Urns & Jars

Choosing urns and jars: scale first, style second

Most people buy focal pots one size too small, because a jar that looks enormous in a showroom shrinks the moment it stands in open garden. Measure the viewing distance before you order. A piece seen from the house across a lawn needs to be 80cm tall or better to register, which is where the Premium Glaze Adobe Jar (86cm), the Apollo Jar (85cm) and the Palace Jar at a full metre earn their price. Beside a door or on a terrace, 50cm to 70cm reads well: the Atlantis Temple Jar and the Egyptian and Samos pots sit in this band. On an outdoor table or a plinth, the 30cm to 40cm Well Jar, Mentor and Dipping Jar are enough. For a genuinely commanding piece, the Sentry Pot stands 149cm tall.

Planted, empty or water

Look at the opening before you plan the planting. A jar with a belly wider than its neck should never be planted directly, because the day the plant needs repotting, the root ball will not come back out. Leave narrow necked jars empty as sculpture, or drop in a nursery pot of trailing rosemary or dichondra that can be lifted freely. Wide mouthed urns and jars plant normally, and the classic treatment for a footed urn, such as the GRC and StoneLite classic urns with matching pedestals, is one clipped ball or a single season of trailing colour. Water jars suit still water and a couple of floating plants; there are true water bowls in our bowl planters collection as well.

Materials and weathering

The Premium Glaze pieces are high fired glazed ceramic, so the colour is permanent and the surface wipes clean. Atlantis and Old Stone finishes are mineral coatings designed to age; they soften and gain character outdoors, which is the point. Thai limestone is carved stone, immensely heavy and effectively permanent. GRC and StoneLite are moulded composites at a fraction of the weight of cast concrete, which makes an urn and pedestal a two person job rather than a crane job, and they are the sensible choice for balconies and rooftops. Everything here weathers; place a jar where rain can rinse it and it will look after itself.

Common questions

Can I plant straight into a jar with a narrow opening?

Avoid it. Plant into a plastic nursery pot that fits through the neck and rest it inside, or keep the jar empty. You keep the silhouette and you can lift the plant out any time.

Will glazed jars survive frost?

High fired glazed ceramic handles Australian frosts well. The main risk is water sitting inside an empty jar through a freeze, so tip them out before winter in cold districts or stand them where rain drains away.

Do urns and jars have drainage holes?

It varies by piece and is noted on each product page. Water jars are sealed by design; most plantable urns drain. If you plant a sealed piece, use it as a cache pot with a nursery pot inside.

How are the big pieces delivered?

Everything is delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. For more everyday sizes in the same finishes, browse the large pots collection.