Suggestions for outdoor planters to replace my cordyline...

I'm looking for ideas for my planters. My Torbay cordylines are 'on their last legs' (see previous post) and I'd like to replace them with another hardy 'exotic' or similar.

The planters are outdoors but located in an open porch, so they are sheltered from the harshest weather. Ideally, I'm looking for something that is evergreen, attractive in large black planters and with rougly the same dimensions of a Torbay ie not too much of a spread. If it helps, we live in Kent.

Does anyone have any ideas? If not, its back to the good old corylines!

thanks in advance, Floyd

 

you could go for something like this:-

its a washington robusta, not super hardy, but will last the winters with protection.





or, something like cidp (canary island date palm) or a trachy fortunii

 

Hi Floyd , I was just looking at your cordy , it seams strange that they died now , do they get enough sunshine? can you actually remove one of the dead plant and check if new shoot are coming out , usually if it frost will kill the plant but not the roots. Anyway try to look for a dry condition plant , in case you have sunshine you can go for .
yucca thompsoniana or rostata both hardy to -10 (very expencive)

cycad revoluta up to -8

agave some of then are hardy to -15

or if you want to impres people
opuntia hardy to -20

for shadow position.
go for tetrapanax rex
aspidistra elatior
fatsia
and so on.

 

Cant come up with much that looks exotic as such.
Corylines are quick growing and rarely do well for long in containers, you could try Yucca elephantipies, its not spiney but can be tender.

Other than that, how about olive, quite hardy and you can trim it to shape.
Not exotic but some of the upright yews can look good in containers.

 

Yucca aloifolia for a similar look.

 

many thanks folks. I have plenty to go on now and will come back once I have made a decision!