For instant front door and curb appeal, start by painting your front door and decorating your home's front entrance with impressive container gardens.
First impressions matter. The front door and porch reflect who you are and how guests, passersby, and neighbors perceive your home and the welcome they will receive there. So give the outside and front door the TLC and attention it deserves, too. You don't even need to spend a lot of time or money doing it. In fact, something as simple as a freshly painted front door and a couple of potted plants can make a bold, cheerful statement and create an inviting entryway. For instant front door and curb appeal, decorate your home's entrance using one of these 30 creative container garden ideas that are packed with bright blooms, seasonal herbs, and fall foliage. After all, a first impression can be a lasting impression; why not make yours a beautiful one at first knock? Vertical Wood Burning Stove
For a low-effort, high-impact look, Mark Thompson—owner of Shoppe, a garden store and nursery in Birmingham—filled an eye-catching, shallow urn with a combination of violas and pansies. Opting for an arrangement that’s composed entirely of these blooms makes a bold addition to the front porch. “You can mix colors to your liking or do all one hue,” says Thompson. “They create a mound of flowers that’s really full.” The plants are also inexpensive compared to fillers such as ornamental grasses, explains the gardening expert. “You can get a lot of bang for your buck.”
Green and white always feels like the right mix for spring. Birmingham floral designer Mark Thompson planted a tall, tidy boxwood topiary in a charming container that can accent the sidewalk year-round.
Free-flowing, evergreen star jasmine vines plus fragrant, perennial lemon thyme are planted around the topiary's base. Add a blooming spring annual, like 'Phloxstar White' phlox, to take center stage. Craving a bolder color? He suggests swapping out the phlox for violas or pansies, which are also early-spring favorites.
Give this arrangement full sun to part shade, and water regularly. Trim the star jasmine when needed. After spring, replace the phlox with a fresh summer annual (we like sunny marigolds) that can tolerate the container's conditions.
In this cheerful-hued trio, designer Mark Thompson relied on a mix of blue and yellow blossoms, including ‘Frizzle Sizzle’ pansies. For a burst of green, he added creeping Jenny to the planter that’s positioned in the back of the display and placed chives (which produce purple pom-pom-like flowers in early spring) and ‘Lemon Ball’ sedum in the one on the right. A multi-container design is a great opportunity to break out any extra pots that might be sitting in storage, he says, especially since pansies are such an affordable way to fill them. “If you keep the blooms watered, they really will last far into the spring,” notes Thompson. “I like to enjoy mine as long as possible because they get even prettier as time goes on.”
This front entrance and walkway are the epitome of patriotic pride. Glossy red double doors, crisp white trim, and pots of blue hydrangeas combined with elephant ears and trailing pothos create a beautiful, all-American palette for the start of summer. Place containers in part shade and water regularly to prevent your thirsty hydrangeas from wilting.
Got the blues? Embrace summer with this zesty contrast to a beautiful cobalt blue door. Flanking the entrance are satsuma mandarin topiaries inside sapphire-glazed ceramic pots. Zinnias, lantanas, and cosmos in citrusy hues spill graciously out of the pots. Satsuma mandarins produce white blooms in spring, with fruit gradually turning bright orange by fall. This fairly cold-hardy citrus should be brought indoors when temperatures dip below 20 degrees.
French doors complement a balanced arrangement of 'Blue Point' junipers, 'Ogon Gold' sweet flag, and creeping Jenny tucked in concrete-footed urns. Yellow and crimson 'Liberty' snapdragons, marigolds, crimson dianthus, and more creeping Jenny provide additional color. Give your junipers and flowers a spot with at least six hours of sun to maintain their color.
The vibrant red and orange colors of a sunrise and sunset are artfully mimicked in this entryway container combo. Chinese fan palms, scarlet bromeliads, and gold-variegated acuba and ivy are incorporated in complementary earthenware planters. Bromeliads look their best in bright or dappled shade and should be brought indoors when there is a danger of frost. Fortunately, they make great houseplants.
Visitors will marvel at this arched wood door and surrounding evergreen vines. To complement the creeping fig and ivy, we added large urns planted with sago palms, a variegated ivy, and white Epimedium. These containers will stay freshest in bright shade or part shade. Sago palms, which are actually cycads, are cold-hardy in USDA Zones 8b and up.
Dress up your stairsteps with sweet pastel flowers. Here, a trio of colorful containers are filled with 'Caliente Pink' geraniums, 'Surfinia Rose Veined' petunias, and 'Techno Heat Light Blue' lobelias, set against a bright turquoise door for the ultimate welcome. These flowers, along with the sweet potato vine, prefer a sunny spot.
It's not easy being green, but it certainly is captivating! Allow this bold color to greet guests at the front door, along with complementary verdant and seafoam-colored flowers and foliage, such as salvia, rosemary, coleus, and ornamental cabbage. Use honey-hued spillers like Wave petunias or million bells to add contrast. All of these plants will thrive in full sun.
For a showstopping display, it doesn't get more dramatic than elephant's ear. Surround the oversize leaves with dainty, colorful flowers and foliage for contrasting texture. With full or part sun and plenty of water, these plants will brighten concrete urns all summer long.
Hector Manuel Sanchez; produced by Mark Thompson
When finding the perfect fit for your front door dreams, don’t forget the fun in adding depth and layers to a space. Complement ‘Pop Star’ hydrangeas by layering in ‘Diamond Frost’ euphorbias, white gauras, and Million Bells trailing calibrachoas.
This coral shade peps up a regal front door, while tall planters heighten the entrance. Waxleaf privet (Ligustrum japonicum) topiaries, creeping Jenny, and variegated English ivy command attention in this sophisticated, elegant entryway. Warm-colored annuals add a pop of color and can be swapped out for each season. Ligustrum can be regularly clipped into the shape you desire and is hardy in USDA Zones 7-11.
During the warm months of spring and summer in the South, a few potted flowers and hanging ferns are a great choice to adorn decks and porches. Boston fern is a classic pick for its thick and fluffy evergreen fronds. Give the ferns bright, indirect light and keep their soil moist. Bring Boston ferns indoors for the winter once temperatures drop below 40 degrees.
Here, we play with shapes and sizes in various pots grouped closely together, but color is the connective thread. Bright pink and yellow zinnias are used in this kaleidoscopic container garden, as well as cooler tones like purple verbenas and blue phlox. These flowers will stay radiant in a spot with plenty of sun exposure.
There are no flowers here, but interesting leaf shape and color create an appealing container garden with the thrill, fill, and spill method. A stately cast iron plant is combined with red-hued caladiums, frilly coleus, delicate asparagus fern, and variegated ivy for everlasting results. Caladiums are the one plant here that will go dormant in winter. If you live in an area cooler than USDA Zone 9, dig up the tubers after foliage dies back and save them for replanting next year.
Hector Manuel Sanchez; produced by Mark Thompson
Treat a heavy vessel as a small, wild garden. This concrete pot is filled with warm, yellow-toned flowers that are traditionally placed in the ground instead of in containers. Plant these in May, incorporating various types so something will be in bloom through late summer and into early fall, which is just the season for front porch pictures. We chose lantanas, ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ coneflowers, and autumn ferns—plus ‘Alabama Crimson’ honeysuckles and ‘Gilded Sun’ roses to add height.
Create a conversation piece with a new or unusual version of an old standby. The orange petals and strikingly bordered foliage of 'Tropical Salmon' SunPatiens spice up this sun-inspired container. It is joined by bright green foxtail asparagus fern and 'Neon' pothos in a combination that will complement most exterior spaces. SunPatiens loves heat and humidity and will grow in sun or shade.
Cool-weather flowers in pink and purple hues grace this front entrance. These concrete planters are home to trailing 'Plentifall' pansies, tulips, lime-colored heuchera, and variegated ivy. Pull out the tulip bulbs after they fade and replace them with heat-loving annuals.
Three ceramic containers in turquoise shades hold 'Liberty Classic Yellow' snapdragon, 'Bouquet Rose Magic' dianthus, and 'Tickled Pink' veronica. Repeat color themes throughout and arrange them by size, working from back to front, to really create a perfectly balanced display.
Hector Manuel Sanchez; produced by Mark Thompson
Allow a large terra-cotta pot to become a semi-permanent part of your front door facade. Embrace a thrilling mix of highs and lows in rosy hues. In front, trailing vincas spill over the edge. ‘Great Falls Angel’ coleus fill the middle ground, while ‘Peppermint’ caladiums bring scale with their elephant-ear shape. Long-lasting ‘Miss Molly’ butterfly bushes, snapdragons, and ‘Archangel Dark Rose’ angelonias spring from the center and complete the look.
Fall-blooming grasses signal the changing of seasons. They are paired with warm-hued lantanas, a butterfly favorite with blooms that last until the first frost. A burnt orange, ceramic urn adds to the autumn flavor.
Bigger really is better when it comes to container gardens. Not only are big pots useful for planting larger flowers and plants, but they also allow for more soil, which means less time spent watering. We used trailing Algerian Ivy here because of its large leaves, underneath needle palm and with florid annuals filling in the gaps. Needle palm is a native that prefers some shade and is hardy in USDA Zones 6b to 11.
Fall colors and pumpkins are on full display here, where wire urns are filled to the brim with pie pumpkins. A festive pumpkin-and-gourd wreath hangs from the door, while boxwoods, sedums, and fall vegetables round out the entryway. These plants will appreciate some sun.
Highlight the bounty of autumn by packing your container garden with a variety of fall plants, colors, and textures, such as 'Lemon Ball' sedum, purple cabbage, 'Calypso Orange' peppers, 'Cosmic Yellow' cosmos, and Mexican bush sage. Cinderella pumpkins are added here for bonus autumnal flair.
Hector Manuel Sanchez; produced by Mark Thompson
A touch of blue is just the thing to add a pop of color to your doorstep. This low, rolled-rim pot is arranged with plants sturdy enough to last through the hot summer months. Hardy full-sun varieties in a showy monochromatic blend of cool blues and soft purples mimic a whimsical bouquet. Plumbago blooms are seen throughout, with bursts of ‘Angelface Blue’ angelonias and ‘Victoria Blue’ salvias in the back. To plant, fill the vessel with loose potting soil, stopping 5 inches from the top, and then press each root ball firmly into the soil. Finish by covering with mulch to lock in moisture.
Trash is turned into beautiful treasure with this budget-friendly, galvanized-metal washtub container. Maroon Joseph's coat, green coleus, white impatiens, and yellow creeping Jenny accent the front porch with farmhouse flair. This combination will do well in part sun.
Variegated yucca shares space with succulents like sedum, flowering kalanchoe, and echeverias. Neutral and textured containers offer a stark contrast to the colorful flowers and bold, black door. These drought-tolerant plants only need occasional watering.
Showcase your team spirit with this LSU-themed container garden mimicking the traditional yellow and purple uniform using 'Red Giant' mustard, pansies, ajuga, 'Littletunia' petunia, and 'Red Russian' kale. Not a fan? Express your team pride with the appropriate variation of flowers and foliage in your team's colors.
You can recreate this simple yet stunning container garden at home using galvanized buckets and inexpensive nursery flowers like daisies. Blue salvia and the magenta hues of celosia and sweet potato vines really set off the arrangement. These flowers will bloom best in a sunny spot.
Soft shades of pink geraniums, petunias, and angelonias complement the rusty color of the sweet potato vine and Pennisetum grasses. Metal planters in coordinating sizes and finishes tie together this multihued trio. Place these plants in full sun.
Daffodils are perfect for brightening up container gardens and offering an irresistible fragrance. The terra cotta containers range in size and shape, serving as a cheerful home to the easy-to-grow, yellow-and-orange 'Superbells Dreamsicle' calibrachoa, 'Snow Princess' alyssum, and 'Sunsatia Lemon' nemesia. The daffodils and alyssum can be replaced once they stop blooming.
Rotate seasonal plants and flowers into containers to reflect the best of the season. For this selection, we chose orange pansies, violas, panolas, and grass to greet guests with a warm hello during fall.
Summertime signals tropical plants. No matter where you live, experience the beauty of the tropics on your own front porch in this combo of oversized 'Maui Gold' elephant's ear, orange SunPatiens, and purple iridescent Persian shield. Keep their soil moist —after all, these plants hail from the tropics.
Red 'Freida Hemple' caladiums stand on their own and accent a large stone pot containing spider plants and a 'Little Gem' Southern magnolia. Spider plants are best grown in bright shade in containers and hanging baskets, where their offshoots (also called "pups") can comfortably hang down. Spider plants are damaged when temperatures drop below 45 degrees, but as fall approaches you can snip off the babies and root them in moist soil indoors.
Three whitewashed pots filled with bright flowers sit next to a sunny yellow door. Heat-tolerant geraniums, calibrachoas, and mecardonias in vivid red, yellow, and purple shades create a summery, welcoming exterior. For prolific blooms, place these planters in full sun.
Even if you don't live near the beach or coast, you can replicate seaside vibes here with bromeliads, multi-hued crotons, and whimsical pitcher plants. Yellow creeping Jenny forms the base of the white ceramic containers. Bog-loving pitcher plants prefer to grow in moist soil mixed with peat moss.
Containers that are at least 12 inches wide make a bigger impression, but make certain you have enough space on each side to comfortably walk in the door. Small trees or shrubs do best in a planter that is at least 16 inches wide. Choose a planter that is about 1/3 the height of your door for the greatest visual impact.
Wood Stove In the South, small evergreen shrubs like arborvitae, nandina, holly, boxwoods, and leucothoe make standout choices for winter planters. Gardeners in mild climates can also use coral bells, winter pansies, and ornamental kale and cabbage in containers.