Orange is a bright, cheerful, strong color that is very easy to introduce to any garden setting. It has a certain vibrancy that will bring life to even the dullest corners. You can use it on its own, or combine it with other colors to add interest. Blue and orange flowers work particularly well together in outdoor spaces.
There is a multitude of different options when it comes to orange flowering plants. Ultimately, the best orange flowers for your garden will depend on climatic conditions and personal choice. It may also depend on a landscaping style or the effect you want to create.
15 Best Orange Flowering Plants You Can Grow
We have chosen a cross-section of beautiful orange flowering plants that will thrive in various parts of the U.S. Some are big, some are small – many are indigenous to tropical regions. Some are tall, while others are bedding plants that will create a pretty ground cover.
We are describing a mix of orange annual flowers and orange perennial flowers. The shades and strength of orange colors vary, but they all add energy and warmth.
Some of the plants only bloom in orange. Others are available as varieties that have blooms in a choice of other hues.
Mexican Sunflower
The Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia, is native to Central America and Mexico. It grows to a height of about 3-5 or even 6 feet, so looks good as a backdrop for lower growing plants.
It has nectar-rich flowers and is well known for attracting pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.
Marigold
Marigolds (Tagetes species) are one of the easiest flowers to grow. They are true annuals but will self-seed and continue to pop up in your garden year after year.
There are many different types ranging from relatively small orange flowers with single petals to the quite large African marigold (also known as the Mexican marigold) that has 4-inch wide, double-petal flowers. All make great companion plants to many vegetables, repelling bugs with their pungent smell.
Native to Mexico, North Africa, and parts of Europe, marigolds are easy to grow from seed and will start to bloom in 6-8 weeks. Within a few months, they can fill a garden bed with richly colored red-orange or yellow blooms.
There are unusual species too, like the French marigold, Naughty Marietta, which has splashes of maroon in the center of bright, light-orange double flower heads.
Calendula
Although related to the sun-loving marigold, Calendula officinalis is native to the Americas. And is a short-lived orange perennial.
Commonly known as pot marigold, Calendula is not a marigold at all. What it has in common with marigolds (above) and chrysanthemums (below) is that they are all part of the Asteraceae family.
Calendula is easy to grow from seed and will usually flower profusely, adding not only orange but also red or yellow to your garden beds. It takes about two months for the flowers to start blooming.
It grows as well in containers as it does in garden beds.
Gazanias
Gorgeous gazanias, Gazania rigens, are daisy-like flowers that are native to parts of South Africa. They are easy to grow from seed and do particularly well in sandy, well-drained soil and rock gardens.
Typically orange in color, gazanias also come in red and yellow hues, often with splashes of related colors on the petals. If you plant them about one foot apart they will fill the space, growing to a height of between 6-12 inches. Gazanias are perennials and they will often self-seed.
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums, sometimes called garden mums, are herbaceous perennials that flower in the fall. They grow fast, flower in their first growing season, and are wonderfully hardy.
Chrysanthemums are available in a wide range of colors including orange. They need lots of water and do their best in moderate climatic conditions.
The flower shape of the Chrysanthemum species varies quite a lot. For example, some have single petals and look very like daisies.
Anemone chrysanthemums have one or more rows of petals, and their centers look almost like little cushions. The pompon chrysanthemum has a globe-like shape.
Snapdragon
Snapdragons, Antirrhinum majus, are quite tall flowering plants that add an interesting contrast to the smaller orange flowering plants mentioned above. There are many different types of snapdragon, all of which are herbaceous perennials that are commonly grown as annual flowers.
Like chrysanthemums, snapdragons have a range of different colored flowers, including orange and peach. Native to Europe, Turkey, Syria, and the Mediterranean region, they thrive in USDA hardiness zones 7-11.
Aloe
Native to the African continent, with a higher diversity in the south, aloes are a diverse group of plants that appears in just about every type of habitat, from desert to grassland.
There are a huge number of different types of aloe, some big and some small. While different types have their own distinct characteristics, the variability is intriguing.
What they do have in common is fat, succulent, often boat-shaped leaves with serrated prickles on their edges. Flowers are usually tubular, though their formations differ.
Their flowers are also brightly colored and usually orange or yellow. When they flower in the early fall they add exciting color to any garden space.
Canna Lily
The canna lily, Canna indica, is native to central and South America, Mexico, the southeastern U.S., and the West Indies. It does well in USDA hardiness zones 7-10.
Colors are varied, including white, cream, pink, red, yellow, and, of course, orange. Its leaves are similar in shape to banana leaves, but often bronze or a mix of striped patterns, for instance, maroon and green.
You can grow the canna lily in colder climates, but you’ll need to dig out the rhizomes in the fall and store them during the winter months. They won’t take long to resprout in spring.
Trumpet Vine
The trumpet vine, Campsis radicans, is native to North America. It has long, glossy green leaves that grow as long as 15 inches and clusters of trumpet-shaped orange, salmon, red, or yellow flowers.
It looks lovely growing over arbors, fences, and trelliswork, and birds love its flowers.
In nature, this lovely vine can travel as far as 40 feet, which indicates that it can be an aggressive spreader. New shoots will pop up all over the place, and it can choke other nearby plants. So grow it with this information in mind.
Honeysuckle
There are various types of honeysuckle, including coral and Cape honeysuckles.
The coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens, also known as the trumpet honeysuckle, is native to southeastern parts of the U.S. A vine that will grow 15-25 feet tall and spread 15-25 feet wide, it does well in USDA zones 4-11. In colder climates, it is regarded as a perennial vine.
Flowers of the coral honeysuckle are orange, red, pink, and, of course, a typical orangey-pink coral color.
The Cape honeysuckle, Tecoma capensis, is another orange flowering plant that is native to South Africa. A rambling shrub that will grow over fences and trellises if trained. But, as its name suggests, it is not true honeysuckle (Lonicera).
It flowers from fall to spring, producing pretty clusters of trumpet-shaped yellow, apricot, coral, red, or orange flowers. It does particularly well in USDA zones 9-11.
Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia reginae has commonly been nicknamed the bird of paradise or crane plant because of its colorful neon orange and the electric blue-purple flower that looks just like the head of an exotic bird. It’s a popular architectural plant that will grow as tall as 5-6 feet.
Sunbirds and mousebirds flock to feed on its nectar when it flowers. This can sometimes be from early spring until early in the fall.
Native to parts of southern Africa, it grows well in warmer climates. But it’s hardy and will withstand mild frost as well as dry periods with no rain.
Red Hot Poker
The name red hot poker, Kniphofia, belies the color of these bold bright orange and yellow flowers. Their showstopping flower spikes are sometimes bright red, but more often they are a combination of orange and yellow.
There are more than 60 Kniphofia species ranging from so-called dwarf cultivars that reach 1-2 feet in height to others that grow as tall as 3-4 feet. Native to South Africa, it thrives in USDA hardiness zones 6-9.
Also known as the torch lily, red hot pokers aren’t lilies at all, and they aren’t members of the Liliaceae family. They are rhizomes and can be aggressive growers. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love them.
Lion’s Tail
Lion’s tail, Leonotic leonurus, is also known as wild dagga because, in its native South Africa, healers have been using it for medicine for hundreds of years. Today, most people grow it as an ornamental plant that will attract birds to the garden. It does well in USDA zones 8-11.
A semi-evergreen shrub, it forms double-lipped red-orange flowers in whorls at the top of upright stems. Birds and butterflies love the flowers.
Crown Imperial
The last of our best orange flowers is crown Imperial, Fritillaria imperialis. It is also known as Kaiser’s crown because of its uniquely shaped flowers that look like upside-down crowns.
An intriguing bulb, it has historical roots in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kashmir where it was called the Persian lily. It thrives in USDA hardiness zones 5-9 and flowers orange, yellow, and red.
Left to grow, Crown Imperial plants will be up to 1-3 feet tall when mature, and they will fill a space 8-12 inches wide.
This plant is stinky and tends to repel voles and rodents.
What plant has the prettiest orange flower?
There are so many really pretty orange flowers, we could name dozens of our favorites. But we’ve decided to give the kudos to the California poppy, Eschscholzia Californica, which was named California’s official state flower in 1903.
Also called California sunlight, the golden poppy, and a cup of gold, it is native to the U.S. and Mexico. It’s easy to grow and will thrive in USDA zones 3-9.
Another bonus of the cup of gold is that it is edible. It also looks stunning as a garnish on salads and other dishes.
This is surely one of the very best orange flowers you can choose to grow.
What orange flowers bloom in summer?
The Mexican sunflower starts blooming late in summer and its flowers last until early in the fall. Marigolds often flower throughout the summer, as do canna lilies and the trumpet vine.
Gazanias flower from mid-spring through summer. Lion’s tail flowers from late spring until fall.
Also, many spring-flowering orange flowering plants bloom from spring right through summer until the fall.
What orange flowers bloom in spring?
The bird of paradise flowers in early spring and, if well cared for, will continue to produce flowers throughout spring and summer until early in the fall.
Pot marigolds (Calendula) flower for a relatively short period of time late in spring.
Snapdragons and lion’s tale bloom from spring until fall, although they often slow down during the mid-summer months.
The coral honeysuckle blooms in spring and summer. The Crown Imperial bulb also flowers in spring. And the beautiful Californian poppy flowers from late spring until mid-summer.
Conclusion
There is an enormous choice of orange flowering plants. We have offered a taste.
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