Gardening Flowers Perennials 14 Tall Flowering Perennials to Add Height to Your Garden These beauties grow to be more than 6 feet tall, perfect for creating a privacy screen or hiding an ugly fence. By Andrea Beck Andrea Beck Andrea Beck served as garden editor at BHG and her work has appeared on Food & Wine, Martha Stewart, MyRecipes, and more. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on March 31, 2023 Reviewed by David McKinney Reviewed by David McKinney David McKinney is an experienced plantsman sharing his expertise in horticulture. His knowledge spans landscape management, growing plants indoors and in the greenhouse, ecological plant selection, and much more. With nearly 15 years in the industry, he is well versed in both herbaceous and woody plants with additional interest in entomology. Learn about BHG's Gardening Review Board Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jim Westphalen Perennials with extra-tall flowers can quickly create a living privacy screen, hide an ugly fence, or add a beautiful backdrop for smaller plants to have a moment. These species can grow 6 feet tall or more, and when in bloom, they'll take your garden to new heights. 01 of 14 Perennial Hibiscus Peter Krumhardt 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 02 of 14 Oriental Lily Jon Jensen 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 This Beautiful Heat-Loving Garden Plan Thrives in the Hot Sun 03 of 14 Joe Pye Weed Marty Baldwin 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 04 of 14 Delphinium David McDonald 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 05 of 14 'Herbstonne' Black-Eyed Susan Marty Baldwin 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 17 Vibrant Perennial Flowers That Bloom All Summer 06 of 14 Hollyhock Jim Westphalen 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 17 Cottage Garden Plants for a Yard Full of Color 07 of 14 Boltonia Bill Holt 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 08 of 14 Goatsbeard Peter Krumhardt 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 25 Colorful Container Garden Recipes for Shade That Are Easy to Grow 09 of 14 Giant Lily Allan Mandell 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 10 of 14 Queen of the Prairie Peter Krumhardt 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 11 of 14 Plume Poppy Matthew Benson 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 12 of 14 Gunnera Bill Holt 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 13 of 14 Canna Blaine Moats 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 14 of 14 Cup Plant Rob Cardillo 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 Give these tall flowering perennials some room and stand back. They'll soon create towers and walls of color in your landscape. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit