Hi crmjtm, You can just use the cement planters as receptacles for bottom wicking pots. These are pots in pots, with the upper one's holes drawing water up from the one it stands in. The bottom one has no holes & this way your cement leakage is solved. The cement planter just becomes where you place several dual container growing sets inside. These are sold ("Dutch" pots among other names) & also do-it-yourself ideas can be searched for on the GW "Container Gardening" forum as "SWC" (self watering containers).

I don't think there will be place to get water closeby. This could be a problem for grandmothers. Do they realize this? Windy is good for alpines. While alpines need excellent drainage, that doesn't necessarily mean they are xeric plants and do well with little water. And remember, most all perennials will not look finished the first year. Would everyone turn their noses up if the one farthest from the water source is cactus and succulents? Even without the cactus part, sedums and sempervivums(Hens & Chicks) are varied enough to provide good diversity in size, color and shape. Rock placement would be integral in such a design. You could use shorter forms of upright sedums like Black Jack, garden variety spreading sedums, Sedum caudicola(or S.c. 'Lidakense'), small leaf forms, Sedum 'Angelina', tiny cobweb type hen & chicks(Sedum arachnoides), ones with large rosettes, and they come in many colors. Sisyrinchium spp. (Blue-eyed grass) would go well with these too. And no fertilizing for this container. BUT, practically no perennial garden is as floriferous as annuals. A major thing to consider. As far as "regular" short perennials that might be good: the dwarf forms of Balloon flower, Sentimental Blue Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium sp) Basket of-gold Aurina saxitilis(Alyssum saxitile)or A.s.'Compacta Pussytoes (Antennaria sp.) Alliums Dwarf Goatsbeard (Aruncus aethusifolius) Low Pinks (Dianthus sp.) Dwarf or spreading forms of Baby's Breath Pasque flowers (Pulsatilla sp.) Thyme (Thymus sp.) Low spreading veronica's like Waterperry

Many Japanese maples are well-suited to being grown in a container. However, elevated containers - large planters or not - do make the plants they contain more vulnerable to cold temperatures just by virtue of their sides being exposed to the air. They are missing the insulating properties of all that soil mass that inground plantings enjoy. Having said that, the larger the container, the larger the soil mass around the roots, so some of the risk is mitigated. But a good rule of thumb is to include plants that are hardy at least two full zones lower than your own. That puts JM's just a little on the iffy side, unless you can provide some sort of additional winter protection. The most important issue with any long-term container planting other than the planter/container having adequate drainage outlets is the soil it contains. Garden soil will not work - you need a soil specially formulated for containers. And for long term containers where the soil cannot be easily changed out or refreshed, it needs to be very durable and textural. And no gravel at the base -- contrary to popular belief, gravel at the bottom of a container or planter does not improve drainage but rather slows it down. Before you decide what to plant, you may want to visit the Container Gardening forum and read some of the tutorials written by tapla - Al. He is a recognized authority on container gardening, especially container soils, and his posts are extremely informative and helpful. And look for his posts on trees in containers - you will learn a lot :-)

Do you mean more cement planters in addition to the ones already there? No, it would be too crowded. Or are you asking for suggestions on what to plant in the ones you have? Put something low and trailing in them. The stoop is relatively small and you don’t want to block the view of the door. Both the short shrubs near the steps need to be gone. Especially since one is in poor shape. If the budget allows, a new wider concrete sidewalk would add a lot. Even better if it had a brick outer border. I like your new door.