Tall perennial flowers hold a special place in gardens. With their towering heights and vibrant blossoms, these majestic plants add a dramatic vertical element to landscapes. You can’t go wrong with tall perennial flowers if you want an impressive focal point, vertical dimension, or a privacy screen.
Even the smallest garden can feel grand and expansive if you grow tall perennial flowers as they create the illusion of a larger space. Also, who doesn’t love how colorful, vibrant, and beautiful perennial flowers are?
With all these in mind, let’s explore 20 tall perennial flowers you should plant in your garden.
20 Tall Perennial Flowers You Should Plant In Your Garden
1. Delphinium
Imagine towering spires of brilliant blue, purple, pink, and white flowers greeting you whenever you go to your garden. These impressive blooms belong to Delphinium.
These stunning perennials are not only captivatingly beautiful but also attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees, creating a lively ecosystem. Due to their height and top-heavy flower spikes, stake your delphiniums to prevent them from flopping over.
Height: 3-6 feet
Hardiness zones: 3-7
2. Cannas
If you are looking to create a tropical paradise right in your garden, cannas are the perfect choice. Cannas are known for their exotic appearance. These perennial flowers have large, green, burgundy, or variegated, banana-like leaves and flamboyant flowers in brilliant red, orange, yellow, and pink shades.
Cannas foliage grows tall and thick, providing a natural screen and a vibrant, lush space perfect for relaxing.
Height: 3-8 feet
Hardiness zones: 2-10
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3. Hollyhocks
Soaring to impressive heights of 6 to 8 feet, the majestic hollyhock would make tall humans look short. This classic cottage garden plant makes an excellent back-of-the-border plant.
Its tall, slender stems lined with delicate, papery blooms that open sequentially from the bottom up create a stunning vertical display. Support your hollyhock plants with stakes or cages to keep them from toppling over, especially in the wind.
Height: 6-8 feet
Hardiness zones: 2-10
4. Joe-Pye Weed
Would you like to have your garden buzzing with beautiful butterflies? Plant Joe-Pye Weeds and watch your garden become a butterfly haven. Its large, fluffy flower clusters, resembling pink, lavender, or white clouds, are like a burst of fireworks in late summer and fall and a magnet for butterflies.
Joe-Pye weed’s foliage is equally intriguing; it has large, coarsely toothed leaves.
Height: 4-6 feet
Hardiness zones: 4-8
5. Maximilian Sunflower
Maximilian Sunflower is an iconic perennial flower that grows to a majestic height of 10 feet, easily becoming your garden’s focal point. This towering giant also makes a beautiful addition to the back of a border or as a natural screen.
The Maximilian sunflower dazzles with its bright, densely arranged, sun-kissed flowers that resemble miniature suns. They also provide a lovely contrast to the dark green, lance-shaped leaves.
Height: 3-10
Hardiness zones: 3-9
6. Giant Himalayan Lily
Radiant and sophisticated, the Giant Himalayan Lily is a true statement plant, perfect for a stunning focal point. Its elegant flowers rise majestically from the lush foliage, their scent filling the air with a subtle, sweet perfume.
The Giant Himalayan Lily thrives in cool, shaded environments that mimic its natural mountainous habitat.
Height: 7-9 feet
Hardiness zones: 7-9
7. Wild Indigo
Give your garden some colorful height using wild indigo. This plant produces beautiful, fragrant, deep blue to purple flowers that appear in dense clusters at the top of tall stems. Wild indigo blooms can extend up to 2 feet above the foliage.
Wild indigo remains attractive even after the flowers have faded as its leaves turn a rich, golden yellow in fall.
Height:3-5 feet
Hardiness zones: 3-9
8. Plume Poppy
Does your garden have lots of space and intend to make a bold impression? Plant plume poppy. These peppy perennial flowers will decorate your garden with soft, tall, feathery, graceful flower plumes and large, rich, dark green, heart-shaped leaves.
Monitor your plume poppy plants continuously, especially in warm climates, to make sure they don’t take over your garden.
Height: 6-8
Hardiness zones: 3-8
9. Cup Plant
Native to North America, this tall and sturdy perennial has large, coarse, eye-catching leaves. The cup plant produces golden-yellow flowers that resemble bursts of sunshine against its dark green foliage from mid-summer to early fall.
The cup plant’s sturdy stems and leaves will give your garden a touch of grandeur and structure. This plant tolerates cold temperatures pretty well.
Height: 4-8 feet
Hardiness zones: 3-9
10. Queen of the Prairie
The feathery, fern-like leaves and soft, fluffy, large, cotton-candy-like, dome-shaped, pink or light rose flowers make this perennial remarkable. Grow it for a festive appearance. Queen of the Prairie also supports local wildlife, attracting pollinators with nectar.
Queen of the Prairie also provides an excellent backdrop for smaller, more delicate plants. It can handle a bit of shade.
Height: 5-8 feet
Hardiness zones: 3-9
11. Goldenrod
This resilient plant with tall, slender stems adorned with clusters of tiny, golden-yellow flowers and green foliage is perfect for lighting up your garden, especially in late summer and fall. Goldenrod is a low-maintenance yet eye-catching, capable of flourishing in various soil conditions and tolerates drought.
Goldenrod is a host plant for several butterfly species. It’s often mistaken as the culprit for fall allergies, but ragweed is actually to blame.
Height: 2-6 feet
Hardiness zones: 2-8
12. Ironweed
Harsh conditions, whether the roadside or wet meadows, don’t faze this hardy, resilient perennial. Ironweed’s tough stems can withstand heavy winds and rains without bending or breaking. In your garden, ironweed will attract pollinators, and its robust root system will prevent erosion.
Regarding appearance, ironweed produces striking clusters of vivid purple flowers. It also has dark green lance-shaped leaves.
Height: 4-7 feet
Hardiness zones: 4-9
13. Blazing Star
The name Blazing Star befits this stunning flower as its vivid purple to soft lavender flowers that are vertically arranged along tall, slender stalks light up landscapes. These bright, feathery plumes contrast beautifully with the grassy, lance-shaped leaves.
Blazing Star thrives in many habitats, but dry, well-drained soil is best.
Height: 2-5 feet
Hardiness zones: 3-9
14. Goatsbeard
Since goatsbeard is a woodland plant, it suits your garden’s shaded areas, complementing other shade-tolerant plants beautifully. Goatsbeard is characterized by large, feathery plumes of creamy white flowers supported by sturdy, fern-like foliage.
Goatsbeard is deer-resistant, attracts pollinators, and its dense foliage shelters small wildlife. Use this plant as a focal point, a mixed border backdrop, or a natural screen along a pathway.
Height: 4-6 feet
Hardiness zones: 3-9
15. Foxglove
While breathtakingly beautiful with striking, bell-shaped flowers, each speckled with contrasting freckles, foxglove is also deadly as it has lots of cardiac glycosides. Therefore, if you plant it, handle it cautiously since every part is toxic if ingested.
Despite looking delicate, foxglove is surprisingly resilient and adaptable. Foxglove’s flowering period extends from late spring to early summer, bringing color, life, and pollinators to your garden.
Height: up to 6 feet
Hardiness zones: 3-10
16. Globe Thistle
Standing tall and bold, Golden Thistle commands attention with vibrant colors and exotic flair. This perennial adorns blue or purple, spherical, globe-like flowers surrounded by spiky, silvery-green foliage.
With its flower heads reaching up to 3 inches in diameter, this plant is hard to miss. Globe Thistle’s unique floral structure creates a focal point, adds vertical interest, and invites pollinators to your garden.
Height: 2-5 feet
Hardiness zones: 3-9
17. Meadow Rue
Let meadow rue naturalize your woodland gardens, borders, and shady areas and provide a light, ethereal presence. This elegant perennial’s delicate, airy flower clusters in shades of purple, white, or yellow look like floating clouds of color.
Aside from color and vertical appeal, meadow rue’s gentle swaying in the breeze creates movement. Also, its fern-like leaves with a soft texture look great next to larger-leaved plants.
Height: 1-8 feet
Hardiness zones: 3-7
18. Perennial Hibiscus
From a glance, the perennial hibiscus looks like a delicate tropical plant, but unlike its tropical cousins, it is hardy to cooler climates, even withstanding freezing winters. This show-stopping plant adds dramatic flair and tropical charm to gardens.
The distinctive feature of the perennial hibiscus is the large, dramatic, striking flowers that spread to 12 inches.
Height: 3-7 feet
Hardiness zones: 4-9
19. Gunnera
Are you feeling adventurous enough to invite the wild into your garden? Here’s a perennial flower you’ll love- gunnera. This ancient perennial is a truly spectacular plant with an exotic appearance. Gunnera produces inconspicuous yet intriguing flower spikes, but its main attraction is the enormous, leathery leaves.
Height: 3-6 feet
Hardiness zones: 7-10
20. Desert Candles
Lastly is a perennial flower that will organically light up your garden. Its tall, spiky flower racemes come in shades of yellow, orange, pink, and white, making desert candles stand tall against your garden’s green, lush landscape.
These blooms open from the bottom of the spike upward, creating a stunning vertical display that resembles a glowing candle.
Height: 1-5 feet
Hardiness zones: 8-11
In Conclusion,
The above towering blooms offer a wealth of possibilities to enhance your garden’s visual appeal, structure, and ecological health. They will provide a captivating focal point and a vibrant backdrop for years. Remember, each plant brings unique character and benefits, so choose wisely based on your desired aesthetics and functionality.
Hey there, fellow plant enthusiasts! I’m Rachel, the green-thumbed writer behind Rooted In Garden. With a deep-rooted love for all things botanical, I’ve made it my mission to help you cultivate a thriving collection of houseplants. As a devoted plant parent myself, I understand the joys and challenges that come with nurturing these leafy wonders. Whether you’re a succulent aficionado, an orchid enthusiast, or simply adore all potted flora, join me on this journey as we explore the secrets to growing and caring for our beloved green companions. Together, let’s create a flourishing oasis indoors.