As for the rain, that's the great thing about having containers, specially relatively small ones like you are talking about. If it's raining a bunch, move the pot. If there is a frost, move the pot. By using containers, we're able to control a lot of what mother nature throws at us. Not everything, but a lot. Judging from your comments about rain, I'd assume you aren't the greatest at watering habits, or you probably would have moved those pots when it kept raining. Don't worry, I'm not that good either at times. You should probably understand that container gardening requires some more attention, especially with watering and temperatures, than in ground does. We also need to provide nutrients to our container plants. The ground isn't there to give them any of those. That said, as LO said above, there are some really easy things you can start out with. Lots and lots of flowers are pretty tolerant to swings in environment. Their pretty too! Just look for something that matches your sun and watering requirements. I'd also suggest some herbs. Try some mint? It can actually be useful in the kitchen, looks nice, and is pretty hard to kill. In fact, it's pretty much a weed, and will fill your container pretty quickly. You can always trim it back though. If you protect it from anything too crazy over the winter, it will grow next year too. You can take it inside if that is easier depending on where you live and the winter weather. Sage might fit in there pretty well also. About the same as mine, only I don't like the looks as much, but you might! Even with a small container, you could build a little herb garden, and supply your kitchen with some nice stuff. Make sure your mix drains well though, herbs don't like a lot of water. If it rains, put the pot under something, like on the porch or whatever. You control the moisture, not the weather. I like rosemary, and find it very useful in the kitchen. It's a little slow growing though, and a child may not be entertained by it much. You might go to a good nursery, ask them. They'll know what plants/flowers are maintenance free in your area. They can even show you what they look like. Have fun, and remember that so much of gardening is trial and error. It's black magic, and as much as we think we know, it only goes so far.

Well, you have my permission to offer that container to me. I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands! ;) Just kidding - sorta. It's gorgeous. I'm suffering from container envy. lol Anyway, to answer your question - three completely different kinds of plants came to mind when looking at it and reading your color scheme. (I am assuming it has drainage on the bottom for all these ideas.) In no particular order - - a dwarf pink lilac. Can't remember the name of it, but I think they've come up with one that blooms several times during the summer now. Warning though - I have one in a container near a stone house, and I'm always having Powdery Mildew problems by mid to late summer, so my purple dwarf lilac only blooms once. - Milkweed. Yeah, I know most people think of it as a weed, but no milkweed, no monarch butterflies, and frankly, mine are just blooming, and have the exact complimentary colors for that container. I like this choice, because they seem the perfect height for that container, too. - Lamb's ear. It's that soft green, like the container, and they are literally soft leafed, like a lamb's ear. Some actually flower into the same pink that would compliment that container too. Only problem I see with that choice though is the plant(s) won't grow as tall as the container, so it seems like a whole lot of space for such short plants. For anything you're growing in there, if it doesn't need all that room for the roots of the plants, you can add a layer of upside down, empty soda cans to the bottom to lighten the weight of the container, and save on potting soil. One of the things I love about container gardening is finding the perfect container and having the perfect plant in it. I'm just beginning to get to that stage. (Only have two 5-gallon "paint buckets" left. lol) I sure hope you get other ideas. I want you to be thrilled every time you see that container and the plant in it. Good luck.

You would love the many small ground covers that grow in Sydney - Scaevola, prostrate forms of Grevilleas, Hibbertias, Eremophila, Acacia, Pea flowers, Ziera, Goodenia, etc, etc. I would also think about contrasting foliage like Dianella 'Cassa Blue', Thelionema umbellatum, or Lomandra 'Wingarra'. Yellow Buttons (Helichrysum ramosissima - has had name changes though, and there are many forms)or Billy Buttons (Ixeolena brevicompta) are great!

If you can get your hands on a copy of Native Plants of the Northeast by Donald Leopold, you''ll find two pages of ferns and fernlike plants, grasses and grasslike plants, wildflowers, vines, shrubs and trees that tolerate shade. Some of my shrubs are: Shrubs: calycanthus, leucothoe (which is evergreen, tiny cream flowers in early spring), lindera benzoin (spicebush - obligate host for spicebush swallowtail butterfly), sambucus (elderberry), rhododendron & azalea. If you want to fill out with perennials/groundcovers, some of my favorites are wild ginger, cimicifuga (the 4-5' tall flower racemes glow in the slanting rays of late afternoon sun coming through the tree canopy), dicentra eximia and d. cucullaria (fern-leaf bleeding heart and Dutchman's breeches, respectively), crested iris, tiarella. Not mentioned in Leopld's list (most of these are not native), but among my favorites are heuchera (coral bells - all kinds of foliage colors!), aucuba ('Gold Dust' has evergreen leaves flecked with gold), variegated Solomon's Seal (it does spread, but it easy to pull out), sarcocca (sweet box - small broad-leaved evergreen with tiny but very fragrant flowers in late winter), epimedium (check variety - some are clump-forming, others are runners), and pulmonaria.