hey syl, another good question. the english ivy will bush a little over the top of the pot (maybe 2-4 inches at most) but will trail quite a bit. the alternative is to put some kind of frame in the pot with it and train it. the african violet will not get any taller than the length of the biggest leaf, but will spread wider and wider if it is really happy. i have had them get up to 7 inches around. (don't have any right now )