7 summer bulbs with red flowers
An exotic selection for summer
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Summer is the highlight season for red flowers, shimmering in the sun, fiery and so bold. There are many summer flowering bulbs found in strong-tempered species such as Cannas, Dahlias, and gladioli. While most of them crave light, some require a bit less and allow for splashes of colour in partially shaded beds.
Here are some of these spectacular red flowers to brighten up your summer beds!
Dahlia 'Spartacus'
To start off beautifully, here is a spectacular red Dahlia, named after the most famous of gladiators: the Dahlia ‘Spartacus’. Spectacular for its size, as this giant reaches over 1 m in height at the height of summer, vibrant with its divine dark garnet red robe, and finally impressive for the size of its flowers, approximately 20 cm in diameter… It is part of the decorative Dahlias composed of large, flat ligulate petals, slightly undulate, forming a sumptuous rosette. Its stems are strong, well supporting the avalanche of flowers from July to frost, and the foliage is a beautiful dark green. The Dahlia ‘Spartacus’ is easy to grow as long as you provide what it needs: sun, watering at the base to keep the soil cool, pruning of flowers to renew flowering until November… and storing the tubercles at the end of the season in most regions to replant in mid-April. It simply does not appreciate clay soils.
‘Spartacus’ is a Dahlia to be placed at the back of a border, in a large mixed border, or even standing proudly in the vegetable garden… It looks stunning in red and purple beds, alongside Cannas, Ricinus, and beautiful foliage such as banana plants, for example.
Dahlia ‘Spartacus’
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Preparing summer bulbsCanna 'Red King Humbert'
Cannas or Indian shot plants are among the lush plants with an unparalleled exotic appeal. Chosen in red hues and large sizes, they are simply magnificent and incredibly exotic! The Canna ‘Red King Humbert’ is a stunning example, an old variety reaching no less than 1.50 m in height, displaying its large green leaves turning purple to bronze, reminiscent of a banana plant, and its vivid red flowering tinged with orange. It shines in exotic gardens, architecturally planted in borders, but will also look superb in a large pot on a terrace. Like many of these summer bulbs, it requires full sun or light partial shade, rich but light soil enriched with compost that retains water well, as it too is a thirsty plant!
Like the Dahlia, it hails from Latin America and does not withstand prolonged freezing temperatures, even slightly. Therefore, it will also be necessary to lift the rhizomes in November and store them in a frost-free location.
Canna ‘Red King Humbert’ (© Cultivar 413)
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Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
Timeless, Crocosmia, formerly known as Montbretia, is a classic of summer gardens. Among the beautiful cultivars, ‘Lucifer’ is certainly the most well-known and appreciated. It showcases the advantages of this flamboyant perennial bulb: a profusion of flowers from June to October, blooming in arched red spikes, like a firework display, with slender, fine, bright green foliage surrounding the unique and easily recognisable flowering.
‘Lucifer’ features an intense fire-red colour, with tubular flowers reminiscent of gladioli, but much smaller, arranged in long horizontal spikes, like a rosary blooming progressively. They are melliferous and nectariferous. The clump grows quickly, reaching heights of up to 1.20 to 1.50 m once the plant is well established. Like all Crocosmias, it requires humus-bearing, well-drained soil, and a sunny position. Hardy down to about -10 °C, it can be used in many regions, by mulching its base at planting and protecting its stump in winter, especially during the first year. It also thrives in pots. Vigorous, easy to maintain, and low-maintenance, it is a magnificent perennial that should be used sparingly due to its fiery red colour, to truly highlight its beauty.
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ © Anna
Gladiolus 'Atom'
An iconic flower of gardens from the 1970s to 1980s, gladioli have somewhat fallen out of fashion; however, in bold shades like red, they create beautiful splashes of colour and offer interesting tall verticals.
The gladiolus ‘Atom’ is part of Gladiolus primulinus or ‘butterfly’ gladioli, which are hybrids with smaller flowers that are much less imposing than the large gladioli we typically think of. It is also smaller in size, measuring about 60 cm tall, but stands out with its charming bright red flowering, edged with a fine white border. The flowers are arranged along the sturdy stem, giving a more refined appearance than traditional gladioli. It has a truly elegant look, suitable for integrating into country garden beds, pots, as well as city gardens. It blooms from July to September for several weeks. Like the large gladioli, ‘Atom’ makes a perfect cut flower, as it has excellent longevity in bouquets.
Gladiolus ‘Atom’ © Susan Reimer
Alstroemeria Majestics 'Chinon'
The Inca Lily ‘Chinon’ is part of the Majestics series, a range of tall Alstroemerias. It showcases stunning bright red flowers from June, marked on 3 central petals with golden yellow and typical brown striations of these magnificent tuberous perennials. Alstroemerias are appreciated for their long flowering period, and ‘Chinon’ certainly lives up to this, blooming all summer from June to October. Plant it in a sunny spot, in rich, well-drained soil. This perennial takes a little time to establish, forming vigorous clumps over the years. It is hardy enough to thrive in many regions (down to -10 °C), but be sure to mulch its base before winter to see it emerge as vibrant as the previous summer.
This tall variety, approximately 80 cm, is very useful for dressing exotic-themed borders and serves as a cut flower for your bouquets, as it is one of the longest-lasting flowers in a vase.
Alstroemeria Majestics ‘Chinon’
Begonia grandiflora 'Red'
The Begonia grandiflora ‘Red’ thrives in shade and coolness, a real boon for those looking to add a splash of colour and lushness to a dimly lit border or to place a hanging basket or pot on a north-facing terrace. It indeed displays its beautiful dentate and fleshy leaves more generously in such conditions (even though it can tolerate some sun), and its bright red flowers are more vibrant there. In terms of care, this tuberous begonia is still somewhat tender, so you will need to lift it and store it over winter at the end of its flowering. Always keep the substrate well moist, especially for your container plantings.
Plant the bulbs in well-loosened soil in April. You can speed up their flowering by forcing them in February.
Begonia grandiflora red © Joybot
Tigridia pavonia 'Speciosa'
The peacock eye, another name for Tigridia pavonia, is not as common in our gardens as one might think. But it has so many qualities for this plant with a distinctly exotic appearance: an admirable flower, triangular in shape, with vivid colours, speckled in its centre, an ephemeral flowering, yet spreading throughout the season, rapid growth, the ability to thrive in full sun, as well as in bright partial shade, and to withstand periods of drought.
The Tigridia pavonia ‘Speciosa’ showcases between June and August a corolla of 3 large scarlet sepals and 3 smaller petals speckled with yellow, echoing the speckled pattern of the flower’s heart. It reaches about 50 cm in height. The deciduous foliage, sword-shaped and medium green, grows along the stems in a sheathing manner. Tigridia belongs to the same family as Irises. Plant it in rich, humus-bearing, or even sandy soil, but well-drained. This cultivar is derived from the typical species native to Central America, giving it medium hardiness, down to about -5 °C, tolerating -8 °C for a short period. Just like Dahlias and these tender South American flowers, the bulbs (corms) will need to be lifted in early autumn and stored dry in a frost-free location.
Tigridia pavonia ‘Speciosa’
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