Including tall plants into a meadow garden enhances its ecological value, aesthetics, and functionality, while also supporting local biodiversity. Tall plants add visual interest and texture, create depth and dimension, and make the garden more visually appealing. Tall plants can act as a windbreak, provide privacy screening, and add color when other plants are waning. They help naturalize a garden by creating a more organic and relaxed atmosphere, blending seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. The plants in this list range in height from 42″ to 72″, like full sun and grow in a wide range of USDA Hardiness zones, but vary in specific water requirements from moderate to wet soils. Photo Credit: Sten, Wikimedia Commons
Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Native Range: Throughout US except Arizona, Mississippi and states with a Pacific coastline.
Height: 42″
Width: 30″
Bloom Time: Late summer
Bloom Color: White, pink
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Photo Credit: Nonenmacher, Wikimedia Commons
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Native Range: Eastern US west to Texas, Nebraska, the Dakotas
Height: 60″
Width: 42″
Bloom Time: Late summer to fall
Bloom Color: White
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
Photo Credit: JB_Johnny
Joe Pie Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
Native Range: Central and eastern US
Height: 60″
Width: 24″
Bloom Time: Late summer to fall
Bloom Color: Purple-pink
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Photo Credit: : www.biolib.de, Wikimedia Commons
Queen of the Prairie (Filipendula rubra)
Native Range: Pennsylvania to Georgia and west to Iowa and Missouri
Height: 72″
Width: 42″
Bloom Time: Mid to late summer
Bloom Color: Pink
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Photo Credit: Bruce Marlin, Wikimedia Commons
Canada Lily (Lilium canadense)
Native Range: Eastern North America
Height: 46″
Width: 18″
Bloom Time: Mid to late summer
Bloom Color: Yellow to red
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Photo Credit: National Agricultural Library, Wikimedia Commons
Rough Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa)
Native Range: Michigan south to Missouri, Texas and Georgia.
Height: 48″
Width: 30′
Bloom Time: Late summer to fall
Bloom Color: Yellow
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
Photo Credit: Masson Brock, Wikimedia Commons
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Native Range: Central and eastern North America.
Height: 48″
Width: 30″
Bloom Time: Late summer to fall
Bloom Color: Dark pink-purple
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
Photo Credit: Melissa Mcmasters, Wikimedia Commons
Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
Native Range: Most of contiguous US
Height: 48″
Width: 24″
Bloom Time: Late summer to fall
Bloom Color: Purplish blue
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
New York Ironweed (Veronica noveboracensis)
Native Range: Eastern US from Massachusetts to Mississippi.
Height: 60″
Width: 42″
Bloom Time: Late summer to fall
Bloom Color: Purple
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons