There’s something ever so stunning about a succulent in bloom. I’ll readily admit, while purple is my personal favourite shade when it comes to a succulent’s stressed leaf colours, if you’re talking about flowers on succulents in particular, red easily makes it to the very top my list.
Why red? There’s something arresting about the contrast of green sat next to it’s complementary colour; such a huge visual impact. Pair red with pretty well near any green succulent leaves and it’s hard for me to resist wanting to stop and stare.
I’ve been in Portugal two winters now; each year I watch the torch aloes shoot out their signature tall, orange-red flowers and fall in love with the plant all over again.
But torch aloes, while one of my personal favourite examples of red flowering succulents (though they may be a little more on the orange side, to be honest), are certainly neither the most common nor the most have-to-have red-flowering succulents for my yard. The top spot for me, and it seems in terms of sheer popularity overall as well, goes to the kalanchoe blossfeldiana’s red variant, commonly called “Flaming Katy” – a name I love as much as the plant itself.
This stunning plant I’m ever so happy to say blooms for me almost endlessly year-round. I have it mixed in with other kalanchoe blossfeldiana colourations – orange and yellow – as well as a few other succulents in a flower bed at the very entrance of my front-yard, greeting anyone who has a peer through the gate or opportunity to enter.
The kalanchoe blossfeldiana’s small red flowers are so perfect, I’ve seen their white variants used in bridal arrangements, both in bouquets and for table settings.
They’re as gorgeous indoors as they are in my outdoor planter bed, and while I’ve heard they can be tricky to make bloom indoors, it is possible with a little know how. Supposedly the trick is to cover them or hide them away from sunlight for the perfect amount of time: “Minimize watering and give the plant a 14-hour period without light daily 6 weeks before the desired bloom time. Place the plant in a closet or under a box for 14 hours and provide 10 hours of bright light.” Pretty neat trick if you ask me!
But enough about the kalanchoe blossfeldiana, because this article is about all the red-flowering succulents out there and not just this particular one. Though I will mention one other popular red-flowering succulent by name, and that’s the aptenia cordifolia (also known as the ‘Red Apple Ice Plant’).
Aptenia cordifolia is a ground covering that’s green, or even comes variegated, but what’s stunning about it is all the reasonably small sized red flowers that dot across it. It’s really quite a gorgeous plant to behold when you come across it in a front yard as a replacement for grass or even flowers in hotter climates. There’s something incredibly unique about the plant, as when it spreads it’s a sea of green, but with flower here and there that demand attention all the more because they don’t overwhelm the eye.
It comes in other colours as well so definitely check those out if that was the succulent with red flowers you’ve been after, and you’re hoping to start a collection or plant out a flower bed with it.
There are quite a large number of succulents that bloom and have specifically red flowers in particular. I’ve split them up into sections by type to make browsing easier.
I’ve done my best to list as many as I could here, but I know for a fact I’ll be missing many. If you can think up any succulents that have red flowers that didn’t make it to the list, please take a moment to leave a comment with the names of the plants that were missed in the comments down below; I’ll add them to the body of the article when I get the chance.
Besides that, if you have any favourites, succulents you think really deserve some more attention, do mention these in the comments down below as well. It’s always nice seeing which plants others gravitate to; there are always gems hiding in plain sight that become even more beautiful upon closer inspection.
Succulents That Have Red Flowers
Kalanchoes With Red Succulent Flowers
- Kalanchoe blossfeldiana red variant (‘Flaming Katy’)
- Kalanchoe blossfeldiana variegata
- Kalanchoe manginii (‘Kalanchoe Wendy’)
Succulent Ground Covers With Red Flowers
- Aptenia cordifolia (‘Red Apple Ice Plant’)
- Aptenia cordifolia variegata
- Lampranthus spectabilis red variant (‘Trailing Ice Plant’ or ‘Mini Ice Plant’)
- Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’
Red Flowering Aloes
- Aloe ferox (‘Cape Aloe’)
- Aloe arborescens (‘Torch Aloe’)
- Aloe cameronii (‘Red Aloe’)
- Aloe doran
Cacti That Have Red Flowers
- Schlumbergera with red flowers (‘Christmas Cactus’)
- Echinopsis huascha (‘Red Torch Cactus’)
- Barrel cactus
Crassulas Which Flower Red
- Crassula falcata (‘Propeller Plant’)
Red Flowering Echeveria
- Echeveria harmsii (‘Plush Plant’)
- Echeveria ‘Black Prince’
- Echeveria ‘Red Velvet’
- Echeveria diffractens
Other Succulents With Red Flowers
- Euphorbia milii red variant (‘Crown of Thorns’)
- Sedum morganianum (‘Burro’s Tail’)
- Hesperaloe parviflora
Your Thoughts: Succulents With Red Flowers?
Did a succulent with red flowers catch your eye, bringing you here to help you identify it? Did you figure out the name of the plant you saw? If so, which was it?
Do you have a thing for succulents with red flowers? Do you have a favourite, and if so which?
Are there any red-flowering succulents I forgot to mention on this list? Please leave their names in the comments down below!
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