I don't have a separate bed for red. I have a slim section between my willow tree and the butterfly garden that is layered up a slope in red.

Red snaps at the bottom have just now started to bloom.
Salvia greggii 'Navajo Red' (5) are the main attraction and have been blooming since April.
Up above, I have red asclepias (not in bloom) surrounding a pineapple sage (not in bloom)
Then, crocosmia 'Lucifer' (not in bloom)

I don't know if I'll see it all together, but having the 5 shrub size salvias is wonderful! I highly recommend these if they work in your zone.

Cameron

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Nell,

Nell and Cameron, I LOVE red flowers, but I mix my reds in with other BRIGHT Tropical colours, as well as pastels and neutrals.
Here are some of my REDS:

Lady in Red (Salvia), Cannas, Zinnias, Nasturtiums, Dianthus, Roses, Sweet William, Cyprus Vine, Asiatic Lilies, Crocosmias (Lucifer), Maltese Cross, Petunias, Texas Red Star (Hibiscus), Salvia greggii and so many more.

I love flowers with bright colorful, tropical colors, like Caribbean blues, oranges, REDS, greens, purples, and yellows.

I love beautiful Esperanza.

Some little dear Texas gal on this forum (wink, wink) sent me some seeds - lots of seeds. I had been a bit fearful to grow them thinking they were like Trumpet vine, but more research revealed to me that it is in fact a bush-type plant and not an invasive vine like Trumpet vine. Yeah!

Here in my zone probably need to be grown as an annual or I will need to grow it in a big clay pot and bring it inside this fall. Is is too late to start some plants - two for me and some to share?

Now, I have to go out and put my grass trimmer to work! With all the rain we have been having on a weekly basis, my yard looks like a "jungle". Last weekend we had to get the family cemetery mowed and trimmed for Decoration Day (Memorial Day). It took all day. Zooks! So our yard has just gotten WILD & snakey looking. I, in fact, killed a big copperhead just the other day in the doorway of the shop. It has got to be trimmed back and trimmed up!

Talk to ya'll later.

~ sweetannie4u

foxesearth, looks like your bed is shaping up really nicely. Can't wait to see it in a month.

Nell,

What is the tall purple flowering plant in the first picture (on the left)? I love that smokey purple colour. Perfect with your reds.
I simply must have one of those. Uh huh.

~ sweetannie4u

That bed is coming along.
My day lilies haven't begun yet.

I tried the red castor bean and it wasn't! Of course now have seedlings popping up...still not reddish at all.

Pride of Barbados and Esperanza were completely new to me. I had to look them up. Love how educational this forum is.

My red bed is going to be the island bed that is directly across from my front porch. There are 4 Shenandoah switch grasses (so there's a little red already) and one big silver grass resident there around my little waterfall. Each season I put in different annuals in that bed so that I can have a colorful show there year round.

The winter's pansies and violas are still blooming but are beginning to look shabby in the heat. My plan is to pull them out next weekend and replace them with the "reds" that I wintersowed. I have red spider zinnias and three different kinds of red celosia that I've potted up to grow off until the pansies take their final bow.

I have VERY high hopes for this bed this summer!

My redbed has lots of great dark foliage. But the blooms are only just starting now with the iris, it's really a high summer and fall garden, so it's slow to get started.

Here's where we are now:
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