Welcome to GoY. There's a couple of things we need to know in order to give good advice. First, what part of the UK are you in? Average temperatures and exposure vary depending on what part of the country you're in, particularly if you're near the sea... Second, does the area you want to use the potted plants in get a lot of sun, or is it fairly shady? Third, any idea which way it faces (north, south) and if you don't know, is it very windy and exposed or sheltered and warmer?

If you can post photos, that'd be useful too... You can answer by clicking in the box below and typing in there.

Personally, I would avoid pots/planters if I possibly can. It's just more work and the plants don't do as well. Plants in the ground can sprawl and I prefer that idea. It really comes down to personal preference, but not everything does well in pots.

As regards your question its largely a matter of personal taste. If you like formality then perhaps spaced out ones would be right for you. If you prefer a more concentrated display, perhaps a bit informal, then group some together. You can always try it out and see which way you prefer. I hope you have done the right thing too because it would be difficult to put it all back! One of the few advantages of a container garden is that you can rearrange it as long as the containers aren't too big.
Think about watering too - groups of pots would be easier to water than ones far apart. Plants often do better too when they are grouped together.
If you are looking for advice about what to plant then we need answers to Bamboo's questions.

Oh, and if you buy terracotta or other ceramic pots make sure you get frostproof ones.

Many thanks for your comments.
The garden gets a little morning sunshine, buts its mid afternoon
before main sun comes round.
its shade in some corners due to next door trees.
I live in lancashire.
Thanks again ,
sue.

You can garner inspiration from the over 400 photos in the 'patio ideas' section of this website. Scroll down to alphabet at bottom of this page, click on 'P' then look for 'Patio Ideas' sort though all the possibilities. Something there should get your creative juices flowing. That's what it's there for. Good Luck!

Lancashire, so pretty chilly in winter then, which means you need to consider carefully the hardiness in pots of the plants you choose. I don't know how big the space is in the area, but there are some general guidelines to follow - when buying pots, don't buy small ones, stick to medium/large/very large and if you can, buy similar pots. A small area cluttered with lots of smaller pots or pots in different materials (terracotta, ceramic glazed, metal, zinc, wood) can look a complete mess, so if you can, unify the look by choosing the material and colour of your containers carefully. If you choose metal or zinc containers, its best to line the inside with something before planting - that soft, polystyrene sheeting like fabric is good for this, or bubblewrap, just to insulate the roots in the pot, because metal gets very cold or very hot very quickly.

Without a photo, its hard to say for sure what would look best for you, but generally, its good to cluster pots in groups, with larger ones at the back - that way, you get a staggered height effect from the plants growing in them. When winter comes, its good to cluster them all together, so they can protect one another a bit, and preferably cluster them in the warmest, most sheltered spot.

Again, without knowing the size of the area, its hard to recommend plants, but certainly I'd recommend a mix of smaller evergreen/flowering shrubs with either some flowering perennials or annuals (summer bedding type). The link below is to the RHS page on container planting - it has other links at the bottom to particular plants you might want to use, but if you want more specific recommendations re plants, then photographs would be essential.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=583

How to group containers (which is what you appear to be asking advice about, not what to plant in them) depends on the size and shape of your plot, the eyesores you may wish to hide (ugly fence, view, etc), and how you intend to use the plot. At this stage, the plot's aspect and how much sun it does or doesn't get is irrelevant. Once you've worked out where you want and need your containers to be, you can decide on what best to plant in them depending on aspect, sun, etc.

No-one here can give you specific advice, so your best best is to get hold of some books on container gardening, and / or look online, to see what would work best for your particular plot and for you and your family.

The full shade corner could look good all the year round with a good selection of different leaf shapes. A variegated evergreen and a plain one such as a Skimmia , and at least one perennial fern would be a good start. There's at least one fern that will tolerate dry shade(Polysticum setiferum). Then something with large shiny leaves such as an Epimedium. We can suggest good varieties if you like.

Have a look at Long Acre plants site for ideas as they specialise in plants for shade.

Bamboo just left me an extremely nasty and rude response to my posted question. Go figure.

As somebody said it's all a matter of taste and I have seen some wonderful planting with not a piece of earth in sight! For ideas perhaps you could pop down to the library and ask them to order for you some books on container gardening. I have two which provide loads of inspiration (nothing gets done, but I can dream!). Just give the library the name and ISBN number. Or if you want to buy one, have a look on ebay!
The Contained Garden By Kenneth A Beckett, David Carr & David Stevens. ISBN 0711202583
The Ultimate Container Garden by Stephanie Donaldson. ISBN 1840382627.
Both have full instructions and inspiration for grouping, types of container, plants etc.
I would echo what Bamboo says about sizes of pots - little ones dry out really quickly.

Ah yes, that Kenneth Becket one I have too, Honeysuckle, and its a good one...

Two points I would consider. First do not plant shrubs or perennial plants in pots unless they are either straight sided or wider at the top than at the bottom. It is almost impossible to remove plants from other shaped pots without breaking them. Frost is likely to split the pot if it is ball shaped. As it is only the patio which is paved you could scrape back some of the gravel and sit bottomless pots directly on the earth below. Shrubs can then put roots down much deeper than they can do in a pot which will give them winter protection as death is usually by lack of water, deep roots will overcome that problem. I followed advice to spray my evergreen plants with the stuff used to stop needle drop in Christmas trees, cut and brought inside. You seem to have deleted your account but we would all appreciate seeing the finished garden. Good luck.