That's fair. I'm trying to stay away from perennials just because I don't have a good place to store them during the winter months and am not confident that they'd survive the cold in a planter (although I may be wrong.) We've used hostas, astilbe and ferns on our north side with great success. My thoughts were bushier species of fuschias and impatiens in pots, with some accent foliage -- just something flowery to brighten things up a bit. I'm wondering if there are other easily-obtainable annuals that can take the lack of sunlight but that won't poop out in the course of the summer. I can't seem to keep pansies going over the summer around here, even in the shade. Now, if I thought I could keep perennials, even wildflowers, alive and healthy in containers, I'd expand my plant palette accordingly.

I believe it's Callicarpa.

Ken, not all shrub honeysuckles are weedy, invasive species. :-) I wouldn't be without Lonicera nitida or L. pileata in the garden - excellent and versatile broadleaved evergreen shrubs. Or my latest favorite, the groundcovering Lonicera crassifolia. But none of these are the plant in question........and I have no guesses beyond what has already been suggested ;-)

Compare to Centratherum intermedium, aka Brazilian Bachelor's Buttons.