Is there any chance you could put up some sort of trellising that you could then cover with a annual or perennial vine?. Climbing Hydrangea would suit, but is slow to establish.How many gallons are those pots?

Could you get one more matching pot?...uneven numbers seem to work best for balance.

I would plant bamboo. There are so many lovely varieties, it has such a nice rustle in a little breeze.

I like that idea. It's quick growing, as well and in pots you don't have to worry about it spreading! However, i think you'll need bigger pots or planters to get the size you need. There are nurseries specializing in bamboo which may also do mail-order, so you could research and talk to folks there for suggestions. I think there's also a bamboo forum here on GardenWeb.

Thanks for responding! Really great ideas. I'm actually quite torn between the two ideas now. The containers I have are ~20 gallons and I could definitely pick up another one (3 does look much better for some reason).

I got sucked into the bamboo forum! I ended up finding a really nice red clumping bamboo that should work great. Thanks again for your help!

Fantastic! Be sure to post pictures when you're done. What did you choose?

Will do! I chose Red Clumping Bamboo Fargesia nitida 'Jiuzhaigou. And of course got the third container to give the balance :)

A couple rose trees would look great too. Get two more pots? :-)

Of course I was thinking the same thing Summers! However I don't know where the Opie lives. Maybe a couple in the corners!

That sounds wonderful Vap.

Op could have beautiful fragrant roses to dress up the patio.

Even some bushier ones in large pots. 20 gals should be good. However, you're the queen of potted roses so I defer to you on proper pot size. Mine spend as little time as I can manage in pots and generally those are 5gal. buckets with holes drilled in the bottom, so I can carry them around more easily! Yikes!.

I'm partial to dwarf and weeping Japanese Maples. Cant beat them for fall colors. That being said, I'd go with something tall and bushy enough to screen out the houses in the background. More than two as well. +1 on the bamboo Olychick.