I've only been using cheap plastic containers. The first year I didn't want to invest too much in case they did poorly, so just got $15 plastic planters, 20" diameter. Then I decided I wanted more and wanted all the planters to match so just stuck with it. Once the flowers get going after a month, you no longer see the containers at all. And in trying to move them, I'm glad because I can barely get them in place by tilt/swivel/repeat until it's sort of rolled into position. I can't imagine how heavy they'd be if I used ceramic containers (and how many times I'd break them).
I've been using the Ups-A-Daisy thingies inside those large planters to save on potting mix, and now I place 3-4 pavers or bricks in the bottom before I insert the Ups-A-Daisy, then the potting mix, and that keeps most of them from tipping over. I've got one that I grow moonflowers and cardinal vines with a 5' tall trellis in it, that high winds will still topple over. But it's close enough to my garage that I attached a chain from the very top of the trellis to the garage, and that keeps it from tipping over. It just looks a bit tipsy until I straighten it back up after a high wind storm, but never falls down so the plants don't get crushed at all.
