The LivingEARTH Series was created by popular demand. Over the years, patrons of Charles Swanson—from individual homeowners and landscape architects, to various outspoken orchids and hyacinths—have made repeated requests for the same elegant shapes and styles of the StillWATER and FlowingWATER Series to be made available as planters. Now, with slight alterations in production, the same innovation and creative vision of other Charles Swanson sculptural forms can become a special dwelling place for the green and growing members of your garden family.
Solas
With its sensual curving lines and smooth outer edge, Charles Swanson’s Solas is a sculptural meditation upon different levels of visual reference. Following the circumference of the bowl-like form, one is immediately pulled to notice the next level in – a slightly concave plane that beckons the eye downward to yet another layer … a hollow off-set from the center. As a planter, the Solas creates a unique growing environment for a cluster of flowers or even a small tree.
Zola
Charles Swanson’s Zola is inspired by the tsukubai, or "crouching basins" of 13th century Japanese tea gardens. Characterized by a perfectly centered circular aperture, generous rounded lines, and a balanced sturdy base, this mandala-like cast-stone form—much like the spirit of Zen itself—embodies the qualities of simplicity, refined beauty, and stillness. Whether a Bird of Paradise or your favorite orchid, the Zola planter is an excellent way to feature your favorite plant in a prominent location in your home or landscape project.
Lura
A slightly raised outer edge reveals a quiet inner shelf surrounded by a subtle eye-shaped trough, as four distinct sculptured lines slope downward to a diamond-shaped base. Inspired by another ancient Japanese-style basin known as the chozubachi, the Lura’s crisp elegant shape portrays—all at once—solidity and motion, tradition and innovation. Standing exactly one foot high, Charles Swanson’s Lura planter is an exquisite compliment to a larger garden or as an eye-catching centerpiece.
Enki
Bold. Mysterious. Captivating. The Enki takes its original inspiration from an earlier Charles Swanson project design: a commissioned rain catcher. With long sleek flowing lines, growing things presented in the channel of Enki’s flume-like body and/or in the sculpted bowl, converts “rain catcher” into the “penthouse” of garden planters.
Ceres
Ceres' striking symmetrical structure is among the most highly sought after of Charles Swanson's designs. A blend of smooth elongated lines, sturdy base, and dream-like depths, Ceres has become a popular addition to patios, gardens, and residential design projects. With a ninety-six inch footprint, the Ceres planter offers a gentle-yet-commanding presence to any entryway.
Misu
Standing three feet tall and nearly two feet wide, the Misu is another highly popular Charles Swanson design. Like the Lura, the Misu—with its shallow hollow featured at the top of the form and soft edges sloping down to a sturdy base—is another chozubachi -inspired piece. Pictured here is the MISU, which—as with all Swanson-designed cast-stone forms—is available as a water basin, planter, or fountain.
