Plants that bloom in October in Zone 5 with red flowers

Annual Vinca

Glossy-leaved heat champion (botanically unrelated to true Vinca minor) that blooms through humidity that wilts everything else.

Big Bluestem

The signature grass of the tallgrass prairie, turning copper-bronze in fall with distinctive turkey-foot seed heads.

Bishop of Llandaff Dahlia

Brilliant scarlet semi-double blooms above near-black foliage. The contrast between leaf and flower is unmatched in the dahlia world.

Blanket Flower

Fiery bicolor pinwheels that bloom nonstop in the worst heat and soil.

Celosia

Flame-shaped or crested flowers in electric colors that dry beautifully. Heat lovers that thrive in summer.

Chrysanthemum

The fall icon. Mounds of color when everything else is fading.

Cinco de Mayo Rose

Smoky lavender-rust blooms with copper undertones unlike any other rose. Modern fragrance, modern disease resistance, and a color you will not find anywhere else.

Cosmos

Airy, dancing flowers on thread-thin stems. Effortless cottage garden charm.

Dahlia

Endless forms from dinner-plate to pompom. The obsession of flower farmers.

Don Juan Climbing Rose

Deep velvety red climber with classic rose fragrance. Repeats reliably on a strong, vigorous plant.

Double Knock Out Rose

Fuller, double-petaled version of the Knock Out. Same bulletproof performance with more petal count.

Drift Rose

Groundcover rose that stays low and spreads wide. Tough, disease-resistant, and constantly in bloom.

Fire Light Hydrangea

Upright cones open pure white and transform to deep pomegranate red as the season ages. Strong stems that never need staking.

Gomphrena

Papery clover-shaped pom-poms on wiry stems. Drought-proof, deer-proof, and dries perfectly for winter arrangements.

Helenium

Warm-toned daisy-like flowers with raised centers bloom as summer turns to fall. Loves moist soil.

Impatiens

The shade annual champion. Flowers prolifically where nothing else will.

Karma Choc Dahlia

Velvety dark burgundy waterlily blooms that read almost black in low light. Strong stems built for the vase.

Knock Out Rose

The rose that changed everything. Disease-resistant, self-cleaning, and blooms nonstop from spring to frost.

Marigold

Bulletproof color all season long. The workhorse of warm-toned borders.

Miscanthus

Tall, graceful plumes that persist through winter. Living architecture.

Mister Lincoln Rose

Deep dark red hybrid tea blooms with an intense damask fragrance on long stems. The benchmark for classic red roses since 1964.

Morning Glory

Fast-climbing vine with trumpets that open fresh every morning.

Pentas

Star-shaped flower clusters that hummingbirds and butterflies hit on every pass. Blooms nonstop in heat that stops impatiens cold.

Petunia

Cascading color for containers and beds. Blooms nonstop until frost.

Portulaca

Succulent-leaved sun lover with silky rose-like blooms that thrives where pavement, rock, or sand defeats everything else.

Rose

The queen of the garden. Modern varieties are surprisingly low-maintenance.

Scabiosa

Pincushion blooms on long wiry stems dance over fine foliage. Pollinator magnet that keeps producing if you keep cutting.

Scarlet Sage

Electric red spikes that hummingbirds zero in on. Common bedding plant that earns its spot every year.

Sedum

Succulent leaves, tough as nails. Ages to deep crimson in autumn.

Shenandoah Switchgrass

Compact selection that turns vivid burgundy-red in late summer earlier than any other switchgrass.

Strawberry Sundae Hydrangea

Compact paniculata cones open creamy white, blush pink in summer, then deepen to strawberry red as fall arrives.

Strawflower

Papery petals that already look like dried flowers when fresh. The original everlasting, hanging on long after every other bloom fades.

Switchgrass

Upright native grass with airy seed heads. Gold and red fall color.

Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea

Cone blooms open creamy white, age to soft pink, then deepen to strawberry red while new white cones keep emerging above them.

Zinnia

Easy-grow annual with electric colors. Cut-and-come-again champion.