#1 looks like a gladiolus, and #2 might be the same.
#3 might be a badly dessicated Colocasia/taro. If that's the genus, it like to live in muddy bogs, like in the South Pacific and Hawaii.
The last is a Ti Plant (Cordyline terminalis), one of my favorite plants, but I've had a hard time growing it indoors. In Florida it can be grown outside. It's native to low mountain slopes in Hawaii.

Here is a link that might be useful: my Cordyline terminalis pics

#1 & #2 are Cannas,
#4 FireSpike (Odontonema strictum)
#5 Cordyline fruticosa is the current name.
HTH
CHris

Thanks! That does look like a cordyline.
And you're probably right about the first two being the same, but different varieties. Now I remember why I bought #2, I saw it about as tall as #1 and in full flower and thought how stunning it was...

I'm in Zone 8 (so. Texas). The nursery guys (who seem to know their stuff) told me they could all survive outdoors, but we do get occasional freezes here. Should I cover any?

(the rest of our garden tends to be more full sun and xeriscaped plants. This was my one area to 'treat' myself with Big Showy Leaves ;))

Thanks Chris - Yes, Firespike! Now I remember.

Hmm, just did a bit of looking up. Shade is ok, but the Firespike and the cordyline look to need opposite watering conditions...I have them next to each other (a few feet apart). Is this going to be an issue? DO I need to transplant?

And the cordyline is getting brown tips. I thought maybe it was just the transplanting, but maybe it's the flouride in the water (and/or chlorine). Any suggestions on how to combat that? If I have the air conditioner on I gather a lot of water from that - which I think is supposedly to be slightly acidic, which counteracts my basic soil. But lately it's been cool enough not to use it, so I use normal city water, which is high in chlorine and flouride. I don't want to kill my plants with water!

Canna needs no protection, firespike could use it this first year.
The Taro may survive depending on the species, and the Ti plant
is a gonner unless we have an unusually warm Winters from now on.

Cordylines and Firespike need afternoon shade here, the rest
tolerate full sun assuming constant irrigation.

HTH
CHris

Number 3 looks like a caladium to me rather than an elephant ear. It likes more shade than sun, so that may be causing the wilting of the leaves.

A Colocasia esculenta Cv. such as the one below looks like
a good bet.

HTH
Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: Colocasia esculenta 'Fontanesii'

Yep, definitely an elephant ear. That was the only one I was sure of, as it came from a large group of them. It's purplish almost black in the sun, greener in the shade. it's not looking so great though, maybe it is too much sun, altho it's about the same it was getting at the nursery.