For sun: Peonies, tall coneflowers, heliopsis, Karl Foerster grass, culvers root, Joe Pye. For partshade to shade: Snakeroot, goatsbeard, ligularia the rocket, digitalis. Just a few examples that I can think of off the top of my head.

Thank you Debbie. I hope I can find these at my local garden centre.

I sometimes think my garden is the queen of all that is floppy but one plant that is always upright and stately looking is Monkshood - sun or part shade doesn't seem to matter (a little taller in part shade but still around 5' with the blooms). Verbascums are pretty sturdy, too.

Hi Pudge,

Which variety of Monkshood do you have? I have a couple and they have flopped over - maybe there are some that are sturdier than others?

Angelao,

The variety of monkshood, given to me a few years ago, that falls over is the Spark's Variety. It seems to have stems that are tall and wavy. Is that the kind you have?

The Stainless Steel, Pink Sensation and another kind of normal purple monkshood (a no name from a garage sale) all seem to stand upright for me here in my yard.

Brenda

Almost all of my Asiatic lilies are sturdy - I have never staked them and they don't fall over. Some of the older ones I don't know if I could kick over if I wanted to... LOL. Hollyhocks don't fall over for me either.

Mine are the purple/white bicolour Monkshood, divisions from my mom's garden a number of years ago. I also have some solid purple ones and they don't flop either but are powdery mildew magnets and will probably be tossed one day soon.

Joe Pye is another good sturdy plant for the back of the border. For the life of me, though, I can't seem to stop them from wilting in the heat. I pour on the water - nice and slow so it soaks in deep but on a hot day when that sun hits them they just wilt. Once it cools off they perk back up again. Nice plant, but they drive me nuts. Anyone else have that problem?

Pudge, that's funny because I just noticed today that my Joe Pye flower heads are drooping. It's good to know that they'll perk up again once the blast furnace is off.

Another perennial that is sturdy as nails is the gas plant(dictamnus), also daylilies and ornamental grasses don't flop.

Laurie

Well my Melica transsilvanica 'Red Spire' ornamental grass all flopped.....I had to shear them all back the other
day ;(

Sharon

Veronicastrum - tall, sturdy, beautiful.

Hyssop - I have honey bee blue and honey bee white - they are tall, sturdy, attract bees and hummingbirds, smell nice - what's not to love?

Cimicifuga (esp. the dark-leaved ones) - tall, fragrant, attracts bees.

Whether these are hardy to z3, I'm not sure. They probably are. Definitely recommend them.

angeleo - this is a great question! I've been wondering the same thing lately as so many of my tall perennials have needed staking, which drives me crazy (delphiniums, shasta daisies and yarrow).

I'd say my best ones are Joe Pye and Purple Coneflower. I do find my Joe Pye wilts in the heat like Pudge was saying though.

Thank you for the great suggestions. As the local garden centres are sold out of alot of them, I've got my list ready for next Spring.

There's lots to choose from. Another solution is to cut back dicots (not monocots) when they are about a foot tall. Ahey will keep growing on surdier stems and flower a bit shorter than otherwise. This includes delphiniums and kin, monarda, bell flowers, daisy-like flowers, etc. This solves the 'floppy' issue for painted daisies and so on.