruning. Regular pruning is not required, especially if you are wanting to grow fruit. Prune after blooming each year which will encourage a larger display of flowers the following season.
Bottlebrush
Bottlebrush trees are incredibly easy to identify due to, well, their bottlebrush-shaped flowers. The flower grows at the end of the stem with soft spikes growing all around, hence the brush shape.
Originating in Australia, these trees are favoured as garden plants for their unique appearance, bright red flowers, and how they attract pollinators, especially hummingbirds.
Trees can grow up to 25 feet tall and grow best in full sunlight with well-drained soil. Bottlebrush trees are very drought tolerant once established and do not require watering as regularly. Too much water can lead to root rot.
However, they do not do well in below-freezing temperatures. If you live in an area that experiences frost and cold temperatures in the winter, select a smaller variety of Bottlebrush trees and plant them in a pot which can be transferred indoors during winter.
Pomegranate Tree
Pomegranate trees are well known for their delicious fruit which is a vibrant red. Before producing fruit, Pomegranate trees produce beautiful, tubular red flowers which are popular with pollinators such as hummingbirds and butterflies.
They can grow to 30 feet tall, although dwarf varieties average at only around 3 feet tall.
Pomegranate trees grow best planted in full sunlight with well-drained soil. As they are drought tolerant, they don’t thrive on too much watering. Overwatering can have a severely negative impact on your fruit, leading to splitting, and fungal diseases.
Similarly to bottlebrush trees, Pomegranate trees do not grow so well in colder climates. If you live in an area that is susceptible to frost, choose a smaller variety of trees that can be potted and moved indoors during the winter.
Plus, like the Royal Poinciana tree, Pomegranate trees can take 3 years to produce a decent harvest.
Shoeblackplant Tree
A type of hibiscus tree, Shoeblackplant also known as Chinese Hibiscus has very large red flowers with open petals and long stamen, making them popular with pollinators.
Though technically not classified as a tree, it can grow up to 30 feet tall and is native to Asia. They bloom for a long period between May and October offering a longer pollen supply for local pollinators and colour spread when other flowers have finished their blooming season.
With this in mind, it is best planted in an area of full sunlight that is sheltered. The soil also needs to have good drainage as the Shoeblackplant likes a lot of water but does not grow so well if the soil is saturated.
Some outdoor varieties can tolerate colder temperatures, but if you live in an area that experiences minus degrees during the winter, it is best to stick to growing potted indoor hibiscus.
Consider planting one of these 5 trees with red flowers to add a vibrant display in your garden. Remember to take size into account, along with your local temperatures so you know which variety would work best for you. Also, keep in mind that some of these trees have a long maturing period, with the first few years lacking a bloom.
You can find more guides of trees with different colored flowers that can be planted in your garden on the blog here:
- 4 Showstopping Trees with Pink Flowers For Your Garden
- 4 Magnificent Trees with Purple Flowers Every Gardener Should Consider