Northeast Gardening: What are your five top performers this season?, 1 by ngam

ngam wrote:
This has been a strange season again weather wise around the area. Early hot temps, days of rain, cold temps late and droughts. Huge rain and wind storms with hail. So with all this adversity what plants have done well, new or old, annual or perennial, or flowering shrub, through everything that nature has thrown at them?
Here is my list of stand tall, bloom a lot and for a good length of time, resist disease and look good no matter what:
Balloon Flower
Roses 'Black Cherry' and 'Honey Perfume'
helenium 'Mardi Gras'
stokesia 'Peachy's Pick'
shasta daisy 'Becky'