If you want something shrubby, you could use hibiscus and just keep them pruned to the height you want. You could also use petunias, or a bat-faced cuphea. Salvia also comes in red. These will all grow in Austin, though I would try to remove as much clay as you can when preparing the area and filling back in around your new plants with compost or mulch. That will eventually break down into a nice soil. It will be easier for those plants to really get their roots into it and get well established.

The Azalea's are beautiful, but don't do well in Austin. They need an acidic soil and we don't have that here. Even if they didn't die on you, they would likely not bloom. Which would be really disappointing!

Verbena is a very hardy plant...so if it didn't do well then it may have gotten too hot or dry. Removing the clay will help reduce this problem. Clay in full sun is basically like planting in concrete!

Hi,

Yeah, azaleas won't do well here.

Batface is great, does well, needs very little attention, and the butterflies and hummingbirds love it. It can take the heat, and it can take a lot of cold.

Salvias are native and come in red.

I'm Pushing The Batface,
Dylan

I was going to give some suggestions, but MadeInTheShade beat me to it, all of them, except lantana. I'm not sure how big some of the red lantana cultivars get, but there may be one that stays that short.

I also agree, strongly, with the suggestions to do something with the clay soil first. Especially if it's a lot of clay. When you make a ball with a handful of moistened soil, does it stick together really, really well? And not fall apart much if at all when you poke it? If so, it'd be good to ammend it.

Expanded shale is a good product for breaking up clay and making it more amenable to planting in ~ once you add it, you'll never have to add it again since it'll stay there and not break down for millenia. And adding organic matter after that is always good (compost now, wood mulch on top later). Don't use sand as then you'll just be making a bigger brick.

When you go buy the ammendments, it'd be helpful to bring some of the soil in a gallon ziploc bag. That'll help the salesperson pick out the right amendments for you and avoid selling you something you don't need.

You're right that geraniums won't do well here, especially in full sun; in fact I tried them in partial shade and they still poop out in the hot months of summer. They're good indoor plants if you're really attached to them or plant them later in the fall. You could try salvia splendens; some of mine even survived the winter and are starting to come back. Likewise, begonias will do well and will come back if the winter isn't too cold or they're protected. The others are right about needing to amend our heavy clay soil. I hadn't heard of the shale before and may try it, but definitely work in a few inches of compost. I have some potted hibiscus (the tropical kind, not the perennial) and they're beautiful but attract every mealybug for miles.

No one mentioned good old zinnias. They love the sun and heat and are real butterfly magnets.

I was going to say zinnias too! If want short the profusions are great. If you want big and showy the Magellan's are that and tough too! You can't miss with some of the smaller flower, but bushier plant varieties too.

If you can find them, the old Lanceolata Pentas are bushy and butterflies love them. They might top the 2 1/2 ft height. I also love some of the newer varieties like Kaleidoscope pentas. I mis the red and violet flowering ones and it is a modern unusual combination.

Here is a link that might be useful: Penta Lanceolata

I found a great article by Jimmy Turner at the Dallas Arboretum on Kal. pentas. It's part of their plant trials series.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kaleidoscope Penta

I surprised no one mentioned red cherry sage.

Tough as nails, love full sun and they have already started blooming. They'll continue to bloom up until frost. They get up to about 3' tall but can be kept shorter. They're not picky about soil either.

In case you can't tell, I'm a big fan of cherry sage as I've had great success with them in several colors.

Daylillies might do well for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: beautiful daylillies

There are dwarf/weeping crepe myrtles that (I believe) come in red. They would be just the right size for you.

How about the firecracker bush - they are very heat and drought tolerant plus the feathery greenery has a great texture.

"Red Ribbons" landscape rose!

It's the *reddest* rose I ever saw, it never gets blackspot or mildew, it's evergreen-ish even here, with shiny healthy foliage, it blooms like a maniac, & you only prune it when you have to do so in self-defense.

If you have something in back that will look good in winter, then I second the weeping crepe myrtle. They don't get too big, they flower well all summer, and the bloom is pretty continuous.

What about Texas Betony? One of my favorites!

I have to agree with madentheshade and jamiecrouse and suggest a red hibiscus. I am in the same zone as you and my 2 hibiscus shrubs do well. Flare hibiscus is a Texas Superstar so it might be a good one to try. It grows to about 3ft which is barely taller than you wanted, so you'd have to keep it trimmed back a bit.

I put in some red Pentas (annuals) year before last. They are great for full sun, didn't seem to mind the clay soil, and even lasted through the winter into the next year - two even came back this spring. As a bonus, the butterflies live them.

Blanket flower are red and need full sun.

Salvia Greggi. Add some decomposed granite for good drainage and you will be rewarded most of the year with red blooms.

I agree on the salvia greggi. The love poor soil and bloom ALL summer. They get to be about 18" to 2' tall at most.

Go native, winecup - Callirhoe involucrata comes in redwine color it's short, then you could put greggi salvias,Ruby Glow sedum

I have to say this and no one will believe me but I have red geraniums in pots on the west side of my house - no shade - and they make it through the summer, WITH blooms. I am going on two years now. By late summer my watering is probably every other day.........and some of them are even living in a big clay pot which dries out fast.

Did I mention that they also make it through the winter in those same pots with no protection?

In February, I pulled out a few of the plants and replaced with new ones but there are still "old" plants in the pots and they are all blooming together! Last Spring when I planted the geraniums, I thought they would be my "Spring bloomers" and that I would be replacing them in the summer but they never died or got distressed looking so I have kept them on. I was truly amazed!

I guess my point is that geraniums must be hardier than we give them credit for. Or maybe they just like the front of my house!

Maybe nonbryan can try some red geraniums in pots if he doesn't want to dig out clay :)