Ah, Cameron! I was just coming to ask people to refresh us all with pictures of cottage containers.
Mine are fairly small containers - and two of the containers ARE purple, lol (after long searches, I found some!!) and three are blue. I planted the blues a few days ago for spring. The purples I put in some pink foliage but I need to find a nice pink begonia or two for them as well....(and some more shade loving stuff.
Your containers are going to be just lovely!

I also planted two full sun containers yesterday, one using purple as a focus. The container is a light yellow ceramic, round container. In it I planted a tall purple and white Nemesia with a yellow eye, two soft yellow million bells petunias (one on each side), and a trailing dark purple verbena in front. I think it will look good when it all fills out. The other container is a soft aqua/sea green blue color, same round shape. I like bright colors in full sun so this one has bright yellow osteospermum daisies as the tall focal point, with trailing dark pink verbena on one side and a multicolor (yellow, pink, orange) lantana on the other side. I expect both to bush out and spill over the side of the pot, which will look nice. I don't have any pure foiliage plants in these two containers, but may have to squeeze in a sweet potato vine for a shot of lime color. I have not bought the plants yet for the other containers, but I will do a part shade container in pink/green shades - using fancy pink begonias, coleus in pink/green/white colors, maybe a fuchsia or caladiums for height, and trailing white bacopa. I have 2 other containers to plant but have not decided what to do with them. Designing containers is so much fun !! Too bad the plants are so expensive...

Beautiful combinations there. I also like to use the purple theme because it goes with anything. All this talk about planting containers makes me feel like whining now. I have to spend the entire weekend with my dysfunctional in-laws. I would much rather be potting up my containers, and I won't be able to get to it until next weekend.

OOOHHH... all these plantings sound great -- how about some photos. I know, I know... newly planted containers aren't billowing with beauty, but it's easy to see the arrangement!

I have fallen in love with Persian shield. I think I could use it everywhere.

As for purple, white and yellow... today, I planted a narrow bed that already had Happy Returns and Joan Senior daylilies and Broadway Lights shasta daisies with (supposedly) yellow gaillardia, lavender angelonia, garden phlox 'Nicky', yellow ladybird cosmos seeds, lilac emperor zinnia seeds, green envy zinnia seeds.. and probably some other stuff.

Another area of my cottage garden is based on deep pink with purple, cobalt blue and a hint of burgundy here and there.

I planted 3 shades of pink anemone in front of a burgundy smoke tree in another bed (outside the fence).

Isn't gardening fun? I've been working outside all day long and had to come in for the rain.

Cameron

Our Persian Shield arrived at the store today. I wasn't sure what it was until I saw it. I know I'm going to have to get some, I just don't know where I can put it. I'm already out of room. I still have hundreds of annuals to plant until the perennials bloom, next year.

Did someone say purple?

My favorite color. I just put together this pot.
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Heliotrope, a golden oregano, and a sage with purple undertones...I've forgotten the precise name.

Cameron ~ Love your combination. Purple is one of my favorite colors in the garden. I had Persian Shield at one time, but lost it. It was a beautiful plant.

HappyinTexas ~ I love Phlox and it looks wonderful with your other plantings.

Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady

Tom -- see if your Persian Shield labels say full sun. Mine do, but I bought mine from a greenhouse grower. I saw in FG magazine that PS needs full sun to be purple, but some folks on my blog commented that they have to grow it in shade. It may be a zonal difference and it could go either way here in our zone.

Thanks,
Cameron

They do say full sun. I noticed that yesterday when I was putting them out. I would probably give it morning sun and afternoon shade for the hottest part of the day. Full sun for us doesn't always mean FULL sun. Ya know?

Thanks for checking -- I may take one out of the pot by the roses where I can't do much for shade, but the other two get enough shelter from surrounding shrubs and trees that I'll watch those for awhile longer.

Purple sage is a good choice for full sun purple leaves. I may switch out to that if the Persian shield can't take it.

I grow my Persian Shield in shade. It's rich purple in shade. In sun here it bleaches out to silver and pink, not pretty at all to my eyes.

In my terracotta urns I put Angel Wing Begonia and 'Dragon's Blood' Sedum. Neither have filled in enough to photograph. One year I put lemon grass in my urns with some other things. I could not get the idea out of my head that it looked 'weedy' and finally pulled it out. Maybe it comes from my heritage in which grass in the field crops was a sign of a lazy farmer.

Nell

Oh, I forgot. Persian Shield is perennial for me. It returns in really well drained beds. This is the fourth year. It is putting out new growth now. It is easy to root and I kept cuttings over the winter, which bloomed. It blooms on short light days, so you won't see it bloom in a summer garden.

Nell

Newly sprouted Persian Shield, in part shade.
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Septermber 2006, lycoris blooms with Persian Shield.
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I am crazy about Persian Shield. Does it show?

Nell

I think it is one of the most versatile foliage plants around. The next few days will tell if mine can handle the sun. We've got about 5 days of upper 80s to low 90s coming. I added gomphrena to the containers because a busy bunny was nibbling those in the cottage garden. I went ahead and transplanted them among 6 different containers. Dang wabbits.

Cameron

I lOVE your purple. I was able to find the Persian Shield and put it in my 2 purple pottings. I always learn wonderful new things here.I have them in hot afternoon sun only and so far they look great, a deep dark purple with no fading. As cameron says though we are in for it now w/no rain for days and hot high temps...darn, c