Urn planters are everywhere this summer, and there’s no doubt who’s leading this huge garden trend as Anthropologie just expanded its already-excellent range of pedestal pots. These shapely vessels have been status symbols since Romans first commandeered storage urns to decorate their swanky villas. Centuries later, once European royal families favoured using them as planters, urns became a stylish staple of landscaped gardens.

Now this classical shape is enjoying its most recent resurgence, and because of their long history and associations with high society, urn planters will bring an air of effortless elegance to any garden. As container gardening ideas go, this is such an easy upgrade that will suit every backyard.

While you may need a pretty opulent pay packet to afford Anthropologie urn planters, ravishing as they may be, there are plenty of dupes that can give your backyard the look for a whole lot less. I’ve rounded up the very best urn planters to match the dreamiest offerings from Anthropologie, so we can all enjoy this timeless trend – and the cheapest of these good value planters is currently on sale for less than $5. So, if you want to enhance your garden design on a budget, now's the time to add some iconic style to your patio without splashing the cash.

Antique Elegance

Stately Swags

Charming Chalices

Grecian Good Looks

Ancient Opulence

What to Plant in an Urn Planter

Any happy-in-a-pot perennial that brings maximum flowers for minimum effort, year after year, is an easy win in any container, and an urn will elevate the most humble of plants to stylish new heights. But urn planters invite you to break the rules, too. Their iconic shape speaks of centuries of style so you can afford to be bold with the planting. These on trend planters afford all sorts of opportunities regular pots don’t, too, so you use their height to dramatic effect.

For a start, as well as planting your usual pot thrillers and fillers, any container plants with trailing stems will spill dramatically over the rim of an urn planter. Or how about planting a fall-flowering clematis in your pedestal planter so the vine cascades over the container rim to pool in a beautiful sea of blooms around its base?

Plants with a naturally arching habit work so well in urn planters, too. Feather Falls Carex grass (available from Burpee) boasts an evergreen fountain of soft, variegated blades for a container that looks luxuriant all year round. Growing Blue Cascade Rosemary (available from Nature Hills) in an urn planter is also a delight as the stems of this low-maintenance shrub grow up as well as down, and its evergreen foliage is joined by blooms in the most beautiful blue hue from spring to fall.

Because the pedestal elevates the planting, you can create layers of vertical interest, too, especially if the urn is to be positioned on the patio – or a smaller, squatter design on a table – where it’ll be viewed from a seated height. Pair a standout evergreen ornamental grass such as Blue Whiskers Blue Fescue (available from Plant Addicts) with Plentifall Lavender Blue trailing pansies (available from Burpee) for a texture treat that’ll delight all through fall and winter.

More Dashing Dupe Urn Planters

Earthy Vibes

Beautiful Bowls

Classic White

Stately Gray

Bronze Beauties

Golden Greats

Woven Textures

Use an Urn Planter to DIY a Water Feature

A bowl-shaped urn planter can be used to make a stylish DIY water feature using a solar-powered floating fountain by sealing the drainage hole with a marine silicone sealant such as Star Brite Waterproof Sealant from Amazon. Or how about standing your urn planter in a wider container to make a standout planter with a water feature at its center?

There are so many quick and clever ideas for container planting that work in an urn planter, so get creative and treat your patio to a standout display, without breaking the budget.