Build a Blooming Basket

Turn a dowdy doorway into a flower-filled retreat. Just hang a bloom-laden basket on your front door. Lemon Button fern, begonia, bacopa, and annual euphorbia team up to say "welcome." A plastic liner inside the basket keeps wet soil from running down the front of the door after a rain.

Love the Southwestern look? Get tips for decorate your porch with Southwestern style!

Prefer a tropical look? Check out our decorating tips to add a touch of the tropics to your porch.

French country your preference? Dive into our tips for creating a casual front porch style. 

Dress Up Your Steps

If your steps are wide enough, flank them with pots of colorful annuals and perennials. This front entry features a charming assortment of Rex and fibrous begonias, caladium, impatiens, and heuchera that creates a double rainbow of bold color that leads from pavement to porch.

Plant, Repeat, Enjoy

Get big impact by mirroring visual elements near your front door. Here, a matching series of handsome clay pots packed with boxwood, begonia, and scaevola lead the eye to this home’s gracious front door. To complete the setting, twin iron urns hold a mix of succulents, heuchera, and salvia.

Hang a Garden

Decorate your porch or doorway with a colorful miniature garden hung at eye level. On this porch, English ivy and a mixed bag of succulents were tucked into a vintage wire hanger and placed near the front door. If you can't find an antique hanger, use flat-backed baskets from your local garden center.

Hanging baskets more your style? Check out our hanging baskets ideas!

Reflect Beauty

There's no need to remodel a tiny porch or entry. Simply add an old mirror to fool the eye into thinking the area is bigger than it actually is. Here, orchids and ferns provide a tropical look that's magnified by the palm reflected in the mirror.

Been wondering how to keep your orchid beautiful? Check out our tips to make your orchid last!

Go Vertical

Create dramatic vertical accents on either side of your front staircase by selecting tall, narrow planters and filling them with tall, narrow flowers. Dwarf cannas are a good example. These upright, sun-loving beauties have colorful foliage and flowers that look great all summer long.

Check out more container garden ideas from our experts! 

Start a Party!

Having a party? If so, start the fun before your guests step inside. Create an appetizer and drink station on the front porch and surround it with a glorious mixture of perennials and houseplants. Here, hosta, sedum, hibiscus, and hydrangea share the stage with Boston fern, peace lily, and palm.

Decorate inside your home with pretty perennial flowers, too!

Brighten the Shade

If your front door is on the north side of your house or under a porch overhang, it may not get enough light to grow sun-loving flowers. However, you can still add tons of color by including a generous helping of shade-dwelling beauties. On this porch, impatiens, caladium, and Boston fern perk up a dark doorway. 

Discover the easiest perennials for shade! 

Add a Window Box

Give your home a cottage-style makeover by adding a window box out front. Window boxes are easy and fun to plant. Plus you can view your flowers from inside and outside your home. This extra-long window box spans three windows and holds a delightful mix of phlox, ornamental sweet potato, succulents, Mexican heather, and bacopa.