Perennial Hibiscus
It may look like a tender tropical plant, but native perennial hibiscus is hardy enough to withstand freezing winters. This giant plant produces 12-inch-wide flowers in stunning shades of red, pink, and white on stems that can tower over your garden. It's slow to emerge in spring, but once it does, it grows quickly.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil (hibiscus plants don't like drying out)
Size: Up to 7 feet tall
Zones: 5-10
Oriental Lily
Grow Oriental lilies for a colorful and fragrant living screen. These hardy beauties reach 4-6 feet tall (or more) and produce huge red, pink, and white flowers. The cut flowers will make bouquets more dramatic and eye-catching thanks to their enormous, intricate blooms.
Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil that's rich in organic matter
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
Joe Pye Weed
Attract butterflies to your garden with Joe Pye weed. It's a tough-as-nails native perennial that will quickly spring up in your garden. In late summer, the plant produces waves of nectar-rich pink flowers that butterflies love.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall
Zones: 3-10
Delphinium
Make stunning cut-flower arrangements with delphiniums. This summer-garden classic bears spikes of intensely colored tall flowers in shades of blue, purple, white, and pink. The biggest varieties can reach 6 feet, though you can also find dwarf selections if you have a small garden. Cut down spent blossoms to coax another flush of blooms.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and rich, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Zones: 3-7
'Herbstonne' Black-Eyed Susan
Heat- and drought-resistant, easy-care 'Herbstonne' black-eyed Susan will add a burst of cheery yellow color to the back of the border. This perennial with tall flowers soars to 6 feet tall and produces bright blooms from midsummer to early fall.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Hollyhock
Lend a little cottage garden charm to your perennial border with hollyhock. Known for its tall spires of colorful blooms, hollyhock is the perfect back-of-the-border plant.
If you live in a windy area, you may need to stake these plants to keep them standing upright. Also, these plants are biennials, meaning they have a 2-year lifespan.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall
Zones: 3-8
Boltonia
Try edging your back fence with stunning boltonia. This underused North American native plant looks like a 6-foot-tall aster. It puts on a big fall show when covered in starry white or pink flowers.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
Goatsbeard
Create color and interest in hard-to-landscape shady spots with goatsbeard. This fun plant looks like a giant astilbe with its finely divided foliage and early-summer plumes of creamy-white flowers.
Growing Conditions: Full to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Zones: 3-7
Giant Lily
This amazing bulb lives up to its name. In summer, giant lily (Cardiocrinum giganteum) produces spikes of up to 20 trumpet-shaped white flowers with maroon stripes and a strong fragrance. The plant itself can easily reach towering heights and thrives in part shade.
Growing Conditions: Part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 9 feet tall
Zones: 7-9
Queen of the Prairie
Give your garden a festive appearance with queen of the prairie's fluffy, cotton-candy-like heads of tall flowers that are fragrant and pink. Also called meadowsweet, this easy-growing native wildflower has toothed, dark-green foliage that's a great accent to the blooms and a striking backdrop for other perennials.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall
Zones: 3-9
Plume Poppy
A perfect perennial if you have a lot of space and want to make a big statement, plume poppy produces airy clusters of flowers over big, tropical-looking leaves. One note: It's a fast spreader and needs lots of room to grow.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 7 feet tall
Zones: 3-8
Gunnera
Give your garden a touch of the tropics with gunnera. Everything about this perennial seems prehistoric, from its 6-foot-wide leaves to its odd flowers and spiny stems. Get an established specimen going in your garden, and it might seem like a dinosaur could be hiding behind the 8-foot-tall mound.
Growing Conditions: Part shade and consistently moist, fertile soil
Size: Up to 10 feet tall
Zones: 7-10
Canna
Make a statement in your garden with cannas. Their big leaves and brilliantly colored blooms in shades of yellow, orange, red, and pink will instantly lend your garden a tropical feel. You can also find varieties with variegated leaves that make an even bigger statement. Dwarf cannas may only grow 3 feet tall, while others can soar much higher.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and consistently moist soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall
Zones: 7-10; in colder areas, you can dig and store the tubers in a frost-free place for the winter
Cup Plant
Standing tall over the prairies of North America (or your garden), cup plant produces golden daisies on sturdy 8-foot-tall stems from midsummer to early fall. Wondering where its name comes from? The upper leaves attach and clasp the stem, creating a "cup" that holds water for birds and other critters.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained, consistently moist soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall
Zones: 3-9