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For an exotic style go for hot oranges that can be combined with reds and purples or to keep a calm feel, try combining orange with plants that have white, yellow or blue flowers.
We list 40 of the best orange-flowered plants to grow, below. There are plants for every type of space, whether you're limited to a window box or want to revamp your herbaceous border. And if you don't have a garden, why not try a vibrant house plant.
Calendula officinalis 'Indian Prince'
This easy annual has rich orange petals and makes a fantastic cut flower as well as attracting hoverflies. English marigolds can be grown from seed.
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Height x Spread: 60cm x 45cm
Flowers: June-October
Tithonia rotundifolia 'Torch'
Light up the border with this half hardy annual which has bright daisy-like flowers on tall stems. Mexican sunflower is perfect for adding height to borders, easy to grow from seed and will flower well into autumn. Try combining with salvias, agastache and aromatic nicotianas.
H x S: 1.8m x 40cm
Flowers: July-October
Zinnia elegans ‘Orange King’
You won't miss this zinnia with its vibrant semi-double flowers. Sow this annual from March to April for a long-lasting display that's ideal for adding colour to containers.
H x S: 75cm x 20cm
Flowers: July-October
Sunflower ‘Solar Flash’
Break away from the traditional yellow sunflower, adding impact to the back of your border with a variety that has a ring of deep orange such as the compact 'Solar Flash', perfect for a container, or the rich orange ‘Copper Queen’. Sunflowers are easy to grow from seed, whatever their colour and the flowerheads can be left to dry, providing food for birds in the winter months.
H x S: 50cm x 35cm
Flowers: July-October
Geum avens ‘Totally Tangerine’
Geums are useful perennials for the front of the border where their small flowers are held high on tall wiry stems. ‘Totally Tangerine’ has pale orange flowers throughout the summer, good for sun or partial shade. There are geums to grow in just about every shade of orange, from peachy ‘Pineapple Crush’, to luminous ‘Totally Tangerine’, to burnt orange ‘Firefinch’.
H x S: 90cm x 50cm
Flowers: June-August
Dahlia ‘Vulcan’
For a big splash of orange go for Dahlia ‘Vulcan’, a semi-double cactus variety that flowers for months with blooms that measure 17cm across. Named after the Roman God of Fire, there’s no missing these orange flowers. As with tulips there is a spectrum of orange dahlias to choose from.
H x S: 1.2m x 40cm
Flowers: July to November
- Buy dahlias from Anglia Bulb Company
- Buy dahlias from J Parkers
- Orange dahlias to grow
Canna 'Tropicanna'
Add a tropical look to your garden with this canna. Everything about it is exotic, from the striped green, gold and red foliage to the show-stopping orange flowers that appear in summer.
H x S: 1.5m x 50cm
Flowers: June-September
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora ‘Emily McKenzie’
You’re spoilt for choice with orange crocosmias but ‘Emily McKenzie’ is a beautiful variety for a sunny spot, with dark red markings on the rich orange flowerheads. This is a great choice for extending summer interest into the autumn.
H x S: 60cm x 10cm
Flowers: July-September
Red hot poker
Red hot pokers provide height and impact in the border and they don't just come in red. Orange varieties like Kniphofia 'Orange Blaze' make a fiery addition to hot colour schemes. Plant these perennials in a sunny spot border or containers. They are good for dry spots once established.
H x S: 75cm x 60cm
Flowers: June-September
Berberis darwinii
Known as barberry, this evergreen shrub brings spring cheer to the border with clusters of orange flowers. It's a valuable plant for the garden providing several seasons of interest including berries in the autumn, which are good for birds.
H x S: 3m x 3m
Flowers: April-May
Primula bulleyana
This candelabra primula looks good planted in among daffodils and hellebores and will thrive in partial shade or sun in moist soil. Its flowers are a yellow shade of orange, held on tall stems.
H x S: 60cm x 30cm
Flowers: April-July
Nasturtium ‘Orange Troika’
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum) are hardy annuals that are easy to grow. They can be grown as companion plants alongside brassicas, helping to draw away small and large white butterflies. ‘Orange Troika’ is a semi-trailing variety with red-orange flowers that can be eaten in salads.
H x S: 30cm x 30cm
Flowers: June-September
California poppy
The California poppy, Eschscholzia californica, is a hardy annual that’s perfect for sowing in pots and containers, or in gaps in borders with vivid orange flowers. For darker orange flowers, try a cultivar like ‘Mikado’.
H x S: 45cm x 30cm
Flowers: June-September
Lilium ‘Orange Pixie’
There are several varieties of orange oriental lilies including the dwarf Asiatic hybrid ‘Orange Pixie’, with star shaped flowers or the hot-coloured ‘Orange Ton’. There are lots of others to choose from including Lilium henryi, a Turk’s cap lily, which has orange spotted petals that curve backwards.
H x S: 50cm x 30cm
Flowers: June-August
Hemerocallis fulva 'Flore Pleno'
The flowers of daylilies, as the name suggests, only last a day, but the plant produces a prolific amount of flowers over the summer. H. fulva, the common daylily, has pale orange-brown trumpet-shaped flowers. Its double form is called 'Flora Pleno'.
H x S: 90cm x 60cm
Flowers: June-August
Eremurus ‘Cleopatra’
These magnificent perennials are native to western and central Asia. Reaching an impressive 1.5m in height, foxtail lilies are at home in a sunny spot, in well-drained soil – a gravel garden or similar is ideal. Many varieties of foxtail lilies have orange blooms, such as ‘Cleopatra’.
H x S: 1.5m x 60cm
Flowers: June-July
Campsis ‘Indian Summer’
Trumpet vines (Campsis) are fast-growing climbers, perfect for quickly covering sunny walls and fences. Despite exotic appearances, they’re hardy to -10°C. For rich orange blooms, take a look at cultivars like ‘Indian Summer’ and ‘Madame Galen’.
H x S: 4m x 4m
Flowers: July-September
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’
Witch hazels are deciduous, winter-blooming trees with distinctive, fragrant blooms. There are lots of cultivars with orange flowers, including ‘Jelena’ with fiery orange scented flowers as well as ‘Aphrodite’, ‘Jelena’ and ‘Orange Beauty’.
H x S: 4m x 4m
Flowers: January-February
Begonia ‘Richard Galle’
Begonias are popular for their bright colours and long flowering period. There's no shortage of orange varieties, from the apricot shades of 'Richard Galle' to the deeper oranges of the Non Stop orange series. Begonias are a good choice for pots, containers and window boxes, providing a big impact in small spaces.
H x S: 30cm x 30cm
Flowers: June-October
Buddleia globosa
This is known as the orange ball tree for its eye-catching, sphere-shaped blooms, made up of lots of small flowers. As well as providing an attractive focal point, it’s also an excellent wildlife plant, attracting butterflies and bees.
H x S: 5m x 5m
Flowers: June-August
Gladiolus ‘Hastings’
For a sunny border, this orange to brown gladiolus makes an attractive border plant for cottage garden style schemes and is an excellent cut flower. For a paler peachy orange variety try 'Peter Pears'. Plant the corms from March to May.
H x S: 70cm x 10cm
Flowers: May-August
- Buy Gladiolus 'Prince of Orange' from J Parker's
- Buy Gladiolous 'Hastings' from Cotswold Garden Flowers
Iris ‘Feu du Ciel’
There's a number of striking orange bearded irises to grow, from the yellow-orange 'Feu du Ciel' and the award-winning light shades of ‘William of Orange’ to the vibrant ‘Orange Harvest’, which is a re-blooming variety. Plant these perennials in free draining soil.
H x S: 80cm x 20cm
Flowers: May-Jun
Poppy ‘Orange Feathers’
This is a perennial poppy with double flowers and delicate petals in an intense orange shade. Sow in the spring for flowers the same year that will last all summer. It’s best in a rockery or at the front of the border.
H x S: 60cm x 30cm
Flowers: June-October
Rosa ‘Lady of Shalott’
‘Lady of Shalott’ is at the richer end of the orange spectrum, but you’ll find roses to warm up your border in every shade from the pale apricot of ‘The Lark Ascending’ through to the deep orange of ‘Summer Song’ which are almost red.
H x S: 1.3m x 1m
Flowers: June-October
Orange roses to grow
Marigold 'Dune Mixed'
Marigolds are useful plants for pots and filling gaps at the front of the border. Sow this vibrant annual in spring for flowers all summer. 'Dune Mixed' is a mix with flowers in yellow, orange and gold. For an alternative try the more elegant, single-flowered 'Tangerine Gem'. Plant with tomatoes to deter greenfly.
H x S: 30cm x 30cm
Flowers: June-October
Chrysanthemum
Add late colour to the garden with vivid orange chrysanthemums, such as ‘Dixter Orange’, selected by the late Christopher Lloyd of Great Dixter for its early flowering habit or 'Conella Orange' for its large, deep orange flowers that last well into autumn.
H x S: 75cm x 50cm
Flowers: Sep-Nov
- Buy chrysanthemum 'Dixter Orange' from Elmlea Plants
- Buy chrysanthemum 'Conella Orange' from Van Meuwen
Achillea ‘Walther Funcke’
Create a hot border with this deep orange achillea, combining it with other fiery shades. Its flat heads make a good contrast to plants with spire or daisy-shaped flower heads. This perennial should be drought tolerant once established and likes a spot in full sun.
H x S: 60cm x 60cm
Flowers: June to September
Cosmos sulphureus
Invaluable for its long flowering habit, cosmos is one of the easiest annuals to grow. Try bright orange varieties such as Cosmos sulphureus 'Tango' to boost colour and height in a sunny border or for a fiery container display. Deadhead regularly to keep the flowers coming.
H x S: 1.2m x 45cm
Flowers: July-October
Crown Imperial
Fritillaria imperialis is an imposing flower in the border, growing to around a metre tall. Its deep orange bell-shaped flowers are topped by a tuft of green leaves, like a spiky hair do. Plant the huge bulbs in the autumn for spring flowers.
H x S: 1m x 30cm
Flowers: April-May
Rudbeckia ‘Cherokee Sunset’
Rudbeckia's daisy-style flowers come in shades from bright yellow through to rusty red orange. At the redder end of orange is ‘Cherokee Sunset’ with a blend of yellow, orange and red-brown in double flowers that will bring interest to your border well into autumn. It’s usually grown as an annual and can be grown from seed. Learn more about growing rudbeckia.
H x S: 60cm x 30cm
Flowers: July-October
Helenium ‘Waltraut’
Grow these cheery perennials for late summer colour. They are easy to grow with varieties such as ‘Waltraut’ bringing a burst of coppery orange sunshine to the border. It makes a good plant partner for late-flowering perennials such as rudbeckias or ornamental grasses.
H x S: 1m x 60cm
Flowers: Aug-Sep
Bird of paradise
If you don’t have a garden, bring orange flowers into your life with Strelizia reginae. It’s a big house plant with exotic flowers that is best suited to a warm room, out of direct sun, with plenty of humidity, such as a bathroom or conservatory.
H x S: 1.5m x 75cm
Flowers: January-March
Tulip ‘Prinses Irene’
There are many orange tulips to choose from, whether you want an elegant variety like ‘Prinses Irene’ or an attention-grabbing tulip like ‘Fabio’ with orange frills and deep scarlet orange petals. Plant tulip bulbs in November.
H x S: 30cm x 10cm
Flowers: Apr-May
- Buy tulips from Crocus
- Buy tulips from Sarah Raven
- Best orange tulips to grow
Lonicera ‘Mandarin’
Cover bare walls or fences with this vigorous orange climber. It’s an easy way to squeeze more plants in to the garden and this honeysuckle will give a boost to any colour scheme.
H x S: 6m x 2m
Flowers: June-August
Gerbera ‘Sweet Glow’
For daisy-like flowers and bright luminous orange try this gerbera. It’s a cheery, long-flowering plant for containers and makes a good cut flower. It’s frost hardy but may need protection in cold winters.
H x S: 40cm x 40cm
Flowers: June-October
Abutilon ‘Orange Hot Lava’
Grow abutilons like the fiery ‘Orange Hot Lava’ on a sunny wall or fence for exotic blooms all summer long. These semi-hardy shrubs can be grown in pots and brought into a conservatory in harsh winters.
H x S: 1.5m x 70cm
Flowers: June-October
Mexican Cigar Plant
Known as the firecracker plant for its vivid orange red flowers, this tender perennial is a prolific flowerer. Its long blooms have an ashen-coloured end, which makes them look like mini cigars. Its frost tender so can be grown as an annual outdoors or indoors as a house plant.
H x S: 40cm x 40cm
Flowers: June-September
- Buy the Mexican cigar plant from Thompson & Morgan
- Buy the Mexican cigar plant from Victoriana Nursery
Alstromeria aurea ‘Orange King’
Plant this hardy perennial in the spring for easy summer flowers. Alstroemeria, also known as Peruvian lilies, are long flowering and come in a range of shades from red and purple through to orange, yellow and white. Available as bulbs or plants.
H x S: 75cm x 25cm
Flowers: July-September
Ranunculus 'Rocorange’
Ranunculus make excellent cut flowers or plants for a container with tightly packed blooms like roses. ‘Rocorange’ has large flowers that last for months and will stand out in a container on the patio or at the front of a border. Plant the corms in autumn or spring.
H x S: 65cm x 60cm
Flowers: April-June
Moth orchid ‘Las Vegas’
Bring orange flowers indoors with an easy to grow moth orchid. ‘Las Vegas’ has flowers that are apricot to gold shade. It will flower for months if happy. Place in a spot with bright light but not in direct sun.
H x S: 40cm x 20cm
Flowers: March to December
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