Urns Hold Huge Potential for Garden Decorating

Odes have been written about them; they've stored everything from wine to cremated ashes. Today, urns in a range of styles decorate homes and gardens. Large, simple, Mediterranean-style urns catch the eye in Houzz landscapes. They add curb appeal, draw the eye as sculpture, add color, and serve as fountains. Check out urns from antiques to modern art, with ideas for use, to see if a large urn suits your yard.

Bring in a Splash of Color

This home and landscape have traditional elements, but avant-garde outdoor art and furnishings delight. This sculpture takes the traditional urn form, blows it up to unexpected proportions, and draws the eye from all over the yard with its bright orange hue.

Make a Bold Statement

A gigantic urn sculpture fits an olive grove—large urns traditionally stored olive oil in Italy and Turkey. But I think of it as urn-inspired sculpture; even gladiators led by Russell Crowe couldn't carry it full of oil without a mess.

Create a Fountain

A designer created a fountain using three hand-thrown Greek urns against a stone wall with three spigots.

See the rest of this home

A single urn fountain's bubbling water invites visitors to explore a garden.

Make a Focal Point

A large glazed urn plays off all shades of green in a garden of conical evergreens and rounded boxwood shrubs.

Likewise, use an urn as a focal point in a courtyard or on a patio.

Some pools go to "infinity"; others need a focal point to mark termination. This black urn is classic in shape, modern in placement and dark coloring.

Fashion a Planter

Urns occupy space between ground and stone wall, serving as architectural bases for climbing vines.

Complement Stone Facades

Antique and reclaimed materials throughout this Mediterranean-style Arizona home. The urn's patina fits the antique weathered palette.

Add an Appropriately Scaled Architectural Element

Large palm leaves and tropical plants could eat most garden statues. This urn's simple shape doesn't distract from lush, exotic plants.

Create Symmetry

A pair of urns glazed in deep blue hues connects a pergola to other landscape elements, like this pool.

Pick Up on Overlooked Hues

The ochre of this urn ties together dry grasses, sand, and weathered wooden fence.

Enhance an Entryway's Drama

A pair of urns reinforces symmetry and accentuates the exotic feel of this inviting threshold.

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