The Genuine Article

Fluted cast-iron designs are exceedingly weather-sensitive — the metal heats up in summer and freezes in winter. Because many of them don't drain, you have to overturn them to pour off excess water. The draining Large Cast-Iron Urn from Smith & Hawken ($69, www.smithandhawken.com) can stay out all year, yet the 14 1/2-inch-tall, 15-pound pot is sufficiently portable.

The Flattering Imitation

The 18-inch-tall, three-pound polyurethane-foam Brookstone Small Fluted Urn ($40, www.brookstone.com) is virtually indestructible in any climate. Best of all, it won't incinerate your ivy.

Experts Say

The faux fooled some but not all of the pros. "Plastic is to garden containers as white Zinfandel is to wine," says Dean Riddle, a gardener from Phoenicia, New York. "Cheap and cheesy."