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Haven't read through all the posts yet, but the bushy things are some sort of perennial. My neighbor across the street has them and I've been meaning to ask her about them because they've been blooming a ton and I love them! other plants are zinnias (the only annual I'll plant because they love my climate and go crazy the hotter it gets), verbenas (have those too), and some sort of salvias. I plant tons of salvia. In fact, except for a couple of pics, you'd think you were photographing my backyard!
Just walked outside and realized that was a big lie! I forgot about my cosmos.
The Lobelia in the pictures looks like it is the annual variety, which is low growing and can be somewhat trailing, so it works well in pots to grow over the edges. It doesn't like to dry or get too hot so part shade helps. I used to have them in large planters (with other annuals) that only got morning sun and they grew like crazy. The current ones are not doing as well as I 'd like because my deck gets a bit too much sun. The brilliant blue variety seen in Box stores and big nurseries is often 'Crystal Palace' but there are other versions that are white or more purple. This year I tried the white but forgot to save the label.
I also have perennial lobelia (cardinal flower). Most people know the red variety but I have a lovely blue/purple version. It prefers part sun and damp feet in my garden and has been eaten 2 year running by caterpillars (different ones each year) but is otherwise not very demanding. Here is a link to see a few different colors available. It can tolerate full sun but will need a lot of watering or being situated near a pond or wetland.