Did that petunia actually grow like that or did you shape it to echo th form of the planter?

Either way it is stunning.

Regal

It grew just as you see it - no shaping by me. Unfortunately, the well that holds the small amount of soil, dries out very fast. The plant expired within the month. If it got more sun I could use succulents but it doesn't. One year I used an artificial fern, which looked nice, but kept blowing away.

If anyone has any idea for a plant that would survive, I'd be thrilled to hear about it. I have used an abundance of water crystals but they compete for space with the roots and soil.

Thanks, Jennifer and jmorth!

LOL, the image of that fern/her hair blowing away gives me a chuckle!

Yes, find a shade plant that likes dry is a challenge!

I kept running all over the courtyard trying to catch her "hair". Finally I just trashed it. The very amusing part of that face is some people think it's a strange form of mailbox and leave messages and invitations there that we don't find until spring.

Later I'll take a photo of the interior, with a ruler showing, so you can see the size allocated for the roots. Clearly it wasn't a gardener who designed it.

Wouldn't you think that I'd find something after more than 20 years?