Porch Plants and Easy Spring Decorating for a Small Porch + DIY Totem Planters

Porch plants to the rescue for a small front porch that needed a little curb appeal. And a DIY planter idea for good measure!

The weather has been up and down in Atlanta lately. But spring is officially here and I’m hoping that temperatures will start warming up for good soon. So, I put together a quick (and very easy) front porch makeover that really just involves some porch plants, new planters, and a new doormat.

Sometimes the simplest updates are the best ones. And being as though this porch update only took me an hour to complete, it’s one of the fastest makeovers I’ve ever done too.

Click through to see how it all came together. And get the tutorial for those DIY terra cotta totem planters in the photo.

One of the things that made this makeover so easy is that I was able to pick up everything needed for the project in one spot!

I just went to my local plant nursery, picked up the plants I liked, grabbed some potting soil (and a few extra planters – I already had some of them), and was ready to get started.

Here are the exact plant names, in case it’s helpful.

They’re all from the plant brand First Editions® collection.

Crimson Fire (the purple leaf plant that I used in the totem planters)
Cinnamon Girl (the smaller plants that I used in the ceramic plant stand planters and the oblong terra cotta planters on the second step)
Vintage Jade (the larger shrubs in the woven planters).

Once I arrived at the house, I swept all of the steps to get rid of any dirt, leaves, etc and planned out where I wanted everything to go.

Usually that involves just plopping everything down – planters and plants – in the area to see the different heights together and get a visual before planting anything.

After deciding on the basic layout (it’s a small space, so there wasn’t a ton of planning involved), I planted everything in the pots and started arranging. Easy as can be.

How to Make Totem Terracotta Planters

This idea couldn’t be any easier. All you need are 2 terracotta pots that are the same size and height. I picked mine up at a local plant nursery, and found that the best option is one that is a bit rounded, like mine, without a top lip.

Turn one pot over (upside-down) and then place the second one on top of the first one, right-side up, with the plant already inside.

The weight of top pot should press down enough on the bottom one to keep it securely in place.

But if you’re concerned about it toppling over, you can use liquid nails or something similar to bond the two pieces together.

And in case you were wondering… the holes for the two pots should line up pretty well stacked this way too, so they should allow for proper drainage of water too. But you could always add a small piece of pipe or hose that goes through both holes (hole from bottom of the top planter and top of the bottom planter) to make sure the water drains down instead of out through the middle.

How to Pick Out the Right Plants for Your Project

When picking out plants, there are always three things I think about: color, texture, and size.

I typically go for a variety of all three of these things – so I pick groupings of plants that have varying colors, textures, and sizes / heights, etc. It works really well because it means I’m always thinking about how the plants will look together in a space (especially in a small one like this), not just individually.

In my mind, variety is key – BUT all of the plants should have a cohesive feel when grouped together. And that’s kind of my recipe for success with plants.

Other than that, I strongly believe that picking out really cool planters will go a long way in making you happy with the end result.

For this project, I followed the same rule for planters as I did for the plants – choosing a variety of textures, colors, and sizes that would work well for the space AND the plants themselves.

Like this post? Here are more plant related posts you might like:

easy, effective plant propagation (without spending any money)
23 cute planters that are totally DIYable
how to clean out a candle jar (and make it a planter)

What are you thinking about planting this spring? Let me know in the comments below.

SaveSave

Your porch looks lovely. It inspires me to do my front porch now.
I just bought an acre with the intent of growing my own food and herbs.
I plan on adding more aloe plants to my side yard along with cherry and huckleberry trees across the back. Then some lillies, marigolds, lavender and daisies in the long flower bed across the front of the house, with the greens already there, for color. I already have a Halo tree, a loquat tree and some peach trees. Last year I planted a nectarine tree so I now want to add avocado, pears, lemons, limes & peaches. Off the front side, I plan on having a raised bed of salad vegetables, preventing anyone from driving on my septic field. (Add a rain barrel and a compost bin.). Done!

Laine Dailey-Papke

https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/996466598385999874

Susan Smith

This Spring I plan on planting peppers, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes.

Susan Smith

I love what the plants did to the overall look!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/mycreativedays/status/996054859819438080

Lindsay Eidahl

tweeted: https://twitter.com/tinawoo21/status/994068970683715584

Tina W

We will be doing our usual backyard vegetable garden but this year I also want to add some daylilies and lavender in the front yard.

Tina W

https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/993316548751314944

Janice Cooper

I would love to plant a garden with tomatoes and cucumbers. I also love planting flowers. I will probably plant some petunias, rose bushes and geraniums.

Janice Cooper

I want to plant my first rose bush or two.

Rosie

I posted a tweet: https://twitter.com/FireRunner2379/status/993256444827979776.

Jeffrey

My wife picks out all the annuals and perennials, I just help plant them. We usually get a fair amount of ornamental grasses to put around the pool. She also puts together some pots for around the patio with various annual flowers.

Jeffrey

I would like to plant some tomatoes.

Patricia Colletti

https://twitter.com/patricia121417/status/992850606648897539?s=19

Pqcolletti@gmail

Patricia Colletti

https://twitter.com/mkjmc/status/992751370011791360

kathy Persons

I want to plant some baby\s breath

kathy Persons

Love your porch plants! I

Judy M

Tweeted https://mobile.twitter.com/arress83/status/990378244955361282

Cheryl B

I am looking forward to planting Gerbera Daisies and geraniums this year.

Cheryl B

Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/990252675760558080

Cynthia C

I will be planting some impatiens and begonias in my flower garden this spring.

Cynthia C

tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydpa/status/990229694720167937

Kelly D

I would like to plant some blueberries bushes and tomatoes.

Kelly D

https://twitter.com/Michael64263870/status/989945332560814081?s=20

Rebecca W

I ready love how your terra cotta planter turned out! My girls and I love to plant flowers in the spring. I’d like to grow some sunflowers and zinnias! I’m also hoping to grow some tomatoes in pots for salsa!

Rebecca W

My tweet https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/989272046902312961

Natalie

This spring my plan is to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, lilies and hasta.

Natalie

my tweet – https://twitter.com/myway070/status/989230617899352064

heather

I am going to plant some lilacs and also tons of potted flowers of every kinds they are so wonderful and I so love this time of year.

heather

tweet—https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/989122325705617408

mami2jcn

I’d like to plant cucumbers.

mami2jcn

tweet – https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/988946901989933056

Jessie C.

I would love some hydrangea passion and snowball bush.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com

Jessie C.

I am going to plant some marigolds around my house. I also need to mulch around my trees.

Jessica To

https://twitter.com/sweetums82/status/988470401192923136

latanya

Beautiful planters.
We are planting some hostas

latanya

We’re apartment dwellers, so my wish list includes lost of pretty houseplants,

Erika

Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/987488675691941889
Thanks again.
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

Margaret Smith

We’ll be planting some sun flowers, roses, daisy’s, day lilies, herbs and we also like planing a garden with tomato’s, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers and beans.
Thanks so much.
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

Margaret Smith

https://twitter.com/RachelGriesmer/status/986759976462012416

Rachel

This spring I plan on planting basil, thyme, mint, cilantro, rosemary, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Rachel

Hi, the way you arrange the plant is amazing. Your porch is looking awesome. We can also engage our kids in plantation, they can learn lots of things from plantation and gardening. Keep posting!

jane

Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/986418750512664576

Madeline

Hi, we’re thinking about growing watermelon this spring since my mother-in-law gave me some seeds.

Madeline

https://twitter.com/willgriesmer/status/986042575294431232

Will G

I might plant tomatoes.

Will G

https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/985869265231339520

OFG

We planted a bunch of pepper plants and a strawberry patch.

OFG

We’re planning on planting some beautiful hydrangeas!

I tweeted
https://twitter.com/MsCarolsueA/status/985403962571481088
digicats {at} sbcglobal {dot} net

Carolsue

I am going to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapenos and strawberries
digicats {at} sbcglobal {dot} net

Carolsue

I love that you used such an interesting combination of foliage colors and textures. Elegant and inspiring,

Nancy K.

I have two planter beds that usually plant veggies in this year we are trying rhubarb and artichokes! I would also love to add some pots by front door with fun pops of color!

Janay

I really love decorating with plants
https://thepinkpineappleblog.blogspot.com/

The pink pineapple

I live in a basement apartment, so I don’t have much space. I usually do flowers on the stairs that look pretty + welcoming when I’m walking home and see them. I love this idea and looking forward to try something new to replace my plastic planters!

Rachel

my tweet https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/983959763053506565
jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

Lisa Brown

I will be planting some ivy for a trellis, a rose bush, and planting for my garden: tomatoes and zucchini.
jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

Lisa Brown

Oh my goodness, Cori. What a sweet idea to remember your furry family member. I love that idea.

Brittni

We want to plant something to remember our kitty that passed away in February.

cori

Love this! I really got into plants about 4 years ago. I went from 0 to about 30 house plants in less than a month’s time. Ha!! But I love it and them. I plan on getting more perennials for outside this year. It’s amazing how they come back each year.

Sarah

This spring we are creating a flower and food garden in our backyard! I have a post on what we are planting here: http://www.casalibrablog.com/2018/03/garden-planning.html

Thank you for the inspiration to stack terracotta pots! Yesterday I actually picked up two terracotta pots to put on each side of the door, but they still looked kind of small, so I think I might be going back to get two more to stack them and make a bigger impact. I think I want to plant Crimson Fire like yours, that is beautiful.

I’m actually thinking of painting our door. I love the way your door looks, what color of paint did you use?

Felicia

Love how plants can completely change a space!

xx, Daeyz
http://www.daeyz.com

Daeyz

Love the stacked urns. I am moving shortly from Montana to North Carolina and into a rental house for a year. So I really can’t plant anything in the ground. Containers will be used to the max! Can’t wait to get back to Zone 7

Judy H

Thanks Michelle. This isn’t actually my porch, but it was fun to give this one a makeover. It’s kind of amazing what a few plants can do!

Brittni

What a beautiful combination of plants, your porch looks fantastic!
https://www.makeandmess.com/

Michelle

Porch Plants and Easy Spring Decorating for a Small Porch + DIY Totem Planters

Here are the exact plant names, in case it’s helpful.

How to Make Totem Terracotta Planters

How to Pick Out the Right Plants for Your Project

Like this post? Here are more plant related posts you might like:

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