Elevate your Garden with Urns

The Garden Urn Planter

A garden urn planter is a special container, usually made of cast stone or other heavy material. Unlike conventional planters, urns offer gardeners a unique opportunity to express elegant planting arrangements.
City Park New Orleans Louisiana Large Urn on bridge filled with perennial flowers
Garden urns are more decorative and ornate compared to a traditional planter and are commonly found in pairs placed in formal landscapes. There is a great history behind the use of the garden urn.
Garden Urns began their journey in the landscape within the 17th century with the emergence of royal families of Europe. It was not until the 18th century that the use of the garden urn was introduced into the American landscape
View from the Garden of Versailles by Lili Elb ca 1922
Garden urns represent a timeless elegance and symbolize a sense of beauty and importance. They have an almost subconscious romantic appeal in a landscape setting, often associated with noble simplicity, beauty, and reason. 
Garden urns are an eye-catching feature because of their unique shape. Characterized by a fluted form that is supported by a smaller base and neck, the garden urn generally gives a very curvilinear feminine appeal to the landscape. 
The garden urn has helped define homes and landscapes in the world for centuries, from the French Palaces, the Hills of Tuscany, Paris, Venice, Greece, to the classic town and country gardens of England, and Colonial America. 
Houmas House and gardens a place of importance
No matter the place or time of their use, one universal truth about the garden urn, it defines a space of meaning and importance.
Today, garden urns are offered in styles, sizes, and shapes that characterize their historical importance. Which gives the modern designer and gardener some great options when adding these elements into the landscape.

Classic Uses for Urns

  • Define a space or entryway. Place an urn on either side of a doorway, driveway, or any entrance to give it the air of importance. Elevate this method by placing the urn on pedestals bringing the planting and the designs to eye level. 
  • Elevate the garden’s annual and perennial plantings.Elevate your garden color with the use of a garden urn
    Placing an urn amongst the evergreen or deciduous shrubs can offer a new place to add eye-catching color to the garden.
  • Use several urns in a pattern to create a rhythm or draw people into an area. Often times in larger landscapes the designers will use the above combinations of urns to draw you through a garden space with pops of color in a pattern.
  • Define the end of the journey in larger gardens as you wander through the paths the designers will often place a sculpture or an urn on a pedestal to tell you that this is a stopping point and to pause.
  • In a more casual sense, urns offer the very special feature of elevated gardening.
    This is fabulous for those who have trouble bending down in the garden. It is also nice for trailing plants, flowers, or vegetables that need a little extra help keeping the bugs away in the summer months.
  • Some fun plants are Wave Petunias and Lysimachia (shown) or Strawberries! Ornamental Potato Vines are a colorful choice and paired with Bacopa or Alyssum for a pop of white cascade. Bring up the arrangement with a small topiary or tropical. The ideas can just go on! Remember to use the good soil and top dressing like mulch for happy plants.
 
Garden Urn Planters have some great design uses and functional uses. These are a few of our favorites we wanted to share with you.
Campania International Longwood Fluted Urn

Campania International Longwood Fluted Urn

Shown in the soft muted green of Verde Patina, the Longwood Fluted Urn measures just under 20 inches in diameter and about 15 inches tall. The detailing of this piece is reminiscent of the soft arches and curves of the Longwood Gardens. Place this garden urn in the landscape and fill it with a cascade of colors to inspire your inner gardener.
Park Slope Urn

Campania International Park Slope Urn

Sleek and clean lines, the Park Slope Urn merges the old world use of urns with the new urban modern style. Shown in the Alpine Stone the smooth finish picks up the nice undertones of green and grey perfectly. Measuring 20 inches in diameter, the Park Slope Urn would look fabulous with an Ilex (Holly) cone to complete those nice clean visual lines.
Campania International Classic Copper Banded Large Urn

Campania International Classic Copper Banded Large Urn

For beauty, elegance, and drama, the Classic Copper Banded Large Urn is the full package. The form of this garden urn is the classic fluted shape, anchored by a strong base and elegant but graceful neck. The copper band brings this piece to life and when stained in the dramatic Nero Nuovo Patina this garden urn is a shown stopper.

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.