does it have drainage??

can you post a pic.. words dont really do it for me....

is it a glazed ceramic that is winter proof.. frankly.. i would remove everything for winter ... as a failsafe to the pot not cracking.. so your hardiness requirements would be un-necessary ...

ken

I'd have to agree with the freeze/crack caution, it would be a shame to lose the pot. You could find a plastic pot that fits inside and just drop a plant into it in the spring and pull it out in the fall....

btw I have a nice blue pot with some yellow variegated acorus (a yellow grass-type plant) in it.... looks nice but I put it under shelter for the winter. The yellow-blue is a nice combo

Being a left coast person myself and a nurseryperson at that, the vast majority of the glazed ceramic containers solid at nurseries and garden centers around here are frost proof, meaning they will withstand zone 7 winters without a problem. Zone 7 inground soils do not freeze to any measurable degree and the soil in that size container is unlikely to freeze solid either.

The plant that is most often sold for container plantings all up and down the west coast that fits your description is a dwarf conifer - Cupressus macrocarpa 'Wilma Goldcrest'. While it does have an upright and almost columnar habit, it pooches out at the base......kinda dumpling shaped, as it were :-) This plant is sometimes referred to as the lemon-lime cypress as not only is it that color (a bright chartreusey lime green) but it also smells strongly of lemon-lime soda when the floliage is brushed.

It is fully hardy to zone 7 - even in a container - as long as you keep it out of direct winter winds. In fact, it is reported hardy without cold damage down to 5F. And make sure you have a very textural, barky potting soil that doesn't hold excess moisture in winter.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wilma Goldcrest monterey cypress

i didnt catch her saying she wanted a z6 plant for z7 ...

but we need to know if it has drainage.. not many conifers prefer a sodden medium ....

and which of the media you select will really matter..

ken

I will take a photo this afternoon of the pot and me!...I'm off to volunteer at the library and will look up the conifer when I return...thanks...Georgeanne

Can I just mention the shape of the pot? If it has a narrower neck then waist it will be a nightmare getting the plant out again if you ever need to. I had to destroy a large ceramic pot in order to free a camellia. I will never plant directly into a bulbous pot again. The pot in pot idea works well. Also although you describe your pot as 'very large' it is not that big for a permanent shrub and gardengal48's idea of a dwarf is sensible.

The pot doesn't have a drainage hole at this time...but we will drill one (or some!)...my husband says "once the pot is where it is going to be and once it has soil in it it is not going to be moved"!...I like the color of the Monterrey Cypress but it might not do well in Oregon-too much rain or, in the mountains where I live, a good chance of freezes usually light freezes BUT occasionally hard freezes and some snow each winter...attached is a photo of me IN the pot...I am 5 ft 2 in...so what about a Golden Vicary Privet or a Golden Nine Bark? Thanks so much for your help and ideas! Georgeanne

Georgeanne,
Lime green spirea, or they might market it under the name of lime mound spirea.
Check out pic online, it really looks like that.
It will loose its leaves in the cold winter, but it is very hardy, really hard to kill, and does extremely well in pots, and boy, the color on this is spectacular.
Go to a nursery and ask about it.
It doesn't cost a lot either.
It will have small pink flowers in summer, so pretty!
By the way, I love your pot.

Spirea 'White Gold' has the limiest foliage that I know of - and white flowers rather than that pink of 'Lime Mound'. Check them both out and see which you like. There is also a lime-leaved Deutzia, also very hardy. I might check around for a gold/lime dwarf conifer though - it would give you year-round color.

I concur, nice pot!

Lovely pot!! To some degree, what you choose will depend on what shape you want - tall and rigid, tall and flowing, short and round, short and weeping, etc.

My two favorite choices would be:
Spirea Ogon AKA mellow yellow, which is fountain shaped rather than the rounded or bun shape of many spireas. White flowers, fine willowy yellow to chartreuse summer foliage, and red-gold fall color.
Clematis Stolwijk Gold, which has gold to chartreuse leaves and early blue flowers. Grown on a medium trellis I think this would look stunning.

Ninebark I think will be too big for the pot based on my P. coppertina. I'm personally not a fan of privet and IME they get pretty huge also.

Some other thoughts:
Yellow oak leaf hydrangea, Little Honey, though it has a reputation for being a bit fussy. It likes at least part shade
Yellow-variegated shrub dogwoods (Cornus), though they might be too large
Yellow elderberries (Sambucus) might stay small enough in your pot though they get large in the ground
Clumping bamboos, though I am not sure if any of the yellowish ones will be hardy enough for you.
Yellow leaved evergreens, such as some of the Chamaecyparis, would have foliage year round if you will be leaving the pot outside.
Some heathers have yellow to gold to orange foliage depending on the time of year and the variety.
Caryopteris such as Sunshine Blue have gold foliage and late season blue flowers. You'd need to check if the flowers coordinated with the pot.
Gold grasses, either variegated like some of the Miscanthus, or solid like gold Hakone grass.

You might also want to consider a water garden in your pot with papyrus, though it wouldn't be hardy or yellow.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:245259}}

Wow! So many options...I need to move on this so the pot is pretty this summer!...will do the research and let you all know which seems to work...THANKS! to all...

I'd consider 'Chollipo' Euonymus. You could grow it year-round in the pot. If you're concerned about frozen soil in the pot, you could line it with bubble wrap B4 putting your soil in.

Then in summer underplant it with a Dragon Wing Begonia -- which will spill over the sides. The combo of red blooms with the euonymus leaves will be stunning. -- or maybe Fuschia if that does better in your area?

Dave in Nova...I like your idea but will it look ok in a tallish rather than wide-ish type pot...it seems to be tall and narrow...can it perhaps grow more loosely and less formal as I live in the Oregon Mtns in the middle of a National Forest?...I've been wanting one of those red begonias!...I'd have to dig it up for the winter...

Georgeanne,

I guess it depends on where you're putting your container and what 'shape' you want in it.

E. japonicus 'Chollipo' can be kept open or clipped into a more compact shape. I'd say you could keep it into a round shape or upright oval. Sort of your call.

Here where I work they planted 'Silver King' euonymus in containers year-round and then underplant with red wax begonias in summer ; pansies in winter. Looks nice. Silver King is more green and white. I think with that pot you'd want more gold.

If you are interested in a more spreading variegated euonymus, you could try to find one called Euonymus fortunei 'Sunspot'. It tends to trail. But you wont' be able to plant anything else under it or next to it. It would eventually form a wide oval shape. New growths would need occasional trimming.

E. 'Moonshadow' is more a ground cover.