I must admit my verbena bon are usually about that height anyway, and it's usually because they are heading for the light as they are n/e of tall plants. But I have some things that are really tall. My Lychnis chalcedonica is about 4' which is unheard of with me. Everything is so green and expanding sideways, so much so that I am going to have to move the smaller more delicate plants over the weekend so they are not swamped or covered over.

Yes, its the lack of sunlight I reckon - my Verbena bonariensis is about a foot taller than me, and I'm 5' 3"; usually they only make 5 feet. Also the Crocosmia Lucifer - that's probably nearly 5 feet this year, so the flowers are at eye level for me. So its either lack of sunlight, or its an excess of water, meaning the plants would always be that size if they got enough in summer other years, lol

V bonariensis regulary towers above me 6ft or higher and the Lychnis is always 4-5ft tall with me too. so i think this is its normal habit.

Ah, that's interesting Seaburn - that means its the amount of rain that's made them tall - I know you live somewhere that gets more rain than we do down South... I have to say, though, I prefer the Crocosmia not to be poking me in the eye, lol!

I agree with you Bamboo, I live in the South, and my Lychnis would normally be about 3' but is a foot taller this year and my Cardunculus (cardoon). normally about 5' is now 7' tall!

No idea what any of the plants are above but excess rain releases more nitrogen from the soil so that may explain why things are growing as they are.
With my dahlias, that means giving lots of high potassium fertiliser to counteract the lush green growth which means that although the plants look good, stems are usually a lot weaker.

It has got to be all the rain that we have had, I quite like these plants to tower over all the others it makes them look quite regal in the border.

I would say too to be aware that shrubs and trees are also putting on a lot of growth. I have taken action to scale down some shrubs and snip bits of trees with the extended pruner in case of a stormy autumn. I recall seeing a row of mature trees go down like ninepins in that 1987 gale. A wet summer and a mild autumn and the trees were just tipped over by a huge gust.

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