And your climate is...?

Absolutely need to know your location and hardiness zone before we can make any specific suggestions.

i dont understand why you have the space for a 40 inch pot.. but you cant plant them in the ground within that space ...

ANYTHING can be grown in a pot ... its the basis of the entire hort industry ....

but that does not make it easy ... the most important thing in a pot is the media ... not the plant ... and the media is a water management system... so you already have 2 variables to perfect.. even before you put a plant in there ...

and then.. depending where you are.. is winter issues .... many trees do not prefer wet cold media.. when the plant is dormant .... and in colder areas ... the potential for freeze and rethaw over winter ...

it can be done.. but its not as simple as a just a list of tolerant plants ...

where are you???

ken

BTW ... a 40 inch pot is pretty small.. for the list of plants you suggest.. given their vast potential ... keep in mind... with trees.. the root mass can be twice or 3 times the plant you see above .. ergo.. you can see the long term problem with small pots ... of course.. there are dwarf versions of those listed ... but they might not make much impact down a driveway ....

Yes, make sure that the tree is one that would survive your climate.

For a containerized tree, a 40" diameter pot is a pretty generous size!! Quite large and mature Japanese maples are often sold in 24" wood boxes. I have been growing JM's and other trees in containers for many years and none of my containers are that large!

But container culture does tend to be a dwarfing growing condition and virtually no tree will reach its full size potential if restricted to a container. And it is not a plant-and-forget situation! You will need to remove the tree periodically to root prune and refresh the potting media, typically every 3-5 years.

There is an excellent and long running thead in the Container Gardening forum authored by our container gardening resident expert, Al/Tapla, that addresses this subject in some detail. It is worth reading and studying before embarking on this project if this is not something you have engaged in previously. Trees in Containers.

gardengal48, Thanks for the referral to the container gardening thread. I should have looked there first before posting here.

I'm in zone 7a/b. See picture for container placement area. It's on the gravel backfill area behind a 100'+ long retaining wall alongside my drive. The gravel area is 6' at its widest point.

Your zone certainly ups the potential choices!! But there still exists the possibility of the container freezing during a severe cold spell (although much harder to do with that large of a container), so be sure your choices can tolerate that degree of cold.......typically, you are looking at plants fully hardy at least 2 full zones below yours.

And do spend time reading that link. There is a relatively high degree of maintenance required for growing trees in containers long term, water and the easy accessibility to watering being of primary concern.

Thanks again.

I have water nearby for Azaleas and Dogwoods planted on the other side of the drive.

I found the article! - https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/dec/08/growing-shade-20181208/#.XDOHG0CatQ0.email

With natural forest vegetation right there a line of trees in tubs might look a bit odd. Maybe plant some things in the ground, below the wall instead.

yes.. your zone makes all my winter fears go away ....

does the gravel fill the whole area behind the wall??? .. or is there soil below the gravel???

how much direct sun does the area have ... is it as dark as it looks in summer??? ..... or is that an early winter dark cloudy day pic ....

all this aside ... i dont know if i would like pots marring the beauty of the wall ... there is something naturally simple in how it looks right now ... whereas the pots might look so artificial it might not seem right ... just thinking outside your box ... plz do whatever pleases you ... as if that need be said ...

i might just plant some trailing vinca/periwinkle or some such.. and let it cascade over the wall .. over the years ... presuming vinca minor is appropriate for your area ....

good luck ... ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=vinca+minor++over+wall&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

The backfill is mostly gravel. The wall is about 6' at its highest point.

The picture was taken today, a dark, cloudy day. Not a lot of direct Sunlight in the Summer because of the trees.

The wall looks nice but it is rarely seen. Not at all from the driveway when entering or leaving and barely from the house.

Not trying to enhance the look of the wall with plantings though we do have dwarf Mondo grass growing along the base. I want something attractive to encourage folks to stay on the drive and off the gravel shoulder.

TIA

Wife says NO! to Vinca Minor.

I can’t advise you, but what a lovely setting you have!

Guess I need to mosey on over to Container Gardening and post there. Going to need some advice as well on planting mixture.

>what a lovely setting you have!<

Again we see that tubs of trees or shrubs lining the drive out well away from the house would look out of place. And really don't seem to be necessary.

I'd agree that containerized trees spaced along the graveled side of the drive would look rather out of place, given the character/mood of the setting. But using some good sized landscape boulders in much the same manner would achieve the same result of keeping drivers off the shoulder or from going over the edge. And would in time develop their own patina of moss and lichens, which would be far more in keeping with the setting than potted trees..........

Some big, eventually mossy rocks might enhance that setting even without existing objectives being present. Particularly in combination with the pine trees.