I would go with the dark Urn on that porch. Lovely home.

No, no. Not at all. But if you care to ship them to MD, I'll be happy to rec' them :)

I think the dark ones would look great.

The dark urns will be just lovely. Your porch is classic and simple... congratulations for keeping it that way!

mimi
I say the dark also! your home is beautiful! I remember back when, you were doing your mantle for Christmas..now we are all getting into spring! time is flying!
love your house!
Ree

Personally, I think you've already got enough dark accents -- and any color would look beautiful! : ) One of the ones with some mossy green worked in might be nice too.

Here's the light one, along with other colors I've seen around -- a warmer golden sand and a brownish tone -- and the black.

absolutely the dark one.

mimi, you might want to think about hanging some boston fern in between your columns. That looks so nice.

I love the urns, but I think that for the large space you have there, I would rather see a planter, something wider, with more substance.

Here is one example, which might be great in the wrought iron finish:

plantation planter

Another style...

{{!gwi}}

I'm not any good at the decor thing, especially when it comes to decorating outdoors but just wanted to say you have a beautiful home!

Thank you everyone for giving me your "votes" on color and for all the nice things you said about the house. It's a simple southern look but one I've wanted for years and finally got to build :-)

Squirrel and oceanna, thank you SO much for the visuals. As usual a picture is so much better than my imagination! Squirrel, I'd never even considered a color, but I will look in person and see what's out there. I do like the darker look I think so maybe a rubbed black or something like you suggested with a mossy green look.

les, when I looked at the urns and planters at the nursery I was thinking I needed something pretty large. The urn style comes in a large size which I thought would help fill the space even more and give it some height. I do need width too, you're right. I guess I just need to make sure I don't go too small.

Oceanna - I have that style with white lights for Christmas and I love it. The reason I am thinking fern is that my neighbor suggested they are easy to grow. The porch is 10' deep by the door so really gets no direct sunlight. I believe fern like shade? I'm SO not a gardener. For a while I was considering the topiary look like you pictured but if I did that I would have to go artificial I think.

brutuses - I suggested the hanging ferns and DH nixed that idea, said he doesn't like the look. He doesn't say much so I'm ok with not doing it. Great idea though!

When you go to the nursery, bring a photo of the house and the measurements of those spaces with you. It may help them suggest the correct size container.

Great idea Les, thanks! I wouldn't have thought of that but it would definitely help. You lose perspective sometimes in other surroundings.

I have a pair of black urns very similar to the one pictured, and love them! They're going to look great on your beautiful porch!

I also pick dark. The white ones would get lost.

I think you should go with the stone ones. Then get some moss and some buttermilk and mix them up in your blender and paint this on your urns.

You will soon have mossy, looks like they are antiques, beautiful urns with ferns. You need a porous planter (not plastic) so the moss has a water source.

housewaif....You PAINT a stone planter with a mixture of buttermilk and moss? Seriously? I'm laughing at my DH's reaction if he saw me doing that but I'm also intrigued. Would it (the moss) survive in a southern climate? I'm in western Tennessee. I've never heard of that process, but it sounds kinda cool.

I like the warm colored ones -- and would do the moss! I've been wanting to try one of those yogurt recipes for some time. (Actually, my mind's eye sees one of those gray urns, antiqued in a charcoal rub : ) Mossy planters, with the big ferns, Southern splendor in my mind : )

It usually likes damp shade. I guess you might have to mist them.

mimi, you're very welcome. :) I'm no gardener either but yes ferns do okay in the shade. Around here (PNW) they get a lot of water too. Looking at my pic and at Squirrel's, I like the broader look of the fern. I don't know the law where you are, but I got ferns for my last yard free by digging them up in the woods (probably was illegal!). It was land that got mowed down for condos later anyway, so I actually saved their lives.

Housewaif (great name) how does the moss survive the blender? I'm intrigued too.