Red tulips and blue grape hyacinth
are a classic springtime match.

Red's Properties

Red takes on different properties depending on what colors you pair with it. The most effective framing color for a red-flowered standout is its complement: green. When a border focuses on green foliage, a single red-flower or red-leaf accent truly shines.

Include red in your garden's color scheme by partnering it with silver or white. Silver calms red into good behavior in a border; white offers a crisp contrast to richly colored reds.

Related Slide Show: Best Red Flowers for Your Garden

 

Pincushion (Knautia macedonia)
and dill, a burgundy perennial
and yellow annual, feature
similar wiry stems.

Write mystery into your garden plots by combining the deep reds, such as burgundy, maroon, and russet, with equally dark purple and chocolate brown. Such sultry combinations create the illusion of depth and hidden distances.

Red berries, twigs, and bark create magic in the winter garden against a snowy background.

Related Feature: Wild at Heart Container Garden Plan