• Use a single urn to mark a crossing of intersecting paths, as a sculptural accent in the center of a courtyard or formal pool, or at the end of a long strip of grass with a leafy hedge behind.

• Space several urns along the edge of a patio, terrace, or walkway. Put the same plant in each, like little kumquat trees.

• Near the base of a single urn, cluster three to five smaller pots of the same material. In each container, put the same kind of plant, whether a frothy sweet alyssum or a sculptural succulent like aloe. Or plant a single upright herb, like Salvia officinalis 'Icterina' or rosemary, in the urn and lower-growing kinds such as basil and chives in the smaller pots.

• Create a changing display by nesting plastic pots filled with plants inside an urn. Replace them as needed.