Cupressus "Wilma Goldcrest," rising out of a glazed blue container, is the pivot in a swirl of chartreuse-yellow. (NE Portland garden by Nancy Goldman.) // Photo by Joshua McCullough

I am a pothead. No, not someone who smokes weed but a gardener who over the years has grown everything from herbs and vegetables to tropicals and carnivorous plants in containers.

Early in my gardening career plant lust compelled me to purchase lots of plants that weren’t hardy in our climate zone. They ended up in pots that lined our front entry and with no greenhouse were laboriously trundled to the basement or garage with the onset of winter. We now are down to three containers that need winter protection; practicing zonal denial isn’t easy for aging gardeners and their spouses.

Since those early days experience has taught me how to integrate containers into the overall design of a garden so they blend seamlessly into their surroundings and enhance and reinforce the style of the space. Pots are major structural and architectural components that create visual interest throughout the year, whether they contain plants, water, funky objets d’art or are just interestingly shaped or colored empty vessels.