Back-of-the-border spectacles, tall punctuation marks among the garden bed, or soaring screening plants, these tall Perennials will have everyone’s heads turning! Foxglove and Hollyhocks have the corner market on height, but they tend to be biennial plants more than true perennials. This plant can be a perennial in zones 9-11 but are great container plants down to zone 3 for use as summer accents.

1. Delphinium

Delphinium resembles Larkspur and biennial Hollyhocks in almost every way but is a fantastic perennial with tall, slender, tightly packed spires of broad florets. Available in a range of rare and lovely shades of blue, white, and purple! Hummingbirds and pollinators adore them equally and florists love them as focal points in floral arrangements! Check out Blue Lace Delphinium for a cold-hardy sky-blue plant that can grow 5-6 feet in height when in bloom!

2. Autumn Sun Coneflower

Big yellow Coneflowers in vivid gold with raised green centers, the 6-8 foot tall flowering stems of the Herbstsonne Autumn Sun native cultivar are vital nectar for pollinators and later on a seed source for songbirds!

Other large and in-charge Coneflower varieties to check out are the Magnus Superior Coneflower and the native Gray-headed Coneflower.

3. Compass Plants and Cup Plants

Big Sunflower cousins with huge leaves, the native Compass Plants can grow flowering stems 5 – 10 feet in height! With unique coarse foliage that turns itself against the sun, these late-season drought-tolerant perennial plants are perfect for towering pollinator garden focal points!

Similar to Compass Plants are native Cup Plants that grow to 4-8 feet in height but love more moisture to wetland-like conditions. Equally bold yellow sunflower-like blooms that birds and pollinators adore, Cup Plants spread by seed if allowed, creating small colonies around your landscape.

4. Variegated Shell Ginger Plants

One of the prettiest tropicals around, the Variegated Shell Ginger has dramatically green and white streaked leaves and lovely dangling clusters of white and pink blooms! In zones 8 and up it is used as a herbaceous perennial and can be brought indoors during cold winters. Great exotic specimens around the pool or on the sunny porch deck, Shell Ginger loves moisture and sun! But those blooms are high-end floral design focal points and are commonly used in Ikebana! So include this big beauty in your exotic cut flower garden!

Don’t live in an exotic area that supports Shell Ginger? Try Canna Lilies like Tropicana® for tall seasonal options that can be stored for the winter!

5. Lilies

Many Lilies (Lilium) grow to some pretty good heights while others tend to be in the mid-range, however, some like the Purple Ladies Lily can reach 4-5 feet tall when in bloom! While the Frisco Lily soars to 6 – 8 feet with ease! Both grow in a hurry and flower for an extended period each summer. Most Lilies grow to an average of 4 feet in height while Night Flyer can reach closer to 5 feet. Those bulbs gradually double and colonize a small area, giving you more and more blooms each year!