Zinnia California Giants. Will start blooming about mid-June if planted in the next week or so.

I'll suggest a real favorite of mine, Angelonia. This heat and sun loving plant will bloom non stop, without any primping or prodding, up until the first serious frost. The purple one provides a color that really stands out in most gardens.

Plant Angelonia (an jel O nia) at least twelve inches apart; they grow quickly to fill that space and more, and up to two feet tall.

It's much loved by bees and butterflies, and even hummingbirds. No pest or disease problems that I've ever seen, but I don't have an irrigation system which can end up causing problems.

Speaking of which, Angelonia is very drought tolerant once established.

'black and blue' salvia guaranitica is perennial and grows to about 3'-4' for me. the flower color is outstanding and is attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. it won't start flowering until warm weather but will continue until frost, with deadheading. the foliage has an unpleasant odor to me, though.
available at box store garden centers.

Here is a link that might be useful: salvia 'black and blue'

Thanks for the recommendations!!! I think I will try all of them if I can locate them locally. I will probably hit a few of the garden centers this weekend around B'Ham.Question - is Angelonia the same plant as Snapdragon ? Marvin's Hardware locally has Snapdragon. Same or is Angelonia a different sub - species of Snapdragon that I need to seek out specifically?

Angelonia and snapdragon are not the same but are in the same plant family.

Snapdragon is good in cool weather, but the Angelonia can take the heat. I also love all salvias, Agastaches, Nicotianas, and seed grown dahlias, like Bishop's Children....and so many more!

Purple coneflower can get around 3ft as can some of the milkweeds.

Angelonia is sometimes called "Summer Snapdragon " but is unrelated to real snaps.