Lin, your photos brought back a lot of memories for me -- it's been quite a few years now, but I once had a lot of different containers planted too! I still have a big glass jug like in the front of the last picture (now empty, however). I planted it in a horizontal position, I think it came with a little stand that held it that way; I must have had a LOT more patience in my younger days!
And I have a ponytail palm plant growing in the sunroom that's now about 5' tall, but when I bought it many years ago it was so little I was considering putting it into a terrarium... pretty funny when I think about that.