what bushes have red flowers and does not get over 12 feet tall

Direct answer: Common red-flowering shrubs that reliably stay under about 12 feet include azaleas, flowering quince, tropical hibiscus (many varieties), bottlebrush (dwarf forms), New Zealand tea tree (dwarf cultivars), and many rose shrubs.

Best options under 12 feet

• Azalea (many cultivars stay 2–6 ft); bright red cultivars like ‘Red Formosa’ bloom heavily in spring and some reblooming types flower into summer.

• Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) grows about 3–10 ft and has early spring red blooms; thorny forms make good barriers or accent shrubs.

• Tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa‑sinensis) typically reaches up to ~10 ft in warm climates and is prized for large red flowers; in cooler areas it’s often grown as a container shrub and kept smaller.

• Bottlebrush (Callistemon / Melaleuca) — dwarf or regularly pruned varieties produce red bottlebrush blooms and can be trained to remain below 12 ft.

• New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium) — cultivars like ‘Crimson Glory’ and ‘Ruby Glow’ have red flowers and often stay 1–10 ft depending on selection.

• Some roses (shrub and groundcover roses) give true red flowers while staying well under 12 ft when chosen and pruned as shrubs.

How to choose for your garden

• Size control: pick dwarf cultivars or prune regularly to keep height under 12 ft; many shrubs respond well to annual pruning.

• Climate match: select species and cultivars suited to your USDA hardiness zone (azaleas and quince tolerate cooler zones; tropical hibiscus and bottlebrush need warmer, frost‑free regions).

• Light and soil: most red‑flowering shrubs prefer full sun to part shade and well‑drained soil—azaleas prefer acidic, moist soils while bottlebrush and hibiscus like sunnier, well‑drained sites.

Example planting combinations

• Partial shade: red azalea (foreground) with a dwarf red camellia or shade‑tolerant rose.

• Full sun: dwarf bottlebrush or tropical hibiscus paired with red flowering quince as a spring accent.

Summary: For red flowers and maximum height under 12 feet, start with azaleas, flowering quince, dwarf bottlebrush or Leptospermum cultivars, tropical hibiscus (kept as a shrub), and shrub roses; choose dwarf cultivars and prune to control height and match the plant to your climate and soil.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.