Help me create a statement front door container

[FastingBitchFace]

I have a modern house, and I want a large statement shrub/tree for by the front door, planted in a pot. I'm not keen on a bay or a buxus ball. It's windy here, and we're by the coast so acers are out, sadly.

Can anyone suggest anything big that I can underplant if the fancy takes me? It's an east facing spot, tucked around a corner so it doesn't get much sun.

A rhododendron? Camellia?

How about a rose? We've just planted a Roald Dahl in a pot next to our (fairly shady) front door. Hoping it'll be happy there. Plenty that say they're happy in pots on the David Austin site.

www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/products/roald-dahl

What about a small tree fern?

I have a bay tree with more of a multi stem thing going on. Less twee looking, and a lovely evergreen.

Orange blossom or Daphne might be nice, both are evergreen and smell lovely. I would imagine they would look quite statementy if they are big enough.

My local garden centre had two six foot topiary twists in massive 4 foot pots, which were a proper statement, but would set you back about £1,400 for the two!!!!

A Fatsia Japonica would look good. I have one in a large planter. I underplant it in the summer with trailing annuals and Cosmos that weaves through the leaves.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Ooh, a multi stem bay tree is a lovely thing. I wonder if I could make either the camellia or rhododendron I already have look a bit like that.

I love tree ferns, but a decent sized one is a bit to expensive I think, given that I’ll also need to buy a nice pot.

I don’t really have anywhere to train a rose I’m afraid, this will be going in the corner of an L shaped window.

How about a bamboo? Great in pots, green all year, very hardy.

I love bamboo, but I have a couple of golden stem ones in pots that are throughly miserable through the autumn and winter and look dreadful. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. Any ideas?

Having done a quick google, I think my bamboos are looking sorry for themselves due to windburn.

Sorry, @Beebumble2, I missed your fatsia suggestion. They do grow like stink round here but I think it could encroach on the door a bit, the ones o have in the garden are pretty wide.

What about a contorted hazel?

If you don’t mind non evergreen, an Acer would look pretty.

I have loads of some type of pieris called a fire bush or similar. I've got one by the front door and at this time of year when they come into colour they're stunning. Really east to care for too.

On my very similar thread last year someone suggested Sarcococca and it is amazing. Evergreen and smells divine in Dec - Feb when it flowers. You get a lovely waft into the house every time someone goes in or out. I love mine and am getting another one this year to match on the other side of the porch.

Unfortunately an acer is no good here with the strong coastal winds. I love the smell of sarcoccocca, I just don't know if they grow tall enough to look like what I'm after.

I love corkscrew hazel, but apparently they like sun. Boo.

Olive. They're remarkably hardy - will put up with all kinds of weather.

If you are by the coast what about a tamarisk ? They are very hardy and grow on the coastline

www.paramountplants.co.uk/blog/index.php/tamarix-salt-cedar/

This page says they will grow in a pot - and they won't be bothered by wind or salt air

Escalonia?

This year I am going to experiment with growing a elderberry black lace in a large pot.
Beautiful colour mix of the black foliage and pink flowers and then hopefully the tasty purple berries.
Beautiful plant but I don’t want to put it in the soil as I don’t want it to turn into a monster sized plant that it will do. So hopefully in the container I will eventually have a bush about a metre tall and bushy with enough berries to make a bottle or two of elderberry gin.

Sweet box
Camelia - especially one with very dark green glossy leaves
Viburnum
Daphne

Tamarisk is indeed fabulous but needs sun, grrr.

Things like camellia, escalonia, viburnum and daphne, I’m more used to seeing them either as rounded shrubs or hedges. Can they be pruned to keep them open underneath? That’s the look I prefer, not so much the lollipop look, but multi stem. If I had a huge amount of room I’d have a multi stem silver birch in a massive pot.