I agree that the first pictures are of a Maple.
I thought the second pictures might have been Russian Sage (Perovskia), but it looks too thick and just doesn't look right.. Veronicastrum is the only other tall perennial that I can think of that has masses of spiky flowers... but I'm not sure about that either... The stems don't look square, so I'd rule out Perovskia... and other sages if that is correct. A picture of the whole plant, its height, and where it's growing would be helpful in identifying...
