Red Blooming Plants for Year of the Garden 2022
by Sharon Smith
Further to Michel Gauthier’s presentation at our January AGM, concerning 2022 which is designated as “Year of the Garden”, he suggested planting red-flowering plants as a symbol of Canada and to make your gardens pop. This article outlines a number of red blooming plants to consider.
The first group of plants that produce red blooms (you may need to look for specialty seed packs or at garden centres), are annuals that could be interspersed in your garden, in their own beds or in dedicated pots that could be placed for greatest the impact of the blooms. These annuals could include 1) for shady or part shade areas: impatiens (note that New Guinea impatiens are more sun tolerant), pansys, balsam, begonia and nicotiana, plus coleus for red foliage; 2) for full sun: zinnias, geraniums (pelargonium), salvia, asters, gomphrena and celosia for everlasting flowers, sweet peas, carnations, petunias, gazania, gerbera, verbena, cosmos, sunflowers, love-lies-bleeding, and poppies. The zinnias, asters, carnations, and sunflowers will make good cutting flowers and the nasturtiums are also good edibles. In addition, planting scarlet runner climbing beans wherever you have an arbor, fencing or trellis will provide lots of red flowers favoured by hummingbirds and bees. Some other “annuals”, that grow from bulbs, corms or tubers that can be lifted at the end of the season to keep for next year are dahlias, cannas, and gladiolus with wonderful red colours.
The second type of red blooming plants includes herbaceous perennials such as astilbes, daylilies, peonies, maltese cross, echinacea, scarlet bee balm, red valerian, and cardinal flower. If you get plants early enough in the season you may be able to achieve first blooms this year. Happy red blooms!
