Plants for front garden of a terrace

[SpringSpringSpring]

What plants do you think work well in pots for the front of a terrace? I've been looking for ideas and the current standard seems to be a pair of shaped bays in pots but I would prefer a single large container I think. I've tried Pinterest for ideas but they all to be for bigger spaces, ours isnt very deep and the bay goes all the way along the front (converted shop) so climbers are out too. Any ideas?

begonias

and another set of pots with tulips and daffs (you can plant them in layers, they find their own way up)

I find it an advantage to empty out and replant each year, adding 25% growbag to make a sort of rich John Innes. Granular fertiliser is IMO easier than watering in a liquid feed. Tomato fertiliser is good though as your pots will probably be pretty crammed.

A mixture of something trailing round the edges and something erect in the middle will give a bigger show. I also put box cuttings in mine for slow-growing evergreenery (if you have any box, the prunings root fairly easily. You can have a bay lollipop if you like. Someone may steal it as they are fairly expensive once grown.

I am absolutely no gardener but after a bit of trial and error I have found that geraniums are so easy they flower all summer and take a fair bit of neglect.

Although I do not have any I love the taller wide top terracotta pots with a bit of variety, some tall some sprawling and trailing. I get on well with salvia and lavender too. These are all hardy and can come up the next year.

Grasses do well in our front garden, it's north facing so doesn't get much sun. They are good all year round and don't need much attention. Also heucheras, we have dark red ones but there are loads of lovely varieties.

A Castor oil plant gives all year round large, green glossy leaves and virtually need no attention! They don't need daily watering, as the leaves retain moisture. They are also quite slow growing, although in a garden can reach a large size. But they also don't mind pruning, so you can snip away leaves and branches without affecting the plant.
No colourful flowers though! Mature plants do have 'candlesticks' of golf ball looking flowers, but unlikely in pot grown plants.

Lots of ideas, thank you all! I've seen two houses nearby that I really like, one has nice tiles in the front and a single lollipop holly, the other has a row of lavender along the front wall, like us, but then for contrast they have a big row of red geraniums along the window sill. But we don't have a windowsill or any way of digging through the cement out the front. And I am a bit worried about a nice tree getting pinched like pigletjohn said.

How about some rosemary, mint and/or sage? It's not a stunning hit of colour, but they smell lovely and you can use them in your cooking too.

good idea about the herbs, Pots can also lift them above cat and dog level, so more hygienic for cooking. Mint spreads, so put it in a bottomless pot sunk into the soil.