The Perfect Planters for the Front Porch

I found the perfect planters for the front porch at Terrain. They are the Fiber Concrete Tall Barrel Pots. Mine are 12″ in diameter size, but they have larger ones if your door is oversized or maybe double doors.

I love the simplicity of one tall pot on each side of the door for our cottage-style home; the height is perfect. I wanted to keep it simple, so for spring, I planted pussy willows. These are plants that I can then plant in the garden. I covered the soil with foraged moss that I found on a walk.

A new doormat always freshens things up. It’s the windowpane jute doormat. This is a small size, but it’s still generous in terms of a doormat for a single door. Some are so skimpy in size that it throws off the whole scale of the entryway.

I know it’s trendy to layer doormats, so I tried it here. In the end, I like it with one mat. Less is more.

I used three sizes for an arrangement in an empty corner of the porch. I chose long-lasting plants like boxwood, an arborvitae whipcord in the largest pot, and a hellebore. Like the pussy willows, once we get closer to planting the pots for summer, these plants can stay or be planted in the garden.

Hellebore is in the 12″ pot, the boxwood is in the 9″ pot, and the Arborvitae Whipcord is in the 16″ pot.

I like to use small evergreens in pots because they are long-lasting and low-maintenance. They provide color and texture, but in an unexpected way, unlike annuals.

Low Maintenance Plants that Provide color & texture for pots

• Blue Star Juniper
• Arborvitae Whipcord
• Dwarf Mugo Pine
• Boxwoods

Our New Canaan Home with Evergreens in Pots from Several Years Ago

I’ve been a fan of choosing evergreens for pots for quite a while. It may have been the influence of my first visit to Terrain when we moved back to Connecticut from Southern California. The store in Westport is where I go for inspiration. A walk through the outdoor garden area and a stroll through the shop are so inspiring in every season.

I also love these extra-small barrel pots. I use them inside too, but for now, on the porch with a few pansies to brighten things up for spring.

Black & White Painted Porch

And while I was at it with getting the front porch spruced up for spring, I had to give a little love to the back porch. Last fall Brent painted a black and white checkerboard. A few pots of spring plants and a new doormat practically scream spring….but in a good way!

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The Collected Garden

If you aren’t following my friend, Sandy of The Collected Garden, you can sign up for her newsletter so you’ll be the first to know when she has launched her website. She has the most helpful garden tips for growing flowers in small spaces.

She does workshops and live demonstrations. She makes flower arranging and seasonal gardening approachable for any level. And she’s super nice too!

A flower press that works in the microwave

Microfleur Max Flower Pressing Kit – No more waiting weeks to press your flowers, plus better color retention than more traditional methods. I can hardly wait to try it this summer!

NYC Cherry Blossom Tracker

It’s Cherry Blossom Season, and The Central Park Conservancy has a Cherry Blossom Tracker. It’s an interactive map that shows in real time where the cherry blossoms have peaked in the park.

The warmer-than-usual winter means that it’s much earlier this year.

See more here: #CentralParkBloomWatch and follow along here:  @CentralParkNYC.

Now it’s time to see what Mary Ann and Cindy have in store this week!

Classic Casual Home

Cindy Hattersley Design