Front Porch Gorgeous Planters
One of the ways we work to make our front porch extra welcoming is by accessorizing with plants and flowers. Over the years we have purchased several large pots to display the beauties of the season. They are a delight to us as homeowners, but our neighbors and friends always comment on how gorgeous the planters are. We have six tips to get your front porch planters thriving & noticed.
1. Before you start: Know your zone & sunlight
Just for a point of reference, we live in Zone 7b, which means that we typically have about 8 months of a growing season. The first freeze is usually after November 15 and the last by April 15. Most people I know start to plant before April 15 so they have blooms for Easter, but I always wait. Think about the money that would be wasted if you plant too early and then it’s all ruined with one freeze or a bad frost. For me, it’s not worth it. Look HERE to find your zone.
In the summer months (which lasts a LONG time here in South Carolina) our planters receive about 4-5 hours of morning sun, with just a few of those hours being direct sun. Autumn and winter months receive less filtered sun, but fewer hours of sun and only about 3 hours in the mornings.
2. Choose Your Plants Accordingly
After you have done the research to know your zone and your sunlight, you will need to choose your plants accordingly. I know those bright pink Verbena would look perfect in your planter, but if you only get filtered sun or mostly shade, those babies are not going to thrive. If your goal is to have planters that survive and thrive all through the season, you have got to choose the right plants. Utilize those plastic markers provided by the nursery/plant store to inform you of what that plant needs. Again, if the marker says it wants full sun, don’t expect it to flourish in mostly shade.
3. Choose Variety in your planter for Impact
Without any formal design experience you can have a planter that absolutely bursts with stunningly eye catching flowers. But you do need to incorporate variety into your pots even if you are looking for symmetry. In years past I have made two of my planters identical, but this year I mixed up all of my planters for a more relaxed feel. Either way, you should consider certain components in each planter. Choose 4-6 plant/flower varieties for large pots and 3 varieties for smaller pots. Look for differences in color, texture, size of flower head, and height to give the pot multiple points of attraction.
4. Stick with one Theme for maximum gorgeous impact
Not unlike your interior decorating, it’s best to stick with one theme in your planters. I would not recommend mixing desert plants with tropical plants. Yes, you want variety, but not by blending themes. A banana plant mixed in with cactus just doesn’t work. You can even take it further by avoiding mingling pastel colors with bright colors. Here are a few ideas for more inspiration. Our eyes just don’t compute those kinds of mixing of aesthetics. Creativity is wonderful, but this is probably not the place to exercise the extremes.
5. Choose a Planter Theme that Matches Your Home
The natural flow from exterior to interior should be just that, natural. The overall exterior of the home often dictates the direction you go with your design. A cottage style home might look off kilter with extremely modern planters filled with spiked foliage. Again, there is not a 100% correct way to do this, but the front porch planters that match the home make more of an overall impact on your guests and neighbors.
6. Plant what makes you happy on YOUR front porch
This is YOUR home, after all. Guests and neighbors come and go, but you live with your home every day. All of the above suggestions come with one caveat-you really need to plant and display what makes you happy. If you have a green thumb and can coax tougher plants to life despite the not perfect conditions, go for it! If you need low maintenance for your lifestyle, then stick with that. Ultimately you need to be happy with your planters and that includes maintenance. Now…it’s time for me to get to watering my front porch planters because it is HOT and dry here this week.
