Rudbeckia Henry Eiler gets close to 6'. It has those same black eyed susan flowers but the petals are rolled or quilled instead of flat. Mine is in hard packed clay soil and gets absolutely no water except if it rains. Been doing great for 3 years now.

What about butterfly bushes? Fabulous scent all summer.

Here's a few:

Eupatorium maculatum
Eupatorium purpureum
Lilium 'Orania'
Rudbeckia maxima
Rudbeckia 'Herbstsonne'

Of course, many ornamental grasses as well.

dogridge, what's the situation? Are you looking for something to get five feet tall while slender and vertical, or broad and bushy, or something else? I assume you're wanting perennials if you're in this forum and from the title of your thread, but are you open to any shrubs or annuals as well? Is the site damp or dry or in-between? Are you looking for a single specimen plant, or several of the same plant, either planted in masses or scattered in loose drifts? Ornamentally, what are your major criteria (flower color, fragrance, foliage texture, etc.)? To me, these are all important considerations before recommending particular plants. Honestly, there are literally hundreds of excellent plants that will grow well in full sun in the clay of North Carolina and get more than five feet tall, so it might be good to start narrowing it down a bit more. The suggestions that kowalleka and coolplantsguy made are excellent, but they're just the tip of the iceberg, so it would be helpful to know more about your specific garden situation in order to make more informed plant recommendations.

Several of the perennial Helianthus (sunflowers) get well over 5 feet tall, including Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' (a real beauty) and Helianthus maximiliani.

Filipendula rubra - Queen of the Prairie - mine were about 7 feet tall and gorgeous.

Buddleia - 'Black Knight' mine gets over 6 feet tall in zone 5.

Some of the New England Asters are close to 5 feet.

thanks for all of the suggestions.

I am trying to do a mixed border along the road frontage, stretching in a gentle arc approx 75 ft long by 12 ft deep. I need extra tall plants because the bed slopes away from the road with about a 2 foot drop over the 12 ft depth of the bed. Therefore, if I just planted your typical back of the border plants that are 3-4 ft tall, they wouldn't be visible from the road.

I have planted a group of butterfly bushes and a couple of bourban roses which I plan to peg. I also have a star magnolia.

So I guess I am looking for tall perennials/ annuals that tolerate the heat, are fairly drought tolerant to be planted in loose drifts. I am open to most colors. Trying to do a succession of pastels in the spring, bright pinks/oranges/white in the summer and darker hot colors for the fall.

I am not a big fan of grasses, unfortunately.

Thanks so much for the ideas!
The site is full sun

Silphium perfoliatum, cup plant, is a very tall study plant. I have read that it can flop in heavy winds, but it doesn't flop for me. It takes it about 3 years to really get to a good size. Mine takes drought really well, full sun.

Lilium Formosum, which will grow5 ft from seed in its first year. It is a lovely white lily with a light scent.
Some Hibiscus will get that tall as well.

Here are some 5' (and more!) plants that I've successfully grown in both
Asheville, NC, and here in my amended clay soil in central New Jersey:

Silphium perfoliatum (6', Jul-Sep);

Vernonia novaboracensis (6-8', late season) Your own PDN there in Raleigh
actually has a variety called "Jonesboro Giant' that hits 12' and more!;

Monarda 'Jacob Cline' (mine certainly hits 5', mid-summer);

Persicaria polymorpha (4-5', Jul-Sep);

Hemerocallis - yes, there are a number of daylilies over 5'. . .the two I grow
are 'Challenger' and 'Autumn Mina*ret' (I can tell you where to get them);

Several different Rudbeckias, Eupatoriums and check out the interesting
group of Helianthus at Niche Gardens in Chapel Hill;

Tall annuals (5' +) that I'm partial to include:

Aside from the obvious sunflowers and hollyhocks (o.k., it's biennial!), my
fiery Tithonia comes close to 5', and my tropical monster, Ricinus communis
(Castor Bean) easily hits 8' or more in a season.

Oh, and how could I forget some of the heirloom species lillies, such as my
favorite, Lil*ium 'Black Beauty' (5-7', Jul-Aug).

How I envy you OneZone advantage over my bed of clay here in Zone 6b !!!

Carl

It's too bad you don't like grasses because there are some really nice Panicum cultivars that grow tall and stately. Miscanthus is nice but I've heard it is invasive in the warmer zones.

I started Silphium perfoliatum from seed in Spring 2008. It hit 7 feet and bloomed like crazy last summer. It has really cool leaves that collect water, and it attracts Goldfinches, butterflies, and bees. But it is a coarse plant. I wouldn't put it in my more ornamental front garden, it is in back in the native gardens.

A photo (the dead tree is a pine snag I left standing on purpose, where a pair of Bluebirds nested last summer) -

{{gwi:199794}}

Always loved a nice stand of hollyhocks although they seem to be out of fashion. Gunnera can be quite dramatic as well and seems to do well in my back yard clay swamp.

ozzysboy, are you really successfully growing gunneras outdoors in Virginia? What part of Virginia are you in? What are the conditions like? I know you said "back yard clay swamp," but what's the specific microclimate like there? How long have you had the gunnera there? What kind is it? Do you give it any special care or protection at any time of year? I've always coveted gunneras on the West Coast, and I've tried to grow them a number of times while living in Chicago, Philly, and Raleigh, and have never succeeded very well, nor have I witnessed a successful planting firsthand anywhere in this part of the country. But I would imagine it's theoretically possible. Anyhow, congratulations to you and your gunnera. I don't think it's a suggestion that really pertains to dogridge's situation, but you have my respect and envy.

Coreopsis tripteris
Persicaria 'Crimson Beauty'
Rudbeckia maxima

Cephalaria are pretty awesome. Tall but "see through".