canna? hibiscus? good colors, but not quite the height. Angel's trumpet can get that tall, but colors are usually more subtle.

It's an annual, but things don't get much hotter than tithonia! Tall, bright, hot orange. Take it from someone who never thought she'd plant a single orange bloom in her garden - these things are beautiful!

Dee

I had thought about canna before, but its a plant I'm really ignorant about!I have it categorized as "difficult" in my mind, I'll have to research it a little. Have you grown it wendy?
That tithonia sounds like a good candidate Thanks Dee!

I can see this bed from my above ground pool, and I want to be able to admire it as I'm floating around. Last summer I had a beautifully architectural plant in the open space now in the middle. I couldn't place it until it started to flower, and I realised it was a weed! The flowers were tiny yellow ones but it was a nice spiky straight tall plant! If it had better flowers I would have reprieved it!
Plant shopping today!!

Sounds like you might have had a mullein in that spot. They are a pretty cool "weed"! You could possibly try verbascum there if you liked the mullein - verbascum being the cultivated form (not sure if I'm using the right language, but generally mullein is considered a weed and verbascum a flower, lol).

I have no experience with verbascum so I can't tell you it's pros and cons. I also don't know if it comes in orange. There is a nice apricot colored one that always caught my eye in the catalogs - Southern Charm, perhaps? But it's not a hot orange.

But look them up. Perhaps you can find something you like in this group.

... still recommend the tithonia, though. :)

Dee

There are some bright pink Clematis that would work, though you'd want either an obelisk or set of tall rings to give it something to cling to.
Alionushka Pink & non-clinging, so a cage or multiple rings is needed to get height. 4-6'
Princess Diana AKA Princess of Wales 6-8'
Andromeda - Bright pink & white - 6-12'
Piilu - bright pink and lighter pink May-June & Aug-Sept, so not really midsummer, but gets great reviews- 4-6'
You can find photos of all these at Silver Star Vinery:
http://www.silverstarvinery.com/vines.asp

Screaming pink tall summer phlox blooms all of August and September in my garden with a little deadheading. Be sure to get a mildew-free variety and one that is tall enough (current trend is for shorter types)

I have found that trumpet lilies are less susceptible to red lily beetle; while they need checking, they aren't ravaged by the little buggers. You may be able to find some end-of season sales or plant this fall for next summer's blooms in yellow, pinks and orange. There are also oriental-trumpet hybrids that seem pretty resistant and asiatic-trumpet hybrids that I haven't tried.

There are some really tall (45") daylilies, and I'd imagine that some of them are orange.

Probably too late in general now, but Dahlias might be good there - some are in the four foot range. Here's a tall dark red one left at Brent & Becky's, but earlier in the they have a wider choice:
http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/summer/productview/?sku=69-08

Sunflowers come in bright yellow, but also in an orange rust blend that may read as orange as well as mahogany and rust tones, all of which would blend well in a hot garden. Annuals.

If you have a dry spot, some of the western Agastaches, such as 'Desert Sunrise' are supposed to reach between 3 1/2 and 4' and they come in bright pinks and oranges. In my garden they bloom August and September. High Country Gardens has a good selection of Agastaches and some are on sale now:
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/search/products/agastache

Post a photo later this summer so we can see how it turns out and what you've ended up with.

No need to fear cannas ! I had a similar mixed border where I wanted a
a summer-long spike of color, and a local nursery convinced me to try
a pre-potted canna (which was already 3' tall when I bought it!) called
'Australia'. . .wow!. . .it grew nearly 5' tall that season, brilliant red flowers
from July-September. but the leaves - rich, dark burgundy - just stunning!
Repeated the same plant the next season, but now that I was researching
cannas feverishly, I located an even wilder one for the third season, called
'Striata' (synonyms are 'Bengal Tiger or 'Pretoria'). . .this monster topped out
at 6', with fiery orange blooms, but once again the leaves were amazing: heavily striped green and yellow. . .not a plant you could ignore.

And what was the price to pay for so much satisfaction? Well, cannas are NOT
hardy in Zone 6, so they must be lifted and stored, no more effort than you'd
expend on lifting and storing a dahlia. And we're just talking ONE plant!
Oh, don't be surprised if you have MORE cannas when you dig them up in the
Fall. . .they multiply, and the extras make great gifts for garden friends who
have been lusting after "that gorgeous plant in your garden" all summer.
You can get started surveying cannas at the site below. . .

Carl

P.S. And I've got to agree with Dee about Tithonia. . .a really surprising
knock-out of a plant, and so easy to grow. . .

Here is a link that might be useful: Brent & Becky's Bulbs

Canna want SUN. I've tried them a couple of times, but they never do well in my garden. Too much shade and coolness. They are easy to overwinter, being not remotely picky about where inside they end up. However, getting them to grow during the summer seems to be a different matter.

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' is something else to look at. It's about 4 ft tall, bright red-orange, and perfectly hardy here.

How about a Verbascum Clementime? Or Delphinium Pink Punch?

Wow! Now I have OPTIONS! LOL!!
I haven't found a source for tithonia, except for a shorter variety.
I never thought of clematis and a structure, good idea!
OK, next summer I'm definitely trying canna!!!!
I have been wanting that Lucifer crocosmia, I didn't know it was that tall! I may have to order one, I haven't seen it at a nursery nearby.
That clementine is a lovely apricot. Thanks for all those great suggestions everyone!
Do you all order plants online or do you have more exotic nurseries than I do???

I order my Crocosmia and most of my clematis online, though there are 2 local nurseries that carry mostly early blooming clematis. In my short-season garden my Crocosmia only reaches 2 1/2 feet or so and seems borderline hardy.

For next summer I know that Brent and Becky's Bulbs have Crocosmia and Cana along with their dahlias.

Sorry, can't help with a tithonia source as this is my first exposure to it.

And I order clematis from Hummingbird Farm, Silver Star Vinery, Brushwood Nursery, and have heard good things about Joy Creek.

As far as I am aware, you'll only be able to get tithonia as seed; but it
couldn't be easier to grow. . .if I can grow it, anyone can !

White Flower Farm carries that Canna 'Striata' that I recommended
(see link below)

While I do occasionally order plants online, I much prefer choosing a plant
in person. . .but since I "collect" nurseries, that's never a problem. . .any
nursery within a hundred miles is fair game to me, which includes ALL of
New Jersey; ALL of the Delaware Valley (Philadelphia area, the heart and soul
of American garden culture; ALL of the Hudson Valley; ALL of western CT;
plus annual forays to North Carolina. . .

Have I mentioned that I'm nuts?

Carl

Here is a link that might be useful: White Flower Farm

Thanks for the online nursery ideas, nhbabs, I rarely order online, it's only when I actually see that plant in front of me that I HAVE to have it I guess!
Gee Carl, what's wrong with Eastern CT?? That's my neck of the woods!I'm planning to go to Quackin Grass soon, they have soon unusual things and great display gardens! But close by I don't see too much out of the ordinary.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brooklyn CT