How about verbascum?
Or Chinese foxglove?

Thanks for the suggestions. I have quite a few verbascums already. V. violetta is near where the campanulas need to be pulled out. I'd never heard of the Chinese foxgloves. From the pictures on the web the colors look great, but they are very similar to everything I already have in the beds: penstemmons, creeping gloxinia vine, pink toadflax. Guess I have a lot of flowers with foxglove/snapdragon air-ey kind of blooms!

The great thing about the cups and saucers is the stalk/leaf to bloom ratio. It's a great block of color. I'm feeling challenged to fill the spot in with something equally as color intensive--less air-ey than what I usually plant.

Thanks again for your ideas. Kristine

Lisianthus might work...not quite as tall, but good color.

Salvia rhea and 'Victoria Blue' are possibilities and maybe the taller snapdragon cultivars (Annie's Annuals has some really great ones).

Wanda

Some plants I have in my yard that are in full to part sun, and that fit the bill for color & height you're looking for; I've had comments on these from neighbors regarding their color ["I wish I had one of those!" :)] -

Echinacea
Heliotropium arborescens (smells delicious!)
Osteospermum (many varieties with intense colors)
Tradescantia virginiana

and for something a little a different, Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'.

Brenda

PINK

Achillea AppleblossomÂ, ÂHeidiÂ, ÂSalmon Beauty HYBRID YARROWS
Ageratum houstonianum FLOSS FLOWER*
Alstroemeria PERUVIAN LILY*
Begonia semperflorens BEGONIA*
Begonia x tuberhybrida TUBEROUS BEGONIA*
Callistephus chinensis CHINA ASTER*
Canna x generalis CANNA*
Catharanthus roseus MADAGASCAR PERIWINKLE*
Celosia cristata (for warmest areas) COCKSCOMB*
Cleome hasslerana SPIDER FLOWER*
Convolvulus tricolor BUSH MORNING GLORY*
Cosmos bipinnatus COSMOS*
Dahlia x hybrida DAHLIA*
Digitalis dubia SPANISH FOXGLOVE
Eustoma grandiflorum PRAIRIE GENTIAN*
Gladiolus hybrids GLADIOLUS*
Gomphrena globosa GLOBE AMARANTH*
Impatiens balsamina BALSAM*
Impatiens walleriana IMPATIENS*
Nicotiana alata/sanderae FLOWERING TOBACCO*
Pelargonium x hortorum COMMON GERANIUM*
Pelargonium peltatum IVY GERANIUM*
Penstemon ÂAppleblossomÂ, ÂFrosty PinkÂ,
ÂHidcote PinkÂ, ÂOspreyÂ, ÂPennington GemÂ,
ÂThorn BEARDTONGUE
Petunia x hybrida PETUNIA*
Phlomis cashmeriana KASHMIR-SAGE
Phlomis italica PINK PHLOMIS
Phlox drummondii ANNUAL PHLOX*
Phygelius ÂPink ElfÂ, ÂPink TrumpetÂ,
ÂSunburstÂ, ÂTrewidden Pink CAPE FUCHSIA
Portulaca grandiflora MOSS ROSE*
Ruellia brittoniana ÂChi Chi MEXICAN PETUNIA
Salvia coccinea ÂBrenthurstÂ, ÂCoral Nymph TROPICAL SAGE
Salvia splendens SCARLET SAGE*
Scabiosa columbariae ÂPink Mist PINCUSHION FLOWER
Verbena x hybrida VERBENA*
Zantedeschia ÂCrystal BlushÂ, ÂPeach ChiffonÂ,
ÂPillow TalkÂ, ÂPink ChiffonÂ,
ÂStrawberry ParfaitÂ, HYBRID CALLALILY
Zantedeschia rehmannii RED/PINK CALLA
Zinnia (best in driest, hottest areas only) ZINNIA*

ROSE

Achillea hybrids YARROWS
Alstroemeria PERUVIAN LILY*
Anigozanthos flavidus ÂPink ROSE KANGAROO PAW
Begonia semperflorens BEGONIA*
Begonia x tuberhybrida TUBEROUS BEGONIA*
Callistephus chinensis CHINA ASTER*
Canna x generalis CANNA*
Celosia cristata (for warmest areas) COCKSCOMB*
Cleome hasslerana SPIDER FLOWER*
Convolvulus tricolor BUSH MORNING GLORY*
Cosmos bipinnatus COSMOS*
Dahlia x hybrida DAHLIA*
Eustoma grandiflorum PRAIRIE GENTIAN*
Gladiolus hybrids GLADIOLUS*
Gomphrena globosa GLOBE AMARANTH*
Impatiens balsamina BALSAM*
Nicotiana alata/sanderae FLOWERING TOBACCO*
Pelargonium x hortorum COMMON GERANIUM*
Pelargonium peltatum IVY GERANIUM*
Penstemon mexicali ÂRed Rocks RED PENSTEMON
Penstemon ÂGarnet BEARDTONGUE
Phlox drummondii ANNUAL PHLOX*
Portulaca grandiflora MOSS ROSE*
Salvia buchananii BUCHANAN SAGE
Salvia involucrata ROSELEAF SAGE
Salvia splendens SCARLET SAGE*
Stachys albotomentosa HIDALGO
Torenia fournieri WISHBONE FLOWER*
Verbena x hybrida VERBENA*
Zantedeschia ÂCherry ChiffonÂ, ÂGarnet GlowÂ,
ÂGem Dark EyesÂ, ÂGem RoseÂ, ÂHot FlashesÂ,
ÂLipstickÂ, ÂParfaitÂ, ÂPink DiamondÂ,
ÂRubylite RoseÂ, ÂSangriaÂ, ÂSuper GemÂ
HYBRID CALLALILIES
Zinnia (best in driest, hottest areas only) ZINNIA*

VIOLET/PURPLE

Achillea ÂFiesta HYBRID YARROW
Callistephus chinensis CHINA ASTER*
Catharanthus roseus MADAGASCAR PERIWINKLE*
Convolvulus tricolor BUSH MORNING GLORY*
Dahlia x hybrida DAHLIA*
Eustoma grandiflorum PRAIRIE GENTIAN*
Gladiolus hybrids GLADIOLUS*
Limonium perezii PERENNIAL STATICE
Osteospermum hybrids AFRICAN DAISY*
Penstemon ÂBurgundy BrewÂ, ÂCatherine de la MareÂ,
ÂLavender RufflesÂ, ÂMidnightÂ, ÂPurple PassionÂ,
ÂRavenÂ, ÂSour Grapes BEARDTONGUE
Penstemon mexicali ÂPikeÂs Peak Purple PENSTEMON
Petunia x hybrida PETUNIA*
Salvia mexicana ÂLimelightÂ, ÂOcampo MEXICAN SAGE
Salvia splendens SCARLET SAGE*
Salvia ÂWaverly WAVERLY SAGE
Ruellia brittoniana MEXICAN PETUNIA*
Torenia fournieri WISHBONE FLOWER*
Trachelium caeruleum UMBRELLA FLOWER*
Verbena x hybrida VERBENA*
Zinnia (best in driest, hottest areas only) ZINNIA*

Joe

Kristine:

I'm sorry -- I just noticed that you have a height preference.

My lists include all heights. I'm afraid you'll have to do some homework.

Joe

Thanks everyone for the good ideas. Turns out it's already time to replace the poppies until next year too (BIG winds today). I'm not an annual lover but I think I'm going with some kind of saliva for the campanula medium placeholders (purples/blue) and cosmos for the poppy placeholders (pinks/whites).

The cottage garden aesthetic isn't anything like I thought it was. It turns out to be lots of work. I don't know where I got this idea, but I thought that once one planted the perennials, that you got sit back and enjoy the reblooming (and ever-blooming) results. Ha-Ha. First of all--I never even considered how biennials fit into that scenario. Secondly, no one told me about the overgrowth, the die backs all the way to the ground, the bald spots, the perennials that don't bloom the first year.

And what about those snails? I've lived in CA 12 years now and I cannot get over the snail and slug decimation. I feed them 1 pound of Sluggo weekly. Now there's an expense. :)

Not to mention I have an earwig investation each spring that takes every tender perennial down to it's stems. You should see the the clematis skeletons all over the various trellises. It would break your heart.

I thought because I have great loam soil I was home free. I'm mostly home alright, but I am not free. I am a slave to the cottage garden that's supposed to look like it takes care of itself.

Happy holiday weekend everyone! Kristine