Gardening
Perennials
Get privacy and scenery with natural landscape
By
Ashlyn Needham
Ashlyn Needham
Ashlyn is a freelance writer with 6 years of experience covering home-related content. She holds an English degree from Appalachian State University, and loves blending her passions of writing and home decor into compelling, helpful reads.
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Published on 05/07/24
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If you want to add privacy to your garden, create a lively scene, or add more height to your yard, then you can't go wrong with tall perennial flowers. Tall perennials range from at least 4 to 8+ feet tall, and with so many options hitting this range, there's a wide variety of colors available, too.
Here are 24 tall perennial flowers that provide lively privacy, beautiful garden height, and will grow for years to come.
01 of 24
Black-Eyed Susan
Black-eyed Susans are instant eye-catchers in any garden with their sunflower-like color scheme. Growing up to 6 feet tall, these perennials are easy to care for and are heat- and drought-resistant, perfect for being able to withstand the heat of summer.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-draining soil
- Size: 4-6 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-9
02 of 24
Perennial Hibiscus
For a true vibrant and tall garden flower, we recommend planting a perennial hibiscus. This plant produces stunning blooms of 12-inch-wide pink, red, or white blooms that grow quickly once they get start to bloom in late spring.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; rich and moist soil
- Size: 3-7 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 4-9
03 of 24
Coneflower
These popular perennials are a favorite for multiple reasons, namely, their vivid colors that attract pollinators for a lively garden. Another key feature of coneflowers is their ease in maintenance and forgiving qualities when it comes to heat and drought. Not to mention, they blooms for months on end.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drain, loamy soil
- Size: 4 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-9
04 of 24
Hollyhock
Hollyhocks do an excellent job of combining bright colors from the blooms with greenery from the stems. These tall perennials are perfect for adding height to your garden since they can reach up to 8 feet tall, but note taller hollyhock plants need to staked to stay damage-free from the wind.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained, fertile soil
- Size: 3-8 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 2-10
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05 of 24
Agapanthus
Also known as the 'African lily,' add the agapanthus plant to your consideration of tall perennial flowers to grow. On top of the height and color you get from the blue and purple blooms, the plant also provides texture and volume below from the strap-like leaves that grow at the base of the plant.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun and partial shade; loose and loamy soil
- Size: 6 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 7-11
06 of 24
Catmint
Add a touch of European charm to your garden through the use of catmint plants. These perennials are shrub-like in volume since their purple stems grow up to 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. The stems are reminiscent of lavender for a soft purple shade to boost the aesthetics of your outdoor garden.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; most soil types
- Size: 3 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-8
07 of 24
Delphinium
Delphiniums are one of the taller perennial flowers on our list since some varieties can reach up to 6 feet. Regardless of height, each plant adds striking color to your outdoor landscape with the vivid blue of the spikes to up the drama around your plants.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained, moist soil
- Size: 4-6 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-7
08 of 24
Daylily
Add a beautiful backdrop to your home's exterior or garden with daylilies. Their tropical colors fit in with the heat of summer while the flower itself holds up well to scorching weather and drought conditions so you always have a beautiful garden no matter the weather conditions.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained, moist soil
- Size: 5 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-9
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09 of 24
Boltonia
Make a graceful statement in your garden with daisy-like Boltonias that grow from late summer and well into fall. These bushy perennials can reach up to 6 feet tall and add volume to the space by reaching 2-4 feet wide.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil
- Size: 5-6 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-10
10 of 24
Joe Pye Weed
The Joe Pye weed is a versatile tall perennial flower to bloom if space is an issue in your garden. These flowers range in height and can grow anywhere from 3 to 8 feet tall before blossoming into the beautiful mix of purple, pink, and red petals.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; fertile and moist soil
- Size: 3-8 feet
- Growing Zones: 4-9
11 of 24
Canna
Canna flowers go big and bold all around with large tropical blooms and thick green stems that make a stunning sight in any garden. They also grow with thick leaves for extra texture and a true tropical design to make your home feel like a getaway during the thick of summer.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; moist and rich soil
- Size: 3-8 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 2-10
12 of 24
Russian Sage
Bring pollinators (and height) into your garden with these tall perennial flowers. Russian sage blooms into vibrant purple spikes deeper than lavender that are also on the bushier side for extra volume in your garden.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil
- Size: 3-5 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 5-9
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13 of 24
Oriental Lily
Oriental lilies make beautiful garden flowers with their white, purple, or pink colors, but they make even better homegrown cut flower arrangements. On top of their variety in growing height, oriental lilies have a strong, classic lily smell, which is a plus for your garden scent!
- Growing Conditions: Full sun or partial shade; well-drained, acidic soil
- Size: 2-8 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-9
14 of 24
Bellflower
Cold hardy bellflowers are rich in color and make for a truly stunning garden in the summer and fall before withstanding the freezing temperatures. We love that bellflowers are a moderately tall flower that's easy to care for and only requires watering at least once a week.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained, alkaline soil
- Size: 4 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 4-8
15 of 24
Garden Phlox
Garden phloxes aren't the tallest of tall perennial flowers, but they make up for it in their graceful aesthetics. Plant these attractive white and pink flowers in your garden, sit back, and watch hummingbirds and butterflies flock to your landscape.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil
- Size: 4 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 4-8
16 of 24
Blazing Star
Blazing stars are thicker than other spike perennials like Russian Sage and Catmint, and are also a few feet taller. Their fuzzy deep purple spikes look beautiful paired with other perennials like Boltonias for a contrast in color before pairing with ornamental grass for volume.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil
- Size: 6 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-9
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17 of 24
Wild Indigo
Add height with color through the use of wild indigo. These tall perennial flowers can reach up to 5 feet tall with their dainty bluish blooms that don't require stakes. Though wild indigo typically blooms in late spring, some species have been known to start sprouting in April.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained, moist soil
- Size: 3-5 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-9
18 of 24
Maximillian Sunflower
Plant your own sunflower field right in your backyard. The Maximillian sunflower contains your favorite characteristics of the classic flower like the golden yellow leaves and dark center with a slightly different look. Be prepared to have some extra tall perennial flowers in your yard as these have been known to reach up to 10 feet tall.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; moist, clay-like soil
- Size: 3-10 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-9
19 of 24
Foxglove
We love the foxglove plant and it's unique color scheme of the mixing white and purple shades while the flowers are in bloom. These perennials grow into a spindle-like shape with luscious green plants and deep purple blooms with toothed edges.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun and partial shade; well-drained soil
- Size: 8 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-10
20 of 24
Helenium
How fun and whimsical are these heleniums? Still giving you some height with their 3 to 5 feet tall span, these vibrant blooms totally add life to your garden with their eye-catching colors that are accentuated with the contrasting green stems.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; rich and moist soil
- Size: 3-5 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-8
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21 of 24
Globe Thistles
The globe thistle is a fun tall perennial flower to plant if you want a different look from the traditional flower. They're easy to grow and care for, and typically bloom in mid-summer until September.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil
- Size: 5 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-9
22 of 24
Red Hot Poker
Known for its bold colors and long-lasting blooms, the red hot poker is another tall perennial flower to consider growing in your garden. These flower produce blooms with a novelty appearance of long bulbs growing out of the brown stems. Plant these green ornamental grass at the base for volume and contrast in colors for a stunning garden backdrop.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained, moist soil
- Size: 3-4 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 5-9
23 of 24
Achillea
If you're a fan of daisies, then you'll love achilleas. These perennials are in the daisy family and come in a variety of colors like white, yellow, gold, pink, or red. They're on the shorter end of the tall heigh spectrum, but their vivid colors attract pollinators to your garden and add to the design for a beautiful garden.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil
- Size: 4 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 2-10
24 of 24
Peonies
No garden list would be complete without the inclusion of peonies. These classic garden staples can reach up to 4 feet tall and adds beautiful color pops to your garden with their red, pink, yellow, or white blooms for the most darling cut flower arrangements.
- Growing Conditions: Full sun; well-drained, moist soil
- Size: 4 feet tall
- Growing Zones: 3-8
FAQ
What is the longest flowering perennial plant?
Coneflowers and catmint are the longest flowering perennials to plant since they're blooming period lasts for several months.
What plant grows tall but not wide?
Hibiscus perennials grow more tall than they do wide, but they still make excellent flowers for stunning color pops and height in your garden.
Are there flowers that grow to be 6 feet tall?
There are several flowers that grow to be 6 feet tall, like Black-Eyed Susans, Delphinium, Hollyhock, and more.