10 Houseplants With Red Leaves

If you love the color red, there are many different houseplants with bright red leaves that you can add to your indoor garden.

Here are 10 beautiful indoor plants with red leaves to add color to your home.

Some of these plants can also be planted outdoors if they’re protected from frosts.

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red leafed poinsettia plant

10 BEAUTIFUL RED FOLIAGE HOUSEPLANTS

1. Coleus (Coleus blumei)

Coleus has colorful foliage in a range of colors including some beautiful shades of red.

There are many different varieties of Coleus including upright and trailing varieties that look great in hanging baskets.

You can grow Coleus plants indoors or outdoors and they’re perfect for shaded areas.

If the leaves on your Coleus fade, it may be because the plant is getting too much sunlight.

red coleus plant

2. Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)

Poinsettias are one of the most popular red houseplants and you’ll see lots of them around at Christmas time.

The red leaves are actually bracts, or modified leaves, and they begin to appear as the days start to shorten in winter.

Poinsettias can also be forced to flower at other times of the year by reducing the light.

It’s a good idea to cut poinsettias back when they’ve finished flowering so they don’t become leggy and only water them when the soil feels dry to touch.

RELATED: How to Grow Poinsettias Outdoors

poinsettia with red leaves

3. Croton (Codiaeum variegatum)

Crotons have beautiful foliage in a range of colors including red, pink, orange, yellow and green.

They like warmth and humidity and you can spray them with a mister during dry weather.

Croton plants don’t like being relocated and they can lose their leaves if they’re moved around too much.

red croton plant

4. Caladium

Caladiums are stunning indoor plants with colorful foliage including some beautiful red varieties.

They grow from tubers and will die back and re-grow each year.

You can leave the tubers in the soil while they’re dormant but don’t water them while they’re in a dormant state.

red caladium plant

5. Bromeliads

Bromeliads are tropical plants that are perfect for humid areas and they’re ideal for bathrooms.

They have long lasting flowers that are really modified leaves called bracts.

Bromeliads are low maintenance indoor plants. Just be careful to keep them out of direct sunlight as it can burn the leaves. 

red bromeliad

6. Anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum)

Anthurium, also known as Flamingo flower, has bright red flowers, which are actually leaf-like parts known as a spathe. 

They grow best in bright, indirect light.

In low light you’ll get fewer flowers but direct sunlight will burn the leaves.

Anthuriums can be divided when they grow too big for their pot.

red anthurium plant

7. Nerve Plant (Fittonia)

Nerve plants are beautiful indoor plants with red veins in the leaves.

They like lots of moisture and humidity, so they’re perfect plants for terrariums or bathrooms.

During the summer months you can mist the leaves with water.

nerve plant

8. Rex Begonia

Rex Begonias have beautiful foliage in a variety of patterns and colors including burgundy and different shades of red.

They grow best in a spot that isn’t too hot, and soil that is moist but not waterlogged.

rex begonia

9. Ti Plant (Cordyline minalis)

Hawaiian Ti plants are available in a wide variety of colors including red, pink, brown and purple.

They’re native to tropical areas, so they like humidity and they grow best in bright, indirect light.

When watering Ti plants, it’s best to use filtered, bottled or rain water because tap water that contains fluoride can cause the leaves to turn brown. [1]

red ti plant

10. Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)

Polka Dot plants, also called Freckle Face plants, have foliage in a variety of colors including red, pink and burgundy.

They enjoy humid conditions and grow well in bathrooms or terrariums.

Polka Dot plants can be placed on a saucer with water or misted with a spray bottle during hot, dry weather.

polka dot plants

So there are 10 indoor plants with red leaves to add to your plant collection.

These beautiful red leaf houseplants are great for bringing color and interest to a room.

RELATED ARTICLES

Which of these red plants do you like best? Let me know in the comments below.

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red houseplants

Kelly Martin

Hi, I'm Kelly Martin, a landscape gardener and designer with over 10 years experience. I have a passion for small space gardening and I love designing and creating beautiful outdoor spaces that maximize the potential of small urban gardens. Read more

This Post Has 11 Comments

  1. Stephanie S

    I love the Fittonia plants. So beautiful. I think all of these listed are actually very pretty. It would definitely add a nice pop of color to any space.

  2. Kat

    A lovely selection! This winter, I got Coleus cuttings and have planted them in some pots indoors. One especially seems to be doing really well and I can’t wait to see how it’ll grow once temperatures are a bit warmer.

  3. Gerald Godinho

    My wife and me do not have a green thumb so this was handy. We received a whole bunch of plants for Christmas and Debbie’s recovery. I have recognized at least two that you mention. The poinsetta drops leaves like crazy and i now know how to take care of it. Thanks for the wonderful write up and the lovely photographs. All the best for 2021.

  4. Britt K

    I LOVE this! My office is decorated in a black and white colour scheme with red accents throughout the room. For that reason, I have been talking about wanting to introduce a red plant or two to tie into it… However, with 4 pets in the house, poinsettias aren’t an option. I am going to work my way through your list here and see which of these are pet-friendly.

  5. Smita

    What a beautiful list of red plants! We had a Poinsettia plant at our home a few years ago. I’d love to pick another and maybe even a Bromeliad – low maintenance and beautiful, what more can you ask for!

  6. Doris Jean

    The nerve plant is gorgeous! This is my first time learning about this plant and I’m definitely going to purchase one. Thanks for this fun article…at least for me because I know very little about plants and gardening!

  7. Erica (The Prepping Wife)

    Ah, poinsettias take me back to my childhood. My aunt had them in her living room on the coffee table every year during the holidays and I loved them. I would love to put one in my office for the nostalgia and because they are simply gorgeous. I’d have to put it somewhere where my cat couldn’t reach it though.

  8. Sonia Seivwright

    I love the Anthurium. It looks beautiful. I am currently looking for a plant to keep in my living room and the Anthurium caught my attention.

  9. Luna S

    These are all gorgeous, but the poinsettia holds a special place in my heart because they were the favorite plant of my great grandmother who passed away a few years ago.

  10. Subhashish Roy

    Wow what a beautiful collection of red plants. I find your posts so refreshing. I love nature and hence plants, flowers and fruits are always appealing. Poinsettia is one of my favorites in the ones you showcased.

  11. Jasmine Gagarin

    Croton and Poinsettia look kind of similar. I know some of these plants and they are all so aesthetically pleasing! We had Bromeliads before and they were easy to grow.

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