Willy Guhl Square Planter

A small Willy Guhl planter, the square form at its most compact: a cube-like block that makes a sharp boundary for a small plant and reads as a fragment recovered from an old garden wall. The outside is heavily weathered. A crust of white patina is flaking away to show the darker fiber cement beneath, and patches of deep green moss cling to the bottom and sides from years in rain and soil. The edges are softened and the whole piece feels broken in.

It measures 10 inches wide, 9 3/4 inches deep and 7 1/2 inches high, so it is slightly off square, a sign of its age. It is original Swiss Eternit from the 1950s or 1960s. The flaking and the moss are what make it; we have left both alone.

It belongs on a garden table, a window ledge or a stone step, holding a single herb or a cluster of succulents, and it adds a layer of age to a small space without taking up room. It also makes a good gift for a gardener who already has everything. This Willy Guhl planter is in our yard in Marina Del Rey; come and see it, or ask for photographs and a price.