This time of year, when the weather is chilly and the depths of winter are upon us, it can be quite drab. To help bring brightness, warmth, and vibrancy to your home, the experts here at Griffin’s Floral Design, the best florist in Columbus, OH, are shining a light on red flowers. These dazzling beauties steal the spotlight during autumn and winter, and it’s easy to understand why. In addition to seamlessly fitting into the seasonal decor and color palettes of fall and the holidays, red flowers are bold, colorful, eye-catching, passionate, and daring. Take a look at some of our favorite red blooms and flowering plants of the season.
Why We Love Red Flowers
Romantic red flowers, bold red lipstick, and ruby red shoes are quite attractive. However, this isn’t related to Valentine’s Day or date night. The color red is perhaps the most attractive hue that we, as humans, are able to perceive. Red is the first color we can discern as babies, and it is the most distinguishable to the human eye. Undoubtedly, red flowers are alluring, beautiful, captivating, and the ideal pop of color for this season’s collection of home decor.
Symbolism of the Color Red
Red is a color seeking and yearning for our attention, whether to attract us romantically or to alert us of dangerous situations. Valentine’s Day is full of red balloons, red hearts, and red blooms, especially roses, since this color is a large symbol of romance, passion, love, and desire. Red street signs, red beach flags, red warning signs, and more are other ways this color grabs us to communicate danger and keep us safe. The power of red goes beyond love and safety; it also symbolizes, well, power in addition to courage, confidence, and strength.
Warm Reds vs. Cool Reds
Red blooms can be found in all sizes, shapes, and shades that offer various undertones. If you are working on brightening your home this chilly season, lean towards red flowers that have warm undertones, like orange and yellow. These warm hues will energize your space with cheerfulness, positivity, excitement, and joy. Alternatively, red blooms that have cool undertones, like purple and blue, are better for creating a more harmonious, peaceful, serene, or moody environment.
Amaryllis
With an impressive vase life and dramatic, bold petals, amaryllis is a star of the autumn and winter seasons. Taken from the Greek word that translates to splendor or sparkle and often referred to as “belladonna lilies,” amaryllis blooms never fall flat.
Anemone
Representing love, relaxation, anticipation, and fragility, anemones bloom in a large array of colors, including bold red. Their black centers offer a striking contrast that elevates the beauty and enhances the simplicity of the flower.
Aster
In Greek, the translation for aster is “star,” which is lovely and suitable for this daisy-like bloom. In fact, the aster is a part of the daisy family. We also see red asters in many tales of ancient Greek goddesses and gods that connect them to things like elegance, patience, devotion, an afterthought, and daintiness.
Carnation
Carnations are a symbol of fascination and distinction, maybe due in part to their fascinating and distinct crinkled and layered blooms. Dark red carnations are linked to affection and love, while light red carnations are connected to adoration and admiration.
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums fill the fall season with a wonderful abundance of vibrant and colorful flowers that blossom in all sorts of sizes, shapes, and hues, including red. In fact, there are an estimated 40 different known species of mum, including cushion mums, football mums, spider mums, pompon mums, button mums, and more.
Rose
As the oldest flower in the world and the most popular, roses have been nicknamed “The Queen of Flowers.” They have been a source of inspiration for poets, authors, songwriters, and artists alike. Symbolizing love, desire, and romance, you can never go wrong with roses.
Poinsettia
The Christmas season would look a little different without the bold, ruby red, large, star-shaped leaves of poinsettias. These seasonal plants have made a wonderful name for themselves as an icon of the holidays. Often called “Flores de Noche Buena” in Hispanic cultures, which means “Flowers of the Holy Night,” poinsettias are a symbol of cheer, joy, goodwill, and community spirit.
Anthurium
Anthuriums offer fun, tropical, and exotic elements to autumn and winter decorations. The single cherry red, waxy petal and vivid yellow spadix symbolize hospitality and happiness, which is great for welcoming friends and family into your home during the holiday season.
Christmas Cactus
The long green succulent stems of a schlumbergera, or a Christmas cactus, can be admired and adored throughout the year while its red, white, or pink flowers blossom just in time for the late autumn and winter holiday season. This succulent is welcoming, warm, grand, and easy to take care of, making it a brilliant gift for the plant lovers in your life.
Kalanchoe
Whether you refer to this vibrant succulent plant as a kalanchoe, Christmas kalanchoe, or kalanchoe blossfeldiana, there is no denying its charming green leaves and delightful red flowers. Symbolizing persistence and eternal love, kalanchoes have the ability to rebloom autumn after autumn as the holiday season approaches.
Bromeliad
A stylish, vibrant, and contemporary way to elevate your autumn and winter decor is with a bromeliad plant. Their assortment of sizes, shapes, and colors, including radiant red, bring something modern and unique into your home to brighten up the season.
Winterberry Holly
Winterberry holly offers a timeless holiday look, particularly when included in seasonal home decor. During the fall months, winterberry holly shrubs discard their green leaves, exposing the thousands of small red berries that are attached to the stems underneath. Whether made into a holiday wreath for your door, arranged in a vase and displayed in the living room, or woven into a garland of evergreens, winterberry holly symbolizes winter and the Christmas season.
