Hey Trudie, you didn't say which zone, but the herbs suggested by MsWolfeRN are a great idea! Just go out on the deck to harvest the key ingredients for a gourmet treat! As an annual, I love Thai basil. It is tasty, loves heat, and if you let it flower, grows attractive purple bracts on top. If you have a grocery where you can buy fresh herbs, buy the fresh Thai basil cuttings. When you get home, trim the stem ends to expose fresh tissue and put them in a glass of water on a bright, but not too sunny window sill. They should root in a week to 10 days. After 2 or 3 weeks, plant in soil and gradually acclimatize to sun. You get bigger plants faster this way.
Generally, for a large container you want a taller plant in the center surrounded by smaller plants and, perhaps, a trailing plant spilling over the edge. If you don't mind a bit of work overwintering plants, consider banana plants. (The "Musa Rojo" is very attractive). There are a couple of options to overwinter. Transfer to a pot and put indoors near a window, or hibernate by digging up, wrap the root ball and place in a cool, but not freezing place such as an attached garage. You can even "semi-hibernate" in a cool basement under a fluorescent light with minimal watering. (The basement thing works for tropical hibiscus too. They drop most of their leaves, but reawaken nicely in spring outdoors.) I did this for many years while I lived in Indianapolis.
