8 climbing flowers with red blooms

Clematis 'Rouge Cardinal'

Clematis, along with roses, are the climbing plants offering the most shades of red. The Clematis ‘Rouge Cardinal’ truly lives up to its name: its single flowers are a stunning dark red, which gradually lightens to a magenta red, surrounding a bouquet of cream stamen. The intensity of this red gives it an admirable velvety texture. This variety is part of the large-flowered hybrid clematis: they have a diameter of between 12 and 15 cm. Thriving everywhere due to its exceptional hardiness and tolerance to soil type, the ‘Rouge Cardinal’ clematis is highly floriferous and has the advantage of growing quickly. It will reach about 3 m in height and cover 2 m of a wall or trellis. Flowering begins in June and continues until September, in successive waves.

> Also discover our selection of 7 purple or red viticella clematis

Clematis ‘Rouge Cardinal’

Campsis radicans 'Flamenco'

Here is a bignonia with vibrant colours, much redder than the classic orange bignonias. With the evocative name ‘Flamenco’, it offers from August onwards its clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers in a radiant reddish-orange to salmon colour. The bignonia ‘Flamenco’ is a voluble climbing plant that happily grows to at least 6 m high. It is perfect for dressing a large pergola or a tall wall. Its deciduous, pinnate foliage, composed of dark green leaflets, appears in spring and also displays a beautiful lushness.

Plant this bignonia in full sun to ensure abundant flowering until October. It thrives in ordinary soil as long as it is well-drained. Perfect by the seaside as it withstands salt spray well, this flamboyant climber can grace many gardens with a hardiness of up to -12°C.

Campsis radicans ‘Flamenco’

The climbing rose 'Red Eden Rose'

Many climbing roses feature red flowers… The ‘Eric Tabarly’ rose, also known as ‘Red Eden Rose’ offers a satin purple-red flowering of unparalleled brilliance. What is remarkable about this rose, aside from its large dark red flowers, almost wine-like, is the charm of its full blooms, composed of around a hundred petals, reminiscent of an old rose, evoking the famous ‘Pierre de Ronsard’ rose, as well as its subtle fragrance. ‘Red Eden Rose’ is also repeat flowering, generously blooming from June to October, and grows quickly. This type of rose, which closely resembles an old rose, is not well-suited to overly rainy climates, as they damage the large flower buds, causing them to rot prematurely. However, it proves resistant to diseases, displaying always healthy foliage.

Plant it in non-burning sunlight, at the entrance of a house, on the façade, or against a wall or fence where it will climb between 2 and 3 m high with a spread of 1 to 2 m.

→ Discover our selection of climbing roses with red flowers

Climbing rose ‘Red Eden Rose’

Bougainvillea spectabilis 'Dark Red'

Climbing plant by Mediterranean essence, the bougainvillea comes in stunning colours, from white to pink, passing through purple and orange. Some Bougainvillea spectabilis bloom in red, more or less shaded with orange or pink. They are the kings of climbing plants in all regions with very mild winters, spared from frost, from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean. The flowers are bright red bracts, further illuminated by tiny cream-coloured tubular flowers. Flowering continuously from June to October in the sun, the foliage will drop as soon as temperatures turn negative. When planted in a pot and stored in winter, it will thrive with proper care. A woody climbing stem, Bougainvillea spectabilis clings to its support with its thorny hooks.

Learn more about growing bougainvillea in our comprehensive guide, on growing bougainvillea in pots, and which bougainvillea to plant according to your region in our advice sheets.

Bougainvillea spectabilis Red

Schisandra rubriflora

The Schisandra rubriflora is still relatively unknown, yet it is one of the hardiest climbing plants that can thrive in almost any garden. Reaching about 3 to 4 m high, this unique Asian liana grows in its natural habitat (from India to southern China) in semi-shaded areas, at altitudes between 1000 and 3000 m, in forests with cool to moist soil.

In our gardens, Schisandra rubriflora is the perfect climbing plant for integrating into a trellis or a slightly shaded wall, but it also tolerates non-burning sunlight (an east or west exposure is ideal). This climbing plant produces charming small carmine-red flowers, rounded and cup-shaped, in trailing clusters at the end of long peduncles, revealing a prominent pistil, typically in May or June. Its foliage is deciduous, the plant has an interesting rapid growth rate, and its long voluble stems cling to supports on their own.

Dioecious (either male or female), the flowers of female Schisandras will later produce fruits known as five-flavour berries. They can be highlighted by pruning after flowering.

→ Learn more about Schisandra in our comprehensive guide.

Schisandra rubriflora: flowers and foliage (© Leonora Enking), and a close-up of the flowering in May (© Wendy Cutler)

Kennedia coccinea

Also known as coral vine, Kennedia coccinea remains relatively unknown in mainland France. This climbing plant of Australian origin is a true curiosity due to the profusion of flowers it produces from April to June. The coral vine belongs to the legume family, which is reflected in the shape of its flowers, resembling sweet peas but in a bright red hue tinged with coral and yellow at their centre. Growing up to a maximum of 3 m, this climbing plant requires plenty of sun and warmth to thrive. It demands fertile, well-drained soil. We will grow it as an annual due to its very rapid growth and lack of frost resistance, often through sowing.

Kennedia coccinea (© Jean and Fred Hort)

Gloriosa superba 'Rothschildiana'

If you have an exotic garden or terrace, or dream of lush tropicality, the Gloriosa superba ‘Rothschildiana’ is the climbing plant for you! This Malabar lily (also known as the Glory lily) is a stunning, unusual plant with warm colours, and its remarkable shape is sure to captivate gardeners seeking exoticism or collectors of rare plants. The flowers are large, lily-shaped, with thin, elongated, and prominent petals (actually tepals) that have undulating edges. The flower is curiously recurved, meaning it curves upwards, revealing the long yellowish-green stamens underneath. It is bicoloured, with bright red margins edged in yellow. Flowering occurs throughout the summer, from June to September. Its foliage is also of interest, being voluble and growing quickly, with a beautiful sheen, shaped like a lance. The plant climbs to about 2 m in height in our gardens.

Native to East Africa and Madagascar, this climbing plant does not tolerate cold, which is its major drawback. If it tempts you and you do not live in a region with mild climatic conditions (the Gloriosa cannot withstand freezing temperatures), plant it in a pot on a south-facing terrace sheltered from the winds, and bring it indoors in winter. It will climb beautifully on a lovely wicker trellis. The ideal situation is to place it in a greenhouse or temperate conservatory. In the ground, you will need to dig up the bulb as you would for dahlias, and keep it dry to replant in spring.

A vigorous and tropical climber, Gloriosa superba ‘Rothschildiana’ needs to be planted in full sun, in humus-bearing and well-drained soil.

Learn more about Gloriosa in our complete guide: Gloriosa, planting, growing, caring

Gloriosa superba ‘Rothschildiana’

Passiflora alata

For the final entry, here is another tender climbing plant, but one of such beauty that it deserves its place in this selection of climbing plants with red flowers. The flowering of the Passiflora alata is actually bicolour: a sublime corolla of bright red petals surrounds a heart of curled purple and white filaments. We are in the midst of exoticism when this exceptional climbing plant reveals its inflorescences in June. The flowering lasts all summer, until October. Perfect for Mediterranean gardens or those along the Atlantic fringe, it can be planted in pots elsewhere. Ensure you provide a sturdy support as it climbs to about 3 m using its tendrils.

Another passionflower that resembles it somewhat, also tender but taller and even more fragrant, is the Passiflora quadrangularis.

Passiflora alata