I'd think something rather tall and columnar and a bit sculptural in character - perhaps Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Wissel's Saguaro' or Ilex crenata 'Mariesii'. You could always fill in or soften the base with a cascading form - Vinca minor 'Sterling Silver' would look good with either, ditto Veronica peduncularis 'Georgia Blue'.

Bamboo would match with your Japanese garden style.

The diamond shape area the pot is going to sit in is also 3'x3' so I was going to fill around the outside of the base with something as well as around the trunk of what I plant. I'm not familiar with that particular chamaecyparis but I could see the foliage of either of these working because I'm going to be using a number of broader leafed hydrangeas and the like in the shady beds along both sides of the walk. I'm leaning toward a dark red glazed pot I've been eyeing at 1/2 priced pots. I'll look these two up. Thanks GG

Mary,

It's funny you should mention bamboo. I was down looking at some pots and they had a couple with bamboo in them right by the front door. I commented to the gal that I really liked the bamboo, but only in a pot. VBG

What about a Japanese Maple? I have had one in a pot for 15 years and it is lovely. My daughter has a "Full Moon" maple in her garden and it always looks like it has a ray of sunshine on it. Very slow growing too. If you are using a dark red pot though, I like the foliage to echo some of the colour so perhaps a redder one? Sound like a very beautiful project. Hope you can post pics of it.

Wow - sounds beautiful to me no matter what you plant! I too am keen on a Japaneese maple. Or, something with wood or stems that pick up the color of the dark red pot.

Here's another vote for a Japanese maple. I have several in containers and they are slow growing overall. The Maples forum would be able to provide more detailed information.

I'm quite a JM fan too, I've got 7 different ones. I was actually considering an Oshio-Beni or maybe a Butterfly just to be different.

About the pics......I can't get the hang of posting them. I had someone that wanted to see some pics of my other side entrance that leads to the pond and rock garden and I was really good at taking them, I just couldn't post them :-)

Thanks for all the great suggestions, I stopped to look at the chamaecyparis today and fell in love with an awesome pot, the problem was it was $495 and I have too many other things in this area to spend money on to pay that much.

Glenn, forget the dang pot - what did you think of the Chamaecyparis? Very cool plant with a very unique and distinctive appearance and that deep blue green color would be a stunning compliment to an oxblood red container. EVERYONE grows Japanese maples in containers - be adventuresome and try something different!!

btw, have you checked out 1/2 Price Pots? Big selection and good prices but they don't quite match the distinctive style that some of the offerings from places like AW Pottery provide. There are several outlets along Hwy99, beginning in the Greenlake area and continuing up to south Everett. And have you visited Muse in the Garden in Edmonds? This little shop is associated with AW (run by a cousin or something) and sells very nice seconds at good prices - hard to tell them from the full price selection at the main AW yard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Muse in the Garden

I really liked the cham, it had that blue surprise feel without the threat of death hanging over it :-) I didn't have a chance to look into the maturity size tho, eventual height would be fine I'm sure but how about width? I was down south so I stopped at Watson's and they didn't have the ilex. I'm making a run up the eastside and north today so I plan to stop at a couple of the HPPs. The one in Renton doesn't really have what I want. If I get a chance, I'll stop in and see you and maybe visit with your lil MWW as well. VBEG

Thanks everyone for the ideas. I stopped at a nursery in the northend which shall remain nameless to entertain some of your ideas and to visit with a local legend who unfortunately had the day off :-) I was browsing around out back and trying to picture various options when that perfect specimen jumped out at me from clear across the lot. It was a lovely little multi trunked mountain hemlock and it was love at first sight. I knew the minute I saw it.