25 Magenta Flowers and Plants to Grow

Learn what flowers are magenta and how to energize your garden with magenta plants inspired by Pantone's trendy Color of the Year: Viva Magenta.

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February 06, 2023

By: Lynn Coulter

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Butterfly Candy Buddleja 'Lil Raspberry'

Pantone, a color consulting company, has named Viva Magenta, a shade in the red family, as its 2023 Color of the Year. To help you hop on this color trend, we've curated a gallery of magenta flowers and plants that will add this vibrant color to your containers and garden. Color display can vary by computer monitor or device, so you may also see burgundy, maroon and other hues.

Shown here: Buddleja Butterfly Candy 'Lil Raspberry', a compact, sun-loving perennial for USDA Garden Zones 5 to 10. Plant it for your favorite butterflies.

Also See: How to Care for Butterfly Bush

Cabaret 'Good Night Kiss' Calibrachoa

From early spring until fall, Cabaret 'Good Night Kiss' calibrachoas open lots of bright, magenta-colored blooms with yellow stars in the centers. These tender perennials, hardy in Zones 9 to 11, are sometimes called mini-petunias or million bells. They thrive in full sun and like plenty of water. Since they’re self-cleaning, you won’t have to deadhead them to keep your plants tidy. Let their stems trail gracefully from hanging baskets and other containers. At maturity, they reach 6 to 10 inches tall and 10 to 12 inches wide.

Also See: How to Grow and Care for Calibrachoas

Dianthus 'Paint the Town Magenta'

A site with part sun to sun, good drainage and loose, neutral to slightly alkaline soil is ideal for Dianthus 'Paint the Town Magenta'. This charming perennial, hardy in Zones 4 to 9, adds vivid color to borders and mass plantings. The 6- to 8-inch stems make these plants a useful filler for mixed containers and the flowers, backed by grayish-blue foliage, are good for cutting or drying. 'Paint the Town Magenta' grows in mounds and spreads 12 to 14 inches as the blooms open from early summer to early fall. Heat, drought and salt tolerant, this dianthus attracts helpful pollinators like bees and butterflies but seldom appeals to deer.

Also See: How to Grow Dianthus Flowers

Hibiscus Summerific 'Evening Rose'

Enormous, ruffled flowers — we’re talking 8 inches wide — and handsome purple-black foliage make Summerific 'Evening Rose' a garden standout. Commonly called rose mallow, this hibiscus hybrid is a shrub-like perennial for Zones 4 to 9. Plant it in full sun and moist soil that drains easily. 'Evening Rose' is ideal for borders, hedges, as a focal point or as a specimen plant. Give the plants plenty of room, spacing them 54 to 60 inches apart. At maturity, they can stand 4 feet tall and spread to 5 feet. The magenta-dark pink blooms open from midsummer to late summer. This North American native, also called swamp hibiscus, is actually considered a bog plant, but it tolerates many different soils and pH levels.

Also See: How to Plant, Grow and Care for Hibiscus

Titan Cranberry Vinca

Sometimes called Madagascar periwinkle, vincas are vigorously growing annuals. Titan Cranberry Vinca (Catharanthus roseus) can tolerate heat and drought and is said to have the largest vinca flowers currently on the market. Use it in the garden or containers where it can grow 14 to 16 inches high and 10 to 12 inches wide. The velvety, cranberry-colored flowers open from late spring into late summer and have lighter centers. The plants need very little water and while they’re outstanding performers in sunny, hot and dry areas, they can also take light shade. Fertilize them about every two weeks and watch for bees and butterflies to visit. They’re hardy to 45 degrees.

Encore Azalea 'Autumn Rouge'

Azaleas in bloom were once a signal that spring had arrived, but now we have Encore Azaleas, rebloomers that flower three times a year — in spring, summer and fall. Give Autumn Rouge, with its magenta-pink blossoms, a spot in full sun to part shade. Encores are more compact than traditional azaleas, so they don't need much pruning. This variety, recommended for Zones 6 to 10, has dark green foliage and semi-double flowers that measure up to two inches across. The plants grow to 4 feet high and wide. For best results, plant Encore Azaleas in raised beds filled with well-drained soil mixed with lots of good organic matter. Water them regularly the first year after planting; they won't need as much water later.

Also See: How to Plant and Grow Azaleas

Lorolpetalum 'Cerise Charm'

Even when it’s not in bloom, dwarf Loropetalum 'Cerise Charm' really does charm gardeners with its dark plum, near-black foliage. Deep burgundy flowers open in the spring on its arched branches. Plant this shrub, which is hardy in Zones 7 to 11, in full sun to part shade. It likes neutral to slightly acidic soil and regular water until it’s established. Otherwise, it needs little care and holds its compact, rounded form as it grows to 4 feet tall with a 36-inch spread. Lorolpetalum are called fringe flowers for their strappy blooms.

Gisele 'Purple Phlox'

This easy-to-grow phlox has been grown in trials all over North America where reports said it performed beautifully. Plant Gisele 'Purple Phlox' in pots, baskets or the garden for a colorful show from early spring into summer. The plants are compact, growing 10 to 12 inches high and 14 to 18 inches wide and have a mounding growth habit. The purplish, star-shaped flowers are held in big clusters. Give the plants full sun and medium water (don’t overwater, but don’t let it wilt from thirst, either). They’re heat tolerant, hardy to 40 degrees and resist powdery mildew, a common phlox disease.

Also See: Planting and Growing Garden Phlox

SureShot Magenta Petunia

New for 2023, SureShot Magenta Petunia is especially nice for hanging baskets and pots. These annuals form mounds of flowers from early spring into fall and have a trailing habit. Expect them to grow 8 to 10 inches tall and 6 to 22 inches wide. SureShot is a series of petunias with slightly smaller blooms than other petunias, so they hold up nicely to rain and other rough weather conditions. Give them full sun, regular water and well-draining, moderately fertile soil. Combine trendy Magenta with other colors in the SureShot series, which includes dark red, dark blue, white, a blue petunia with dark veins and a blue and white bicolor.

Also See: Petunia Flowers: Planting and Caring for Petunias

Invincibelle Ruby Hydrangea

If you’re not ready to commit to the intensity of solid magenta flowers, ease into the trend with Invincibelle Ruby Hydrangea. Its strong stems support its large blooms, which are silvery pink and ruby/magenta colored. The plants are easy to grow in full sun (but appreciate morning sun and afternoon shade in areas with hot summers) and well-drained, moist soil. Hardy in Zones 3 to 9, this shrub blooms in the summer, needs average water and tops out at 3 to 4 feet tall with a 2- to 3-foot spread. Space the bushes 28 to 36 inches apart, center to center, to create a hedge or grow one plant per container that measures up to 72 inches wide.

Also See: How to Plant, Grow and Care for Hydrangeas

Ptilotus 'Joey Improved'

You can also introduce hints of vivid color to your garden with Ptilotus ‘Joey Improved’ (Ptilotus exaltatus), an eye-catching beauty with silvery bottlebrush blooms; the tips of the blooms are brushed with hot pink and magenta. This annual loves full sun and needs water only in extremely dry conditions. While the blooms feel soft, the plants themselves are tough enough to stand up to heat and drought. Tuck 'Joey Improved' into containers with other plants that have the same basic needs for light and water or give it a home in rocky or dry soils, or on slopes that don't retain much moisture. The flowers appear from spring to fall on plants that reach 10 to 12 inches tall and 8 to 10 inches wide. Also known as Mulla Mulla, this plant is native to Australia, and yes, it's named for baby kangaroos.

Mandala Purple Kalanchoe

Looking for a houseplant with long-lasting purplish magenta blooms? Mandala Purple Kalanchoe is an easy-care succulent that grows happily in partial sun to sun, needs only light watering and reaches 7 to 9 inches high and 6 to 8 inches wide. After the flowers fade, enjoy the scalloped green leaves. Kalanchoes are perennials in Zones 10 to 12 and will die if hit by frost, but you can move your plant outside during the summer if your summers are warm. When they're outside, kalanchoes need filtered sunlight or moderate shade, or the leaves can burn in the sun. The short days that run from October to early March encourage outdoor kalanchoes to form new flower buds. If yours is inside, coax it to rebloom by keeping it in a closet or dark room for 12 to 14 hours every day for six weeks. For the rest of each day, let it have some morning sun.

Easy Wave Spreading Petunia 'Burgundy Velour'

Wave petunias are known for their abundant blooms and spreading stems. Easy Waves also flower freely and spread up to 39 inches across. Combine Easy Wave Spreading Petunia 'Burgundy Velour' with other flowers in containers or grow it in masses in your garden or landscape. This sun-lover tolerates heat and grows 6 to 12 inches tall from spring into late summer. It takes heat, needs medium amounts of water and does best with regular applications of fertilizer. Plant it in slightly moist, well-drained soil rich in humus. This variety is recommended for Zones 3 to 8.

Glimmer Burgundy Double Impatiens

Remember when impatiens were easy to find? These low-maintenance lovelies were popular in gardens and containers until about 2013 when many succumbed to a disease called impatiens powdery mildew and growers stopped raising them. Now they're back and improved. The Glimmer Double Impatiens series has been bred for strong resistance to disease. Glimmer Burgundy Double produces an abundance of double blooms that look like small roses. Give the plants moist, well-drained soil and a spot in part sun to part shade (cool morning sun is best), and they’ll flower from spring to fall. Hardy in Zones 10 to 11, impatiens are treated as annuals in other gardening regions. At maturity, they reach 8 to 12 inches high and 8 to 16 inches wide.

Also See: Growing and Caring for Impatiens

Lascar Burgundy Verbena

Early-flowering Lascar Burgundy Verbena likes sun but can take part shade. Birds, bees and butterflies are attracted to its clusters of nectar-rich blooms. This annual has burgundy-red to magenta flowers with full centers, green foliage and a semi-trailing growth habit. The plants form mounds that reach 12 to 14 inches high with a 12- to 16-inch spread; let them cascade over retaining walls or from hanging baskets and window boxes. They also mix well with flowers that have similar light and water requirements in containers or your garden. While verbenas are heat and drought-tolerant, don’t let them stay dry too long, which stresses them and reduces their blooms.

Also See: How to Plant and Care for Verbena

Monarda 'Leading Lady Razzberry'

Monarda 'Leading Lady Razzberry' is a hybrid bee balm that hummingbirds, bees and butterflies love to visit. The bright, raspberry-purplish flowers grow in clumps that reach 10 to 14 inches tall and spread 22 to 28 inches. Give the plants part sun to sun and average water in rich, moist soil; they'll also grow nicely in average garden soil. The blooms start opening in early summer, which is before most other bee balms. Bee balm plants thrive in containers, the landscape or border, or in mass plantings. These perennials, which are hardy in Zones 4 to 8, also make a nice addition to the front of garden beds filled with taller plants.

Also See: Growing Monarda: When to Plant and How to Grow Bee Balm

Weigela 'Spilled Wine'

Deer-resistant, low-maintenance 'Spilled Wine' weigela is a small shrub that makes a colorful edging for garden beds and paths. This dwarf weigela tops out at 24 to 36 inches high, so you can also use it as landscaping under your windows. Give this deciduous perennial sun and average water; it adapts easily to most types of soil. Hardy in Zones 4 to 8, it’s attractive even when its magenta-pink flowers aren’t blooming, thanks to its attractive purplish-black foliage. Apply a slow-release fertilizer made for trees and shrubs in early spring and expect the blooms to start opening from early to late spring.

How to Grow and Care for Weigela

Foxglove Foxlight 'Plum Gold'

Unlike foxglove flowers that face down, Foxlight 'Plum Gold' has outward-facing blooms that are easier to see and enjoy. Hardy in Zones 7 to 10, the plants bloom from spring into late summer and reach 20 to 24 inches tall and 18 to 20 inches wide. The deep reddish flowers are funnel-shaped — which hummingbirds find irresistible — and have dark plum and gold freckles in their throats. Grow them in your garden or containers in sun to part shade and feed them monthly. They prefer humus-rich, well-drained soil. Because these foxgloves are highly toxic, wear gloves and wash your hands after handling them, and don’t let dogs, cats or horses touch or eat them.

Also See: How to Grow Foxgloves

Dianthus PICKABLES 'Colorpop'

Look inside these magenta-colored flowers to see their iridescent peacock-blue centers. Dianthus 'Colorpop' is part of a series of plants called PICKABLES, bred to have a sweet fragrance and large, showy blooms. 'ColorPop' boasts pretty blue-green foliage and blooms in spring and again in summer and fall. Unlike some dianthus, it has sturdy stems that resist flopping over. The plants form compact mounds that reach 10 to 12 inches tall and wide, so they're great for borders, containers or a cutting garden. 'Colorpop' also provides nectar for garden visitors like butterflies and hummingbirds. Plant these perennials, which are hardy in Zones 5 to 10, in full sun to part shade and give them soil that drains easily.

Dianthus 'Mountain Frost Ruby Glitter'

Deer don’t usually like to munch on dianthus 'Mountain Frost Ruby Glitter,' but these perennials are popular in rock gardens or as borders in garden beds and landscapes. Commonly called China pinks or cheddar pinks, the plants have reddish-magenta flowers with creamy white splotches and silver-gray foliage. Water them until they’re established, and then only as needed; they’re drought-tolerant. These neat, mounding plants grow 6 to 8 inches tall and 10 to 12 inches across and are hardy in Zones 4 to 9.

Harlequin Magenta Beardtongue (Penstemon)

Add vertical interest to your garden with Harlequin Magenta Beardtongue, also known as penstemon. In the summer, this easy-to-grow, bushy beauty produces upright spikes of magenta-red blooms with white throats. The plants grow fast and need full sun to reach 22 inches tall and 16 inches wide. This penstemon doesn't mind even poor, dry soil, so it's a good choice for hot, dry Western gardens. Water the plants when the top couple of inches of soil feel dry to the touch and this compact, disease-resistant variety will stay in bloom for a long time. This herbaceous perennial is hardy in Zones 5 to 9.

Burgundy Queen Bougainvillea

Add drama and rich color to your garden with showy Burgundy Queen Bougainvillea. This tropical bears flower-like bracts that open on vines that grow 20 to 30 feet long. Let them spill over a trellis, arbor or fence or use them in containers and hanging baskets for your deck or patio. The plants are evergreen only in Zones 10 and 11, so gardeners in other regions usually treat them as summer annuals. Give this lush-looking beauty full sun and water deeply when the soil feels dry. Burgundy Queen is fast-growing and easy to care for.

Also See: How to Grow and Care for Bougainvillea

Evolution Chocolate Fountain Sedum

Unlike some sedums that grow until their branches start to fall over, Evolution Chocolate Fountain Sedum has strong stems that stay upright. During the summer, this succulent forms dense mounds of dark rose blooms and foliage that's the color of dark chocolate and black cherries. Give the plants full to partial sun in rock gardens, borders or containers, and they'll grow moderately fast, maturing at 15 inches tall and wide. Let the soil dry out between waterings and make sure it drains easily. Sedums can grow even in poor soils, although they prefer loose loam or sand. Hardy in Zones 4 to 9, Evolution Chocolate Fountain Sedum behaves like an evergreen in areas with mild winters.

Calla Lily 'Captain Promise'

Plant plenty of ‘Captain Promise’ calla lily bulbs from early to mid-spring for armfuls of satiny, maroon-magenta flowers. Tiny, golden centers brighten their trumpet-shaped blooms. Calla lilies prefer moist, loamy soils with full to part sun and grow 16 to 20 inches tall. Blooms typically start to open from summer to fall. Callas are tropicals, so you’ll need to dig them up and store them in a frost-free place over the winter. Use them in drifts in garden beds and borders, grow them in containers or plant them in a cutting garden so you can snip lots of flowers for bouquets.

Also See: How to Grow Calla Lily Flowers

Lily 'Profundo'

Gorgeous ‘Profundo’ is a hybrid lily, the result of crossing an Oriental and a tubular lily. Its Oriental heritage gives the flowers a fragrance that’s sweet but not overpowering, while its tubular lily genes help it resist diseases and adapt to a variety of climates. The petals are an intense pink to magenta on sturdy stalks that can reach 4 feet tall. Hardy in Zones 4 and 5, this lily flowers from July to August and is ideal for cutting. Plant the bulbs with the tops facing up in well-drained soil that gets full sun. Don’t let your cats get near them; all parts of these lilies are toxic to them.

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