Holey pots, Batman, it's a perforated planter. The classic strawberry jar used for years isn't anything to get excited about, unless you plant it with creative combinations. These pots feature a series of pockets that lend vertical interest, allowing you to layer plants. When filled out with foliage or flowers, they also add easy design to a garden or deck.

When I moved into a new house, I wanted to take a little bit of my old garden with me. I used strawberry jars to help relocate a few of my old favorites that suited the jars' well-drained conditions.

Once in my new place, I had little time to garden. Beyond watering occasionally, I paid little attention to the pots till the following spring. Then I discovered that the Japanese roof iris (Iris tectorum) I had tucked in the top of the container had multiplied and produced several white butterfly-like blooms. The iris is native to Japan, where it is often planted on cottage roofs. When not in bloom, it displays handsome light green, fanlike foliage. While their species typically has blue flowers, there's a white flower selection called 'Alba.'

Strawberry begonias (Saxifraga stolonifera), squeezed into the sides of the container, grew beneath the iris. Once the iris quit blooming, the begonias began to flower. Their delicate flowers sprinkle along 8- to 10-inch stems. They also feature nice foliage when not in bloom: round, scalloped, hairy leaves that are grayish green with cream veins.

Other jar pockets were filled with mazus (Mazus reptans), usually used as a ground cover. Its slender stems and small leaves spill down the sides of the container, and small, white, pealike flowers appear in the spring. Above the mazus, the reddish-purple whorled foliage of 'Vera Jameson' sedum (Sedum 'Vera Jameson') tops the pot. This sedum produces pink flowers in dome-shaped clusters, but its foliage truly makes it special.

The wall-mounted pot received interesting foliage plants as well. 'Elijah Blue' fescue (Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue') looks like spiked hair rising from the top of the planter. A blue-green sedum (S. sieboldii) pours out the bottom, and strawberry begonias fill in the middle holes.

These combinations worked for me, but you can use any plant that needs well-drained soil. Just make sure to use plants that share the same growing conditions. Remember, you can even fill your strawberry jar with strawberry plants.