I have many containers, on the deck, front steps, and in the landscape. Some are one kind of plant only; others are mixed. Some are the same every year; in others, I experiment. I'm always looking for new plants--and new containers.

I object to rules (not that I'm blaming you for inventing them, Runktrum!). Do whatever floats your boat and makes you happy when you look out the window or walk around your garden.

Ooh, you have to be careful what you say around garden web pals! (Just kidding). I admit I'm really thrilled, for some odd reason, that my own favorite way to use containers is gaining some traction. On the other hand, like ginny12, I'm glad there are no rules and that we can all do what we like - and try different approaches each year.

I DO like grouping pots where each holds one plant, or a group of a single type of plant (3 lavenders in a large pot, for example). You can provide each plant with what it likes (well, ideally, you can!), select a pot that complements the plant, group them in different ways in different areas at different times, and handle them individually over the winter, or when they need to "rest" (sometimes, but not always, on their way to the compost pile).

Not that I think everyone else should feel this way about containers - that's half the fun.

And, yes, to me, the pot is as important as the plants in it. This year I'm picking up as many "long toms" as I can get my hands on. I LOVE that shape, a simple terra cotta tapered "cone" that provides really good drainage and lifts the plants enough that they can be used in a mixed border without being swamped by surrounding foliage. My favorite combo of the moment is a tall (unknown) arching upright grass in a long tom where the pot is about 20" tall and the plant is about 28" above that. The 2 shapes are a great reflection - not nearly identical, but similar - of each other, and the contrast between the solid pot and the airy grass gives me goosebumps. Before I claim any artistic insight, though, I should say that I'm fairly sure half the people who have been in my garden in the last week have asked themselves "I wonder why on earth she has that grass in that pot..."

I love terra cotta, which is totally impractical because it needs to be stored indoors in winter. Repeating the material and variations on a simple shape throughout the garden helps give some apparent control over the otherwise slightly chaotic scene, I think.

Then again, my favorite way to fill a vase is with a bunch of daisies or peonies; I don't suppose that this will ever catch on in the world of flower arranging. LOL.

Well, ladies, if I would be in charge of containers I would of use Nan's approach, but I'm not in charge...and my wife always tries to squeeze as many plants of different colors, textures and cultures(sigh!) as she could in one container irregardless of its size. She said size doesn't matter :-)
But in this uphill battle I slowly gaining grounds, inch by inch. :-)
At least she is not offering anymore to underplant my containerized hydrangeas by vinca major or her beloved verbenas:-)