Red Landscape Plants

• Plants with red foliage contrast strongly with paler colors in the garden Diane Macdonald/Stockbyte/Getty Images

  When you would like to add a splash of dramatic color to your yard, red landscape plants are the way to go. Red plants make a bold statement in a yard that is otherwise plain; or you can use them in addition to yellow and orange plants to create a warm look to your garden.

Japanese Blood Grass

• Japanese blood grass (Imperator cylindrical) is an ornamental grass with vivid red tips. As the season progresses, the red spreads down the blade of the grass, turning a dark red by fall. Japanese blood grass is a good choice for containers, borders and rock gardens. The plant prefers moist, well-drained soils and thrives in sun or partial shade. This red landscape plant requires little maintenance, but wholly green stalks should be removed

Heavenly Bamboo

• The evergreen woody shrub heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) features compound leaves and lacy, upright stems. It puts out large clumps of small white flowers, which produce berries that are first green and then a vivid red. Though the leaves of the natural heavenly bamboo are a medium green, the species includes several cultivars that produce red leaves. Two popular red heavenly bamboo varieties include 'Firepower,' which is a dwarf species, and 'Moyers Red.' Place heavenly bamboo in soil that is moist to average. Once established, the heavenly bamboo survives dry spells reasonably well.

Coleus

• Coleus (Coleus blumei) produces broad, soft leaves that come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Choose from many different cultivars, which are easily propagated from either seeds or cuttings. Most coleuses thrive in shady, low-light conditions, but some newer cultivars grow well in sunlight. While the coleus puts out small spikes of delicate white or blue flowers, the leaves provide greater visual interest in their colorful leaves, which range from green to gold, to white to red. 'Aurora Black Cherry,' 'Autumn' and 'Fairway Ruby' just a few of the many coleus varieties with red leaves.