Coveted Garden Decoration - Add to wish list

Oh, man, does TPP want one of these finials badly!  How cool is this, and hopefully TPP doesn't have to tell you what it is. Finials are often conelike in appearance looking like artichokes or pineapples, and every now and again, a spruce cone, but a southern Magnolia fruit. This is a first. This finial and a not quite identical mate sit atop columns at the entrance of Tattnall Square Park in Macon, Georgia. A correspondent sent this image along, and it was thrilling to see. No question that this would find a place in our garden, even though they are 3-4 feet tall.  If anyone ever sees such a thing for sale you must contact TPP immediately. The side column of this blog has been graced by an image of a magnolia fruit, a colorful one, for some time now (probably need to make a change for 2016). Each fruitlet is from a separate pistil that develops into a follicle that opens along one seam to release one or two  aril-covered seeds dangling enticingly for a passing bird to disperse.