Long-necked and lovely, urns are the timeless beauties of garden containers, presiding over well-tended plantings with dignified grace. But stuffy they're not; nurseries are now selling them in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials – from poured concrete and Italian terra-cotta to rusted iron. More gardeners are finding creative ways to use them in gardens of any size and style.

Keep in mind that the most durable terra-cotta is high-fired. Cast concrete generally lasts longer than terra-cotta, but it can be heavier. Much of it is gray too, but you can paint or stain it.

Most urns are handsome enough to display unplanted. But if you do plant one, make sure it has a drain hole. And put it where you want it before you plant, since large urns can be heavy. (One good solution to both problems: Nest plants already potted in plastic inside them.)

Rusted iron urn: 18 inches around, 24 inches tall, $150. Terra-cotta urn (front): 12 inches around, 16 inches tall, $43 Concrete urn: 18 inches around, 16 inches tall, $150.

Higher ground

Freeland and Sabrina Tanner wanted height in a difficult, mostly shaded border in their Napa, California, garden. So they pulled what Freeland calls a "microclimate trick" — planting sun lovers in an urn raised on a pedestal "to grab more sunlight." Filled with fast-draining cactus mix, the large (30 inches across by about 2 feet deep) rusted iron vessel features fountainlike Puya coerulea, with Helichrysum argyrophyllum 'Moe's Gold' and lavender-flowered campanula tumbling out around it. A drip system handles the watering.