Specialty Gardening: Preparing for conainer display- help needed., 1 by gemini_sage

gemini_sage wrote:
I'm such a fan of the beautifully designed container combos I see posted, and need some guidance and suggestions from the talented folks on this forum :-). I have a 2 level deck that sits under a maple tree, and its a perfect place to spend time and grow a lot of my houseplants during summer. I use all clay pots, and am kind OCD about all the containers looking cohesive together. I'd been wanting to see more bright color out there, and had good results with Coleus, Caladiums, and Begonias, but was still craving more bold spots of color among all the subdued greens and terra cotta. Then I saw this picture, and was totally inspired:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=6237290

To get a feel for this effect with as little $ as I could get away with, I started the project last year by painting several of my pots. I'm liking that look and plan to continue adding colorful features. This year, I believe I'm going to paint some of the built in features of the deck, like benches and tables, in some of those eye popping colors, and possibly try my hand at making some cushions and pillows for the benches (hopefully in a print or prints that combine the colors I'm using). I still want to see 1) more color from blooms, and 2) nicely designed combinations of plants in single containers. I like starting with small plants and watching them fill in, and enjoy starting as many from seed or cuttings as I can, but I do plan on investing in some bedding plants this spring.

Any suggestions as to plant combinations for shade/semi-shade, or what to combine with things I have you see in the pics would be greatly appreciated. I just can't seem to achieve those well designed combos, and now its a mission, LOL.