The Saga of the Giant Urn

Last spring when we started working on the front garden in SJC that was all palm trees and grass it became obvious that a focal point in the was needed. This is the Moonlight Garden and all the flowers are white, with interest and depth coming from the shapes, colors and textures of the foliage as well as a few pieces of garden adornment. I am a fan of urns and their classic shape so it was an easy choice for me since this garden is a bit more on the formal side than most of my gardens to choose an urn for the focal point. Not just any urn, but a giant urn. I found it on the internet and it was back somewhere in the middle of the country. This is what it looked like when the shipping company dropped it off in the driveway last summer. Once assembled it stands about four and a half feet high.

This is the bare spot that the urn was to enhance.

It took a while to get the garden ready for the urn and then to have it plumbed for an automatic sprinkler. It sat empty for months while I pondered what I was going to put in it. My first choice was a big, full white hydrangea with ferns and hanging ivy, but by the time it came time to plant it the hydrangeas were past their prime.

If you look closely (click on the photo to enlarge) you can see the Australian tree fern that went in the urn first. The fern was sitting in the garden waiting to be planted when I thought I would try it out as the centerpiece. Unfortunately it looked like giant rabbit ears after a strong wind storm decimated a few of the fronds, and it was just too comical looking to stay.

This is what the urn looks like today. After a trip to the nursery I opted for a feathery little palm tree as the centerpiece, at least until the hydrangeas come into bloom! There are ferns, liriope, bacopa and variegated ivy in there also.