Bold and sculptural plants are the hot look for container plantings this summer. The focal point of an outdoor area during the day, so-called architectural plants can be even more dramatic at night if lighted to throw their shadows onto a wall.

They are especially suited to contemporary and Asian-style gardens, but they can add a sophisticated touch to most any outdoor space. They are best used in places where you want a focal point or might envision a sculpture: against a blank wall, in an entry courtyard, beside a door, at the end of walkway or on the edge of a patio.

Such effects are usually simple to install, because they can be achieved with one plant and one pot. The minimalist approach means each component of the arrangement is important. While the look can be achieved with an oversized standard flowerpot, contemporary architectural containers are in vogue, giving gardeners more choices than before.

Hillary Tyler Gant is a certified landscape professional and a Dallas freelance writer.

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

A utilitarian agricultural trough filled with water-loving horsetail ( Equisetum hyemale) makes an unusual display and plays on the linear lines of both plant and planter. The mass of reeds forms a rectangle echoed by the trough, whose rounded edges reflect the round tubes of the horsetail. Like a school of fish, the vertical plants move as one unit, all bowing in the same direction with the wind. Horsetails are ideal next to a pool or dining area because they provide screening but don't drop flowers or leaves. Over time, the diameter of each clump of reeds will expand. Galvanized metal stock troughs are available at farm supply and feed stores.

Materials

Eight 5-gallon horsetail plants in galvanized feeding trough (68 inches long by 24 inches tall)

All materials courtesy of Redenta's

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

Flowers cycle in and out of bloom, but foliage looks good all season. This arrangement uses a sophisticated color palette of burgundy and earthy browns, and the mix of shapes and textures keeps it interesting. Rather than matching the brightly colored wall with similarly hot plant hues, the dark leaves are a bold contrast.

The star of the show is an audacious red-leaved banana (Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii') that adds tropical punch and much-needed height. Shorter and more delicate vase-shaped festival grass ( Cordyline x 'Jurred') and the wiry stems of curly sedge ( Carex buchananii 'Fox Red') keep the combination grounded.

Subdued containers in a mix of finishes don't upstage the plants yet their repeating shapes keep a consistent look.

Materials

30-gallon red-leaf banana in glazed pot (24-inch diameter by 23 inches tall)

3-gallon festival grass in unglazed pot (12-inch diameter by 15 inches tall)

1-gallon brown sedge in cream glazed pot with unglazed lower section (10-inch diameter by 10 inches tall)

Styling by HILLARY GANT/Special Contributor; materials courtesy of Calloway's

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

This trio of naturally rusted metal planters had a strong sculptural presence even before plants were added. The birdbath shapes were concocted by landscape designer Michael Kinler from steel propane tank heads set atop salvaged steel cylinders.

Drought-tolerant xeric plants are good choices for this kind of shallow planter, because the soil dries out quickly.

Vase-shape red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) on the right, toothless sotol (Dasylirion longissimum) in the rear and the longer blades of Texas sotol (D. texanum; sometimes labeled Nolina texanum) in the container on the ground have similar leaf forms. The arrangement gets its rhythm from the containers' varied heights.

Materials

3-gallon toothless sotol

3-gallon red yucca

5-gallon Texas sotol

All materials courtesy of Redenta's

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

Most architectural plants force you to stand back to take them in. A container shaped like a birdbath brings a carpet of ground-hugging succulents into sharp focus. Each plant has a strong form on its own, but planted en masse they create a texture that begs to be touched. The container's bowl shape is repeated in miniature as Echeveria and Sempervivum species crowd together, with sedum ground covers filling in gaps around the edges. Different species provide visual variety in their purple, gray or chartreuse leaves, even while the pattern and texture are repetitive.

Materials

Assorted 4-inch pots of Echeveria and Sempervivum to fill container to the point of crowding.

All materials courtesy of Redenta's

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

Exploit the spiky silhouette of a European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis). The dwarf palm's broad, fanlike leaves and peeling bark contrast with this slick, glazed pot.

The palm should be winter-hardy here, but if lows in the teens are predicted and the palm is not in a sheltered location, it would be wise to wrap pot and all in burlap or a blanket.

While it may be tempting to instead fill such a spot with a group of smaller plants, the end result could look cluttered and disproportionate in scale to the thick column of stone.

At night, throw dramatic shadows on a wall with a spotlight that outlines the leaves' angular shape.

Materials

30-gallon fan palm

Glazed container, 24-inch diameter by 23 inches tall

Styling by HILLARY TYLER GANT/Special Contributor; materials courtesy of Calloway's