1. Home

Seeing Red

Using Red Flowers and Foliage in the Garden

By , About.com Guide

Did you know that red and green are complementary colors? They sit directly across from each other on the color wheel, so they always look good together.

Many gardeners shy away from using red in the garden. Red does attract the eye and can appear to be screaming in the garden. But there are so many shades of red to choose from. It would be a shame to miss out on so many great plants because of a bias against red. The trick is learning to see which red will work with the other plants you love. Luckily, most reds make it very apparent which hue they're leaning toward, whether it's orange or blue or burgundy.

Images 13-24 of 53
Emilia coccinea 'Scarlet Magic'Emilia 'Scarlet Magic'Gaillardia 'Burgundy'Gaillardia 'Burgundy'Red Hibiscus FlowerHibiscus FlowersHollyhocksHollyhocks
Red LiliesLiliesMaltese Cross BlossomMaltese Cross (Lychnis Chalcedonica)Cymbidium Red Beauty 'Evening Star'OrchidsPeony 'Sword Dance'Peonies (Paeonia)
Red PhloxGarden Phlox (Phlox paniculata hybrids) Red Spider LiliesRed Spider Lilies (Lycoris radiata)Red Geraniums Red Geraniums (Pelargonium species) Salvia coccinea 'Lady in Red' Salvia coccinea 'Lady in Red'
Related Video
How to Dry Flowers
How to Deadhead Flowers

©2013 About.com. All rights reserved.