Cast square container with ornate designs

Containing Your Enthusiasm
How To Use Containers In Your Landscape
By Allan Farnum, Toronto Fabricating & Mfg. Co.

Urns, planters, pots, outdoor vases. Whatever you choose to call them, most gardens and patios utilize the convenience of portable outdoor containers to compliment areas of the yard where traditional in-ground flora isn't feasible or desirable. In fact, no landscape can really be complete without them.

The selection of such containers is very large, starting from inexpensive clay pots to highly decorative cast aluminum planters and everything in between. But how do you, as the average homeowner, decide what's suitable for your needs? Well, so much depends on how much maintenance you are willing to do, how much cash is in your pocket, and how long you want them to last. The old adage, you get what you pay for, is mostly true in this situation.

Lets start with those clay pots at the low end of the spectrum. They're easily accessible, very inexpensive, and have a tendency to absorb moisture, thereby keeping your plants a little cooler so that you don't have to water them quite as much. That's great and all, but they also tend to be quite fragile. Drop a clay pot once and its history! But then again, they're so cheap anyway, right?

Clay pots also tend to be available in very limited styles and colors, and don't even think about leaving them outside during the winter as they have a tendency to crack in extreme cold, especially if there is some residual water left in them. Expect that with clay pots, you will have to empty, clean and store them in the fall if you want any left for the next spring.

	'Lions Face' ornamental planter

If clay pots aren't to your liking then you might consider a fiberglass/resin type of container which are available in many sizes, colors and styles. Most of the manufacturers of these types of container warrant that they can stay out for the winter. Hmmm… Could be. However, it seems to me that many of the manufacturers of resin pots are located in much warmer climates or overseas, so the cold northern winters might present a unique challenge to these containers.

These types of containers are easy to maintain, very strong, and very durable. They are also lightweight, so they should be easy to pick up and store for the winter. On the other hand, that lightness is also a drawback if you have pets or toddlers that like to bump into things. And, if there's a storm, be prepared to clean up the ones that have blown over. The more inexpensive ones also tend to look a little plastic and quite frankly can look cheap.

For something a little more substantial, you could use cast concrete/stone planters for the yard. Available in many sizes, colors and styles, these are definitely stronger and more durable than the clay pots, and much heavier than the resin pots. They are low maintenance, and tend to have a traditional Victorian look and feel to them. This characteristic makes them ideally suited for established gardens where form is as important as function.

They will break if dropped, although hopefully not on your foot, because they are very heavy! But, even cracked and broken stone planters stashed away in the corner of the garden covered in moss and poking out from behind some flowers will add a dash of character. They don't always winter too well as they are still susceptible to cracking and must be drained properly before freezing. For that reason, I'd store them for winter, but just don't strain your back lugging them around.

Venetian urn style garden container

Cast iron has been used for urns and planters for centuries by European foundries and fine artisans. Almost all styles for traditional urns and planters stem from designs that are centuries old. These designs have been copied and modified over time until today, when foundries from China to Mexico are cranking out reasonably priced, decent quality reproductions of these established styles. Cast iron is inexpensive, tough, heavy and although not indestructible, won't easily break if dropped. If broken, it can be repaired, but welding cast iron is a long, slow process. It's usually acceptable to leave them outside for the winter, just make sure there is proper drainage.

There are drawbacks for cast iron, however. First of all, iron rusts, and you can never escape that fact. No matter how well you paint a container, rust will always occur. This means that you will have to paint it every spring to keep it fresh looking, and using a cast iron urn for a water feature is simply out of the question. If the cast iron urn is on a surface such as concrete or wood, then you will inevitably get rust bleeding onto the floor, and this can be time consuming to remove. These containers are very heavy, so moving them around the garden can be a chore, but at least theft is that much less likely! Metal containers also tend to warm up faster than other materials, so you can expect to have to water your plants more often.

On the surface, cast iron and cast aluminum appear the same, but cast aluminum is lighter, and best of all, it won't rust. Strong but not indestructible, it’s an easier repair than cast iron if broken. Custom colors and finishes such as antiquing or “Verdi gris” are more common on cast aluminum, as the paint will usually last for upwards of five years.

Largely used in commercial applications where heavy maintenance is neither desirable nor feasible, cast aluminum is now being embraced by backyard gardeners because of its durability and traditional good looks. With good drainage it can be left outside for the winter, it's fine for use in water features, and it weighs less than cast iron and yet it's not too light. The only drawback would have to be the price, traditionally costing two to three times that of a similar cast iron piece.

It's like I've said before, you really do get what you pay for.

Allan Farnum is the head designer and Vice President of Toronto Fabricating & Mfg. Co. (www.tfmc.com), a business with more than thirty years of experience designing, testing and manufacturing a comprehensive selection of superior quality landscape and site furnishings in steel and cast aluminum. With designs ranging from nostalgic to contemporary, their products will compliment any indoor or outdoor environment, and their in-house design team can assist with custom applications or concepts ranging from completely original to modifying existing items to customer specifications.

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