Succulents with red flowers are a great choice to treat yourself with loads of positivity, tremendous happiness and love. They enliven the space no matter wherever you place them.
Let’s get aware about these 10+ succulents with red flowers that will add joy and beauty in abundance to your life.
Orchid Cactus
- Native to Central America
- About 2 ft (60 cm) tall
- Bright, but indirect sunlight. Insufficient light results in spindly growth and fewer blooms.
- As the plant grows, keep the soil moist in spring and fall.
- In winters, water scarcely till new growth starts in spring.
Description
Orchid cactus stems are broad and flat with jagged edges, growing up to 2 feet (60 cm) long and about 2 inches (5 cm) wide.
Big, cup-shaped blooms in striking colors make growing orchid cactus very pleasurable. Display them boastfully in hanging baskets and pots and allow the long stems to spill over the pot.
Flowers can be 4-8 in (10-20 cm) wide, growing at the ends of the stems. Epiphyllum grown these days are mostly hybrids and can be pink, red, white, yellow, purple, orange or bicolored.
Exposing your tropical cactus to plenty of light will give months of blooms.
Care
The plant should not be allowed to dry out. Excess dryness results in shriveled, limp stems.
Avoid over-watering as it can lead to stem rot. Remove any damaged part of the stems.
Humidity: Moderate indoor about 40-50% relative humidity. Keep some pebbles on a dish and fill this dish with water such that water remains lower than the pebbles and the pot’s bottom does not touch water. It will boost humidity, if necessary.
You can raise the humidity level in your house by using a cool mist humidifier.
Average room temperatures 65-75°F/18-24°C.
To initiate flower buds, the plant needs 8-10 weeks of cool days 60-65°F and 45-55°F nights in winter.
Mix 1 part peat moss-based potting mix and 1 part perlite for fast drainage.
Feed every 2 weeks from early spring through fall with a high-phosphorus water-soluble fertilizer. Stop feeding during the winters.
Propagation can be done by stem cuttings.
Pruning Orchid Cactus
Prune your Orchid Cactus if you want to control its size. The best time to prune it is immediately after it stops flowering.
Use sharp, clean pruning shears to avoid tearing the stems.
These Orchid Cactus cuttings can be easily propagated to have more of these captivating plants.
Repotting
Repot every 2-3 years, with a pot 1 size larger. Orchid Cactus likes to be slightly pot-bound and blooms best this way. Never repot when it’s blooming as it will cause its buds and blooms to drop.
How to initiate blooming in Orchid Cactus
Growing Orchid Cactus is easy, but you can help it to bloom with a few things.
Give it a rest in winter. A cool, dry rest of about 8-10 weeks in winter will help the plant to set buds. Water scarcely and stop fertilizing at this time.
Keep your orchid cactus in bright, indirect light throughout the year. If it is kept outdoors for the summer, shade the plant from direct sunlight.
High-phosphorus fertilizer will support more blooms. Start feeding in early spring continuing through fall.
As the buds appear, keep the plant in the same place. Light and temperature changes due to moving it around will make it drop its buds and flowers.
Keep it away from drafty areas such as doorways and heat/AC vents.
Christmas Cactus
- Native to South America
- Likes frequent watering as compared to other cacti
- Blooms between Thanksgiving and Christmas
- Likes morning sun or very bright indirect light
- Water when dry
Description
The Christmas cactus is native to the South American jungles. The flowers bloom in shades of fuchsia, yellow, salmon, pink, white, orange, red, and sometimes bicolor, once in a year.
They need sunlight and the blooms last longer in cooler temperatures. Keep them away from heat.
Care
Place them in a sunny location while indoors and if kept outdoors during the summers, place them such that they get both sun and shade to prevent the plant from getting burned.
Ensure that your plant gets the right amount of water and wait till the soil is dry on the top and still a bit moist near the bottom.
Then water the plant to saturate the soil. Let the excess water drain off and do not water again till the top half of the soil feels dry to the touch again.
A well-draining, high-quality cactus mix is best, or mix two parts of regular potting soil with one part of coarse sand.
Repot the Christmas cactus every 2 to 3 years and repotting should be done in the spring.
Place your Christmas cactus near a bright window to feel the bliss.
Flaming Katy Kalanchoe
- Thick waxy, green leaves with scalloped edges
- Fiery red flowers
- It blooms in winter, hence called Christmas Kalanchoe
Description
The succulent has fiery red flowers that are very vibrant adding color to your place.
This Kalanchoe looks beautiful with thick waxy, green leaves with scalloped edges, even without blooms.
This plant blooms in the winter and is often called Christmas Kalanchoe.
Care
Flaming Katy blooms on its own. But after the first bloom appears, it blooms inconsistently, so it is advised to put it in a dark room just like the Christmas Cactus.
In October, for a few weeks, keep it in a dark room for about 14 hours to encourage flowering.
Use a sandy potting mix for outdoor plants and in garden beds, add plenty of grit to ensure proper drainage.
Water rarely unless you have hot, dry days. Give water from the base of the plant to avoid water spotting and rot on the leaves.
Allow the topsoil to dry completely before watering again. Avoid over-watering.
The moderate moisture needed by the plant is important to care for flaming katy.
Fertilize monthly with a diluted flowering plant food during the blooming period.
Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia)
- Beautiful succulent that blooms throughout the year
- Small, green flowers covered by showy bracts in red, pink, orange, yellow, or white colour
Description
This is one of the most beautiful succulents with bright red flowers.
This tropical plant is native to Madagascar and thrives in warm temperatures, so it grows well as an outdoor plant in warmer areas and an indoor plant in cold areas.
Crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii) is a beautiful succulent plant that blooms throughout the year even indoors.
The leaves are thick and bright that grow along the new stem growth. The true flowers are small and green and are covered by showy bracts in red, orange, pink, yellow, or white colour.
Crown of thorns is an ideal house plant for most homes despite being a woody shrub. It enjoys the same room temperature like human beings and it can endure the lower humidity level prevalent in most homes in winters.
Care
Keep it in plenty of sunlight to initiate blooming. Place it near a sunny window in your house to get the best blooms. Well draining soil is best for this succulent.
Burro’s Tail
- Trailing succulents with red flowers
- Pale green long stems with blue-green leaves
Description
Can you believe that Burro’s Tail blooms. It’s not usual, but this plant produces pink or red flowers occasionally.
The pink or red flowers arise at the end of the stems during the summer time.
Encourage these rare red flowers to appear by giving your plant plenty of sunlight.
Burro’s tail is a trailing succulent with red flowers that make the succulent look great in hanging planters as they show off its long, delicate tendrils.
The leaves of the burro’s tail are blue-green and are very fragile like its stem.
It blooms faster when it gets full sun, so keep your plant outdoors as the temperatures start rising up to enjoy the beautiful pinkish-red flowers.
Even without blooms this succulent is really fascinating. The succulent has long trailing stems of pale green color.
Care
Keep the plant moderately moist. Excess water can rot the stems and even kill the succulent.
Burro’s tail looks great in a hanging basket and adores a mixed cactus and succulent container. It will thrive in rocky cracks and form a unique ground cover.
Just like any other succulents, dry sandy soil is best for a burro’s tail. Use a pre-mixed cactus soil or make your own by adding equal parts of sand to your regular potting mix.
Choose a container that helps to take moisture away from the roots of your plants.
Barrel Cactus
- Ribbed, cylindrical cactus
- Long life, can live upto 100 years
- A succulent with red flowers on top
Description
Barrel cactus is a succulent with red flowers on top that you can keep outdoors.
Barrel cactus are great southwest native plants that bloom with red flowers in spring and fall. They produce large fruit that feeds the wildlife.
These are the most low-maintenance and pest-free cactus species.
The straight or curved spines can be yellow, gray, pinkish, bright red, white or brown. In older plants, the tops of barrel cactus plants are covered with cream or wheat-colored hair.
Younger plants of the barrel cactus have colored spines. This is a small, globe-shaped cactus usually green but becomes purple under full sunlight.
Care
The Barrel Cactus grows best in warm climates. It can survive indoors in plenty of light, but it loves to be outdoors soaking up in the sun.
Your Barrel Cactus should be planted in well draining soil. It should be watered more frequently during the spring and summer, once a week or less depending on the rainfall.
During the winters it goes dormant. you may not need to water it at all if it gets some rainwater. It can be grown in raised bed gardens to control the quality of soil and water drainage.
This cactus lives up to over 100 years old, so you can enjoy its blooms for years.
Aloiampelos ciliaris
- Commonly known as climbing Aloe
- White, hair-like teeth are present around the edges of the leaves and stems.
- A succulent with red flowers on long Stem
Description
Aloiampelos ciliaris formerly classified as Aloe ciliaris, is a fast-growing succulent from the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Aloiampelos ciliaris is commonly known as the common climbing aloe.
Due to the white, hair-like teeth present around the edges of the leaves and stems, it is named ciliaris.
Aloe ciliaris plants belong to the Asphodelaceae family.
Climbing aloe has thin and green stems and leaves covered in soft hairs. The thin stems grow upward anchored by fleshy leaves.
Hair-like teeth are present along the margins of the leaves and on the stems near the base of the leaves. The leaves are recurved, forming a hook shape letting the plant anchor itself on other vegetation.
Without pruning, the plant can grow 8′ to 12′ feet in length.
The long stems of Aloe ciliaris develop large orange-red flowers at the end of the fall season.
The flowers bloom from November to April, depending on the climate.
In cooler regions, the blooms last for a short time period.
Without lots of sunlight, the plant is not able to produce a full bloom.
Care
Climbing aloe grows best in full sun. It is a native to South Africa, where temperatures generally don’t become lower than the freezing temperature during the winter.
In colder areas, it grows well as a potted houseplant. Place it near a window getting direct sunlight for several hours per day. Climbing aloe needs infrequent watering.
Water the soil deeply and let the top 2 inches of soil dry completely between waterings.
Indoor plants need watering about once per week during the spring and summer.
In the fall, it can remain without water for about two weeks. During winters, water the plant once every three weeks.
Feed once per month with a 1/2 strength of water soluble plant food. Climbing aloe grows best in sandy or gravelly soil with good drainage.
Poor drainage increases the risk of root rot and other diseases. problems. Use a standard potting mix with extra sand or perlite.
Aloe Arborescens
- Common Name: Krantz aloe, Candelabra aloe, torch aloe, tree aloe, mountain bush
- Evergreen shrub about 2 to 3 meters high.
Description
The krantz aloe has large beautiful flowers and foliage and is easy to grow. A ‘must to have’ plant for those wanting to own some indigenous healing plants.
The krantz aloe grows into a multi headed shrub 2 -3m high with striking grey- green leaves arranged in beautiful rosettes. The leaf margins have conspicuous pale teeth.
The large colourful flower spikes of bright red orange colour, arise during the cold winter months (May-July).
Two to several inflorescences generally unbranched, arise from a single rosette. Like all other aloes, the flowers produce nectar and hence, many kinds of birds, particularly the small and colourful sunbirds and bees go from flower to flower in search of nectar.
Care
It can thrive in warm temperate to subtropical climates and can withstand moderate frost down to -4°C (25°F).
This Aloe grows in a wide range of soils, well-draining soils with a loamy texture, enriched with compost.
It prefers full sun but can tolerate light shade.
Krantz aloe is well adapted to dry soil and even drought conditions but cannot tolerate wet soil.
Excess moisture, poor drainage, and standing water can result in plant death. When watering during the growing season, allow the soil to dry out between watering.
Opuntia elatior( Red Flower Prickly Pear)
- A big succulent shrub that becomes a tree-like
- Flat, oblong, grey-green pads
- Large long-lasting red or orange flowers
- Used as a medicinal plant
It is native to northern South America, southern Central America and the southern Lesser Antilles.
The largest cultivated specimen in the UK, this spectacular Opuntia is about 50 years old.
Prickly pears grow with flat, large rounded pads called cladodes that are blue-green with a few spines upto 2.5 cm.
It is a large, trunk-forming, segmented cactus that grows 5–7 m. with large, smooth, fixed spines and small, hairlike prickles called glochids that easily adhere to skin or hair, then detach from the plant. The flowers are typically large red or orange in colour.
Care
It needs full sun.
To thrive, it requires well-draining soil, a mixture that is dry, sandy, or gravelly, but it can also do well in a mixture that is clay, if it drains very well and the soil does not retain much moisture
Prickly pear prefers dry conditions, and very little watering is required for the plant.
Limit watering to every two to three weeks or when the soil is completely dry. While watering, simply moisten and avoid soaking the soil.
Trichocereus Grandiflorus
- Funnel-shaped red, orange, or yellow flowers
- Also called Red Torch cactus or Desert’s Blooming Jewel.
Description
Trichocereus Grandiflorus is also called the Red Torch Cactus or the Desert’s Blooming Jewel for its signature blooms produced in the spring. This species blooms with vibrantly colored, funnel-shaped flowers at the end of the stems.
A native to western Argentina, it can grow to 7.0′ tall, but it stays small as a potted window sill cactus.
As it grows, it forms new stems from its base and blooms with large red flowers about 6.0″ wide that open during the night.
Care
They bloom only when exposed to 4 – 5 hours of direct sunlight in a day.
Water only once a week from April to October and feed two or three times a year. Water near the base of the plant and avoid watering the plant column.
Getting water on the column will make the roots and soil too soggy and can lead to plant diseases like root rot.
During the fall and winter seasons, the cactus can remain without water for longer time periods (up to 4 weeks).
Fertilize your cactus once in spring and once in summer.
All-purpose liquid fertilizer diluted to half-strength is sufficient. Trichocereus Grandiflorus requires moist, well-draining soil that is not too wet. Rocky soil with a little organic matter or potting soil is best for the cactus.
Peruvian torch cactus doesn’t require much pruning since it doesn’t grow or spread too fast. It is a very hardy plant and can even tolerate hard frost and freezing temperatures as low as 14° degrees Fahrenheit (-10° C).
Starfish cacti (Stapelia grandiflora)
- Stinky but spectacular plants
- Soft stemmed succulent plants without spines
- Can be propagated by seeds and cuttings
Description
Starfish cacti (Stapelia grandiflora) are also called the carrion flower. These are stinky, but spectacular, plants with features similar to those of the carnivorous family as they have insect-attracting flora (but not carnivorous) that are 5 cm. high to 30 cm. wide flowers.
A native to South Africa, growing starfish flowers requires warm, humid temperatures.
Starfish cacti are soft-stemmed with thickened skin, without spines spreading out from a central point and resemble carrion flesh.
Starfish flower cactus produce attractive five-petaled flowers that are red to brown in colour and release an unpleasant odor, thus attracting flies and other insects that pollinate the blooms.
The flowers ripen with a rather horrifying odor in a couple of days, attracting insects that search for dead organic material.
Starfish cacti are used as ornamental specimens, but be cautious of their smell.
These plants aren’t really cacti but belong to the succulent group of plants.
Care
These starfish flowers are easy to care for and thrive in varied light conditions.
They grow well in full to partial sun. Morning light is the best with some protection from harsh daylight.
Starfish flowers like crowded roots, so keep them in a 4- to 6-inch (10 to 15 cm.) pot with well-draining soil.
Fertilize with a half diluted indoor plant food in early spring.
Propagation is done by seeds or by cuttings.