Those sound huge! Maybe post of pic of each so everyone can get a sense of shape and size?

You know, I've never seen anything planted in a wok other than succulents, I suspect because the exposed ground area is so large that it would be tough to keep anything else watered well.

Of course, succulents also lend themselves well to that kind of minimalist style, so they're a great choice - agave, cereus, etc. - I'd use some of the typical rules for pots - something tall, something broad and something that spills over - perhaps a Cereus peruvianus in the middle with a few Sotols or Agave with some Elephant's food. Of course, there's many combos...

But....isn't it metal? You'll need holes drilled for drainage but that vessel will get very hot, or cold, depending on weather conditions.

I think maybe she's talking about the large wok-shaped planters, Mary. You'd recognize one if you saw it...

Oh. Silly me, I thought she was talking about re-purposing wok's.

Yes, they are concrete wok pots. Thank you for the drawing pagancat, that helps give me a visual. I do love agaves, so that is a consideration. I will post a photo this weekend to see if anyone has any other suggestions. Thank you all for your help.

Here is a photo of the wok pot with a barrel next to it for size comparison. This one is 37" wide.

Neat! That's a big one! I love it. Pagan's suggestions are great--you can't go wrong!

Lots of fun combinations come to mind: a tall Cereus peruvianus, maybe a golden barrel cactus, and yes, some nice elephant food/dinosaur food (Portulacaria afra). Or swap out the cereus for a Mexican fencpost (okay, okay, it's a citrus too C. marginatus, but you know what I mean, LOL), or swap out the golden barrel and swap in an Agave parryi. Or swap out the Cereus and swap in a slipper plant (Pedilanthus macrocarpus).

Let us know what you select and how it works out. This is fun to think about, and to watch!

Happy gardening,
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: My little garden blog, just a post or two a month.

Oh yeah - some of the Pedilanthus are *so* cool looking.

Glad to be of assistance, lol!

P.S. Don't forget to tell us what you decide!

You all are awesome, thank you for your suggestions! Well, so far I have a Med Fan Palm in 2 of them and an Octopus agave in the 3rd. I liked the Agave parryi, but hubby really did not want anything that had sharp spines/edges. I also like the slipper plant, so now I need to find somewhere to put one of those :). I really want to add some color so as soon as it cools just a bit more I am going to look into some seasonal flowers to put around the med fan palms. I will post another photo once I get those in.

Fun! Keep us posted! By the way, I meant to type CEREUS not citrus when referring to Mexican fencepost. Hopefully folks cracked the code on that one. :)

I love Mediterranean fan palms too, and I have a big one in a huge pot too. In summer I surround it with vincas (they're still going strong so I haven't yanked them out yet) and in winter I usually do zonal geraniums, petunias, or pansies. We're eager for pics of both pots, so definitely keep us posted!

Happy gardening, it's fun to see/hear what you select!
Grant

Looking forward to your pics. Tell hubby to stay out of your pots and he won't get stabbed, lol. Parryi is a gorgeous plant, I agree.

You meant that you planted the palms in the deep containers, like the one in the picture? I don't think the root system will have enough room in the wok planters.

Hi Everyone - Well, we finally finished the courtyard so I wanted to share the photo. We went with palms in the corners and put annuals around them, portulaca for this summer. The pot in-between the 2 palms is being used as a cistern (there is a large scupper above that runs off our neighbors roof). The other wok has an octopus agave and I just put in the elephants food around it. The tree is an orange tree that will eventually give a bit of shade. It was a very long road, but I am please with the results!

It looks so nice and tidy! Nice work :)

VERY nice! Thanks for the update! Keep us posted on how everything does. If the octopus gets cranky in that pot you can definitely try an A. parryi, but hopefully octo will be happy long term. Happy gardening and do keep us posted!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pics from my garden May 2013

Very Zen. I think you will need some shade, though, long before that orange gets big enough to provide any. Patio umbrellas, maybe?