And here they are: the best annual varieties with energetic red blossoms you can grow in your garden.

Shall we start our selection with an annual with really massive red flowers? Why not? So off we go!

1. ‘Bernary’s Giant Scarlet’ Zinnia (Zinnia elegans ‘Bernary’s Giant Scarlet’)

Zinnias are one of the world’s favorite flowering annuals, and there are a few varieties in red, but by far the most impressive is ‘Bernary’s Giant Scarlet’. Sometimes, cultivars get given misleading names, but this is really not the case! To start with, the tonality is really perfect: you will never see a more decided, bright and vibrant scarlet shade than on its blooms.

2. Flowering Flax (Linum grandiflorum)

Native to North America, flowering flax is also called scarlet flax, but this name is not fully descriptive of its blooms… In fact, they display different shades of red… True, the inner part has darkish scarlet tonality, but then it turns to crimson, sometimes even with rosy touches.

3. ‘Big Kiss Red’ Treasure Flower (Gazania rigens ‘Big Kiss’)

Gazania is actually a very tender perennial native to South Africa, but it is usually grown as an annual and treated as such. This genus specializes in hot and vibrant colors, and there are a few varieties in red, but ‘Big Kiss Red’ is an exceptional cultivar. To start with the notes of deep scarlet to carmine it hits are extraordinary; its dark and fully saturated shade is really exceptional.

4. Foxtail Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus)

And now we meet a very unusually looking annual native to Africa, India and Peru (don’t ask why it comes from such disparate regions): foxtail amaranth.

5. ‘Crimson Red’ Stock Flower (Matthiola Incana ‘Crimson Red’)

Also known as hoary stock, stock flower is a tender perennial mostly grown as an annual from the Mediterranean region which offers you an old world look and lots of interest early in the season.

6. Red Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora)

Moss rose is a very special plant indeed! In fact, this native species to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay is actually an annual by nature, yet it is a succulent, and they are almost all perennials. But this means that you can grow it virtually anywhere and, not only will it survive, it will also bloom profusely…

7. ‘Ladybird’ Annual Poppy (Papaver commutatum ‘Ladybird’)

There’s no image more suggestive of summer days in the countryside than a sunny poppy field! And there are annual varieties as well, like the popular Papaver commutatum, native to the Caucasus and Asia Minor, but common all over many regions of the whole world, where it can grow spontaneous bringing flames of color that pop up among the wheat (at least, it used to, befor

8. Red Impatiens (Impatiens spp.)

Impatiens is one of the most popular annuals all over the world, even if by nature it is actually a very tender perennial… Anyway, it is grown to give all its long lasting, dense and vigorous floral display within one season… And in fact, the flowers will start to open in spring, keep you smiling through summer, and only stop when the first frost comes…

9. ‘Empress of India’ Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus ‘Empress of India’)

Now we meet an exotic looking annual variety which is actually a piece of gardening history… While Torpaeolum majus is native to Central and Southern Africa, the classic cultivar ‘Empress of India’ has been introduced back in Victorian times, and it has never stopped charming us ever since…

10. ‘Red Sun’ Annual Sunflower (Helianthus annuus ‘Red Sun’)

Get ready for a very, very bug experience! ‘Red Sun’ is a popular cultivar of annual sunflower, but instead of the traditional golden yellow, it offers you the color of fire and love! And on a large scale! In fact, the blooms are 8 inches across (20 cm), and real show stoppers.

11. Red Cosmos (Cosmos spp.)

One of the most delicate looking annuals ever, cosmos varieties come in white, pink, rose and, of course, red as well! And we can see some of the very best, but they will all give you those amazing blossoms that seem to made of blotting paper, with elegant and light petals that form a flat and round disk with dented edges, up to 3 inches across (7.5 cm).

12. Red Petunia (Petunia spp.)

One of the most generous flowering plants of all, petunias are actually biennial, but most of us grow them as annuals. This is because they give their best performance on year one, while in their second year of life they have dry bits, and they look a bit unkempt.

13. ‘Dragon’s Breath’ Celosia (Celosia argenta plumosa ‘Dragon’s Breath’)

If you like this color, you will love ‘Dragon’s Breath’ celosia, and mot just for its suggestive name… There are other celosia varieties in shades of red, but this is exceptional, and in fact, it has won the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. To start with its plume like inflorescences that grow up towards the sky like flames are extra large for this genus, about 10 inches long (25 cm).