Dress Up Your Front Porch With Colorful Hanging Planters
A front porch is like the welcome mat to your home. It's often the first thing guests see when they arrive. But plain concrete or bland decorative touches can make your entryway feel cold and uninviting.
An easy way to instantly warm up your porch? Decorate with vibrant hanging planters! Overflowing with colorful blooms, lush greenery, and abundant textured foliage, these living decorations add eye-catching curb appeal.
Choosing the Right Location
When deciding where to showcase your new hanging pots, baskets, and planter stands, keep the light exposure in mind. Sun-loving annuals like petunias, million bells, and sweet potato vines thrive in bright, direct sunlight. For shadier spots on covered porches, choose lower-light plants like ivy, impatiens, or begonias instead.
Place hanging planters where you, guests, and passersby can best appreciate them. Accent high-traffic pathways or spotlight seating areas to create a welcoming atmosphere. Avoid potential conflicts with overhead ceiling fans or lights by mapping locations first. Mark potential spots with painter's tape before installing hardware.
Best Sunny Spots for Hanging Planters
- Southern, western, or eastern facing walls
- Near porch columns and decorative posts
- Adjacent to entryways or steps
Best Shady Spots for Hangers
- Under roof overhangs or covered ceilings
- Against northern facing exterior walls
- Near outdoor ceiling fans or lights
Selecting Planters and Containers
You'll need vessels to display your porch plants. Container gardening opens a world of options beyond basic flower pots!
Types of Hanging Planters
Match your hanging planters' style to your home. Here are some top options:
- Pots - Classic terra cotta or glazed ceramic pots instantly fit old world, Mediterranean, or rustic aesthetics.
- Baskets - Intricately woven wicker or rattan baskets complement Craftsman bungalows and garden cottage themes.
- Buckets - Vintage-style metal pails overflowing with flowers suit industrial farmhouse tastes.
- Tiered Planter Stands - Decorative plant stands like stacked wine crates work for casual, eclectic spaces.
Materials
Hanging planters come in diverse materials like:
- Ceramic - Pretty but heavy! Best for secured hooks and ceiling mounts.
- Metal - From industrial steel to copper troughs, metals weather well outside.
- Recycled Plastic - Affordable, lightweight, weather-resistant option.
- Natural Fibers - Woven rattan, coconut husk lined baskets add organic texture.
Shapes, Sizes & Other Considerations
Scale your hanging pots appropriately to your space. Oversized urns could overwhelm a small porch, while tiny pots get drowned out on expansive patios.
For plants to thrive, ensure containers have drainage holes to prevent soggy soil and root rot.
Self-watering planters help reduce maintenance with built-in water reservoirs. But they're heavier when filled than traditional containers.
Picking the Perfect Plants
To craft your dream hanging garden, combine plants with different colors, textures, and growth habits.
Recommended Trailing Plants
Long stemmed trailing plants are made for hanging. They spill lush greenery over edges like living curtains. Our top picks include:
- Ivy - Hardy English ivies or variegated glacier types grow well in shade.
- Sweet Potato Vine - Chartreuse or tricolor leaves on vining stems add playful color.
- Million Bells - Low maintenance plants bloom nonstop with petunia-like flowers.
- Lysimachia - Also called creeping Jenny, gold-splashed leaves and yellow blooms cascade.
- Petunias - From vibrant purples to dreamy pastels, these classic annuals flower abundantly.
Fuller Foliage Plants
Balance vining plants with fuller rounded forms. Some beauties to try:
- Begonias - Waxy leaves and rose-like flowers do well in shade.
- Impatiens - Flowers profusely in shady areas with bright pops of color.
- Geraniums - These hardy annuals produce mounds of thick leaves and saucer-sized blooms.
- Supertunia(r) Vista Bubblegum(r) Petunia - Prolific pink blooms on trailing vines.
- Nonstop Mocca Yellow Begonia - Gorgeous gold flowers float above chocolate leaves.
Research site-specific plants suitable for your porch's unique conditions. Avoid invasive species that might spread aggressively. Select a mix of upright mounding annuals and perennial vines suited to your climate zone.
Design and Composition
With endless plant combinations possible, approach designing your hanging garden like a floral work of art!
Arranging Planter Groupings
You can craft different looks by playing with these elements:
- Create a focal point with a bold showstopper plant like mandevilla or vibrant orange million bells.
- Plant complementary containers with coordinating colors for a cohesive effect.
- Vary plant height and trailing length for depth and architecture.
- Coordinate color palettes from harmonious pastels to striking contrasts.
Balancing Textures
Juxtapose delicate wispy stems with wide ruffled leaves. Combine slim trailing strands and upright leaves on the same plant for intrigue.Color Harmony
Keep colors cohesive for peaceful spaces. But don't shy from vibrant accents and dramatic contrasts to spice things up!Allow room for growth when designing initial groupings. Lush vines and mounding annuals will fill out over a single season.
Installation and Setup
To mount your hanging planter collection, evaluate your porch's infrastructure. Ensure all hardware and surfaces used to hang containers can support the total weight.
Hanging Hardware Options
Secure planters safely with hardware like:
- Chains - Link multiple slender chains together for long drops.
- Rope - Durable braided nylon ropes won't decay outside.
- Macrame - Woven handcrafted cords elevate boho chic style.
- Decorative Metal Brackets - Ornate ironwork holders complement Victorian homes.
Assembling Multi-Tiered Planter Stands
Follow manufacturer instructions when constructing vertical planter stands. Anchor top heavy poles properly to avoid accidents.Securing Hanging Planters
Reinforce anchors with ceiling hooks on covered porches. For open ceilings, screw eye bolts into sturdy rafters.Allow hanging pots to sway slightly to prevent hardware damage in windstorms. Remove light planter or plant material before heavy weather when possible.
Care and Maintenance
Hanging containers dry out quicker than garden beds. But a little periodic pruning prevents your porch oasis from becoming overgrown.
Water Needs
Vigilant watering is key for lush hanging planters. Check soil moisture daily. Water when the top inch becomes dry to the touch. Self-watering planters require less frequent filling but are heavier to hang.
Fertilizer Application
Feed plants every 2 weeks with a balanced liquid fertilizer during the growing season. Granular slow-release fertilizer works too but must be reapplied every few months.
Key nutrients plants need:
- Nitrogen (N) - Promotes leafy green growth
- Phosphorus (P) - Develops strong roots
- Potassium (K) - Flowers and fruits
Pruning Overgrowth
Trim back wayward vines wandering beyond the edges regularly. Thin crowded interior stems to encourage air circulation and strengthen remaining branches.
Managing Pests
Check for signs of common insects like:
- Aphids - Sticky residue
- Spider Mites - Webbing
- Thrips - Speckled leaf discoloration
Blast bugs off with a strong spray of water. Apply natural insecticidal soaps or neem oil to deter infestations if they persist.
Before winter, bring vulnerable tropical plants like mandevilla indoors. Leave hardy perennials outside until spring unless temperatures drop below freezing.
Inspiring Design Ideas
Looking for ways to incorporate hanging plants on your front porch?
Complement Architectural Features
Accent unique home characteristics like arched doorways or gabled rooflines with corresponding arched trellises or angled hangers.Transition from Existing Beds
Bridge in-ground garden borders or raised planter beds into overhead spaces. Use vertical plants like Ivy Geraniums to connect the two planting zones.Frame Entryways
Draw attention to front doors or walkways by framing them with flower-filled hanging pots overhead. Train vines along the edges to outline spaces naturally.Define Spaces
Designate special areas like dining spaces or reading nooks with perimeter planter arrangements. Let vines interlace above to create charming hideaways.Showcase Collections
Display prized planters together in rows or groups. Contrast sizes and colors for dynamic displays. Or keep uniform for cohesive sophistication.Enjoying Your Hanging Garden
Once installed, take time to appreciate the revitalizing ambiance your new hanging garden offers.
Kick Back & Relax
Pause to admire how sunlight filters through vines and leaves dance in breeze. Let the calm, connected-to-nature feeling wash over you.Host Happy Hours
Entertain outdoors under your hanging oasis. Let overflowing flowers spur convivial conversation as you sip cocktails and laugh with friends.Watch it Grow
Notice how plants mature over weeks and seasons. Appreciate natural cycles as flowers fade and leaves turn.Feel Home Pride
Swell with satisfaction at your curb appeal when arriving home after work. Delight as neighbors compliment your green thumb prowess.Inspire Others
Share photos of your flowering hangers on social media. Spread motivation to cultivate porch plant joy far and wide!With endless options for vessels, plants, arrangements and hardware, hanging gardens unlock unlimited potential to elevate your front porch's style.
Displaying lush hanging planters certainly takes more effort than boring empty space. But the resounding visual impact and relaxing oasis vibe make it all worthwhile.
So take a weekend to dress up your porch with vibrant, vertical greenery. Then kick back below the botanical canopy and bliss out all season long!