Succulents offer not only beautiful foliage and textures but also the occasional bloom. You can find succulents with all kinds of colors, from yellow to orange, and red. Most succulents bloom with warm color blooms.
A succulent with red flowers is always popular because of the contrast between the green leaves and the red bloom. Of course, there are several different meanings to each succulent. But if you just want the red blooms, check out these 15 popular varieties.
In This Article
Flaming Katy Kalanchoe
| Sun Exposure | Full sun |
| Water Needs | Moderate |
| Mature Size | 12″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 40° |
| Propagation Style | Cuttings |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
The flaming katy kalanchoe is an incredibly popular variety of succulent and it produces beautiful red blooms, though it has gorgeous leaves even when it is not in bloom. It is native to Madagascar so it can tolerate more water than other succulent varieties.
To help encourage good blooms from the flaming katy kalanchoe, you should repot yearly (though not when it’s blooming) to the next larger pot size to refresh soil nutrients and fertilize monthly during blooming season.
Ensure that the plant gets plenty of sun throughout the growing season but in the dormant season, winter, make sure that the plant is kept in a cool, dark area. This allows the plant to produce blooms in the first place. After the plant blooms, remove the dead blooms so that the plant produces even more flowers.
Zygo Cactus (Christmas Cactus) Red
| Sun Exposure | Partial sun |
| Water Needs | Moderate to High |
| Mature Size | 12-24″ wide/long |
| Temperature Tolerance | 50° |
| Propagation Style | Leaves |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic |
| Dormant Period | Fall |
The Christmas cactus is one of the most popular of the three holiday cactuses. It prefers a warm and humid environment like its native Brazil. Make sure not to put it in bright or direct sunlight because it will cause sunburn or bleach the leaves.
You should water your Christmas cactus every 2-3 weeks as long as your soil is well-drained. Especially when it is blooming, you will need to water it extra. Some extra fertilizer in the winter as well as a dormancy period of long nights before its growing season will help the plant to bloom more as well.
Barrel Cactus
| Sun Exposure | Full sun |
| Water Needs | Minimal |
| Mature Size | 36″ to 86″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 20° |
| Propagation Style | Offsets |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
The barrel cactus is a classic fixture in the deserts of the American Southwest. Because of this, they prefer sandy to rocky soil in their pots. These cacti can live up to a century and they grow very slowly. If they outgrow their pot, you can give them a larger one but make sure they are still somewhat snug.
If you manage to get your barrel cactus to produce blooms, they are a succulent with red flowers typically. The blooms will appear in spring after a dormant period in the winter time. Only plants that are several years old will produce flowers. When they do flower, water and fertilize your barrel cactus slightly more to keep the bloom going longer.
Baby Sun Rose
| Sun Exposure | Full sun |
| Water Needs | Minimal |
| Mature Size | 24″ to 36″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 30° |
| Propagation Style | Cuttings, Seeds |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
If you live near a coastline, the baby sun rose is an excellent salt-tolerant succulent option. They will bloom on and off all year long as long as they are fertilized twice a year at the beginning of spring and end of summer. This South African native needs to be pruned in spring when it spreads too far.
Flowers typically will arrive when the temperature gets warmer in the spring. If your temperatures fluctuate though, you may get several flushes of the red, daisy-like blooms. When blooms first appear, fertilize with a dilute fertilizer and make sure to water regularly to keep blooms coming over and over.
Aloe Arborescens (Torch Aloe)
| Sun Exposure | Full to Partial Sun |
| Water Needs | Minimal |
| Mature Size | 72″ to 120″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 20° |
| Propagation Style | Offsets |
| Toxicity | Mildly toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
The torch aloe is a very large plant that is native to South Africa. It has long, sharp-edged leaves with light silvery edges that grow in a rosette shape. This unique shape as well as its size lend it the nickname of “Octopus plant.” Being both fire resistant and deer resistant, the torch aloe is an excellent option for high risk environments and areas.
This is a very slow grower and you need to be patient with it. Only older plants will start to produce blooms and those will only occur rarely. If blooms occur, they will come about in late fall or early winter and look like long, spiky red clusters.
Euphorbia Milii (Crown of Thorns)
| Sun Exposure | Full |
| Water Needs | Minimal |
| Mature Size | 24″ to 72″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 20° |
| Propagation Style | Cuttings |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
The crown of thorns plant will produce red flowers just about all year if it is fertilized regularly from spring through fall. If the plant does get out of control, you can prune it but make sure to protect your skin and eyes from the sap, which is toxic.
As a succulent, the Euphorbia milii is easy to grow as long as you leave it alone for the most part. It does need plenty of sun and regular fertilizer when it’s blooming from Spring to Fall. You can get it to produce even more blooms by trimming off the spent blooms as they occur.
Semporvivum Tectorum
| Sun Exposure | Full to Partial Sun |
| Water Needs | Moderate |
| Mature Size | 20″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | -20° |
| Propagation Style | Offsets, Seeds |
| Toxicity | Mildly toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
Unlike most succulents with red flowers on this list, the Sempervivum tectorum is from Europe. Because of this, it can withstand far colder temperatures in winter and yet still enjoy the heat of summer. Commonly called the “hen and chicks” it can be grown just about anywhere and is a popular addition to rock gardens and rock walls.
As long as the hen and chicks gets plenty of sunlight in the summer and cools down in the winter, it will produce bright red blooms on long sticks each summer. The plant producing blooms will die off but its offsets, the chicks, will remain and repopulate quickly.
Huernia Zebrina
| Sun Exposure | Partial Shade |
| Water Needs | Minimal |
| Mature Size | 6″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 25° |
| Propagation Style | Cuttings |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
The Huernia zebrina is an unusual plant. Hailing from Southern Africa, this plant produces small flowers that are cream on the outside and red on the inside. The flowers have a horrible smell that is vaguely reminiscent of carrion. Repot the plant every couple of years to refresh soil or use a diluted fertilizer.
The blooms of the Huernia zebrina will come in spring and summer. To support flower production and help flowers last longer, make sure to water the plant more when it is blooming. Also, a light application of fertilizer in the spring may encourage it to bloom a little earlier and more impressively.
Burro’s Tail
| Sun Exposure | Full Sun |
| Water Needs | Moderate |
| Mature Size | 48″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 40° |
| Propagation Style | Cuttings, Leaves |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
Burro’s tail is an incredibly popular succulent, especially among the hanging succulent varieties. It will survive decades if cared for correctly, though the arms and leaves will break off easily if touched. Also make sure it isn’t placed in direct sunlight or the leaves will be bleached.
This succulent will need to have very long limbs and be very mature before it will bloom. It is a succulent with red flowers that it will only produce if it goes through a dormancy period in the winter. You can grow it as an indoor or outdoor plant to enjoy it wherever you are.
Orchid Cactus
| Sun Exposure | Full Sun |
| Water Needs | Moderate |
| Mature Size | 24″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 40° |
| Propagation Style | Cuttings |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
The orchid cactus from Central America will bloom with red flowers each spring when it gets old enough. The flowers are large and they form on the ends of each stem. After the flowers are done, prune the stem ends. Repot every couple of years, sizing up the pot each time, to help the plant grow larger.
When blooming begins, apply dilute fertilizer and make sure that it has plenty of filtered sunlight until Fall. Then, move the plant to a darker and cooler location to allow it to go dormant. Other than moving it to an appropriate location twice a year to allow for dormancy, don’t move it to help blooms grow better.
Pincushion Cactus
| Sun Exposure | Full Sun |
| Water Needs | Minimal |
| Mature Size | 6″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 50° |
| Propagation Style | Offsets |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
The pincushion cactus is a beautiful plant from the American Southwest and Central America. It has wicked thorns and requires gloves more than most succulents when handling. The cactus will grow in a round shape, though they can get slightly oblong when they get older.
Ironically, the best thing to do in order to get a pincushion cactus to bloom is stop watering it several weeks before spring. When spring arrives, begin watering again and add some diluted fertilizer. This will kick the plant into an intense growth cycle and prompt it to bloom.
Delosperma Cooperi Red
| Sun Exposure | Full Sun |
| Water Needs | Minimal |
| Mature Size | 18″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 0° |
| Propagation Style | Cuttings |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
Also called the “ice plant,” the Delosperma Cooperi red is a beautiful plant that is a classic succulent. It does not like to have wet feet and you need to make sure not only that the soil is well-drained but that you don’t water it too much.
The ice plant will produce small blooms from late spring to frost which have red outsides and white centers. It will bloom across the entire plant and you will get several flushes of blooms throughout the growing season as long as the plant receives enough sunlight.
Aloe Porcupine
| Sun Exposure | Partial Sun |
| Water Needs | Moderate |
| Mature Size | 10″ by 10″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 40° |
| Propagation Style | Cuttings |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
The aloe porcupine is a small aloe with thin, slightly curved leaves that have spiny edges on it. The leaves grow around a central stem. Red flowers will be produced mainly in spring but may continue until fall. Flowers grow in clusters along a long stem coming from the center of the plant.
The best way to get the aloe porcupine to bloom is to fertilizer it regularly throughout the main blooming and growing season. Give it small sips of diluted fertilizer mixed into the regular waterings throughout the season to prevent burning.
Crassula Morgan’s Beauty
| Sun Exposure | Full Sun |
| Water Needs | Minimal |
| Mature Size | 10″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 25° |
| Propagation Style | Offsets, Cuttings, Leaves |
| Toxicity | Mildly toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
The Crassula Morgan’s Beauty is a succulent with red flowers and thick, silvery leaves that look like stacked stones more than leaves. The blooms may sometimes appear dark pink rather than red. Regardless of color, the flowers are fragrant.
This succulent will tolerate a partial sun environment if necessary, however it may lead to overwatering and thus make the plant susceptible to mealybugs. For optimal blooming, make sure that the plant gets enough light throughout its growing season.
Echeveria Black Prince
| Sun Exposure | Full to Partial Sun |
| Water Needs | Minimal |
| Mature Size | 8″ |
| Temperature Tolerance | 20° |
| Propagation Style | Cuttings, Leaves, Offsets |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic |
| Dormant Period | Winter |
The Echeveria Black Prince is one of the most popular of the green and purple succulents. It will produce red flowers in the fall if the plant has enough sunlight. Like many succulents, the Echeveria Black Prince will not tolerate a low light environment.
To help this succulent to bloom with more flowers, make sure that it not only gets enough sunlight but also fertilize it once at the beginning of its growing season. Make sure that the plant receives a good 6-8 weeks of a dormant season in winter as well so that it will produce blooms.
Conclusion
There are so many succulent varieties out there that it can be difficult to choose which one will be perfect for your home. Of course, most people choose a succulent based on the overall look of the leaves. However, you can always add even more flair by choosing a succulent with red flowers that will really pop.
