Garden

[AuntG]

This question was prompted by a picture @gardenman posted of his beautiful front porch filled with flowers. The front of my basic ranch house has a 5x15 foot concrete porch facing South with three columns supporting the roof. There are no porch railings. Low shrubs and a river rock base surround the porch. The porch is empty, no chairs or patio table. How would it look it I filled it with various pots of different annuals? I'm afraid it might look like a greenhouse or like I bought a bunch of plants and never bothered to plant them. I suppose I could look for a bench or cart to set some of the pots on. 

[gardenman]

I think pots of flowers would look great, but I'm a flower loving guy. Annuals are easy, grow well, and flower like crazy. 

[Another new name Sue]

I have a small wrought iron table with an ivy plant which trails nicely over the edge of its 12" pot. It overgrows a bit and I keep it cut down to the size I like.   Also an old wooden box with a ceramic squirrel on top, 2-3 smaller potted plants in colorful ceramic. Ceramic lizard on the floor.   Wish I had room for a chair.  My porch is about 1/2 the size of yours.  Have fun.  I wish I had a garden spinner to stick in the ivy pot.

The porch with annuals would look beautiful.  Keep in mind the amount of sun they will get so you can choose the proper plants.  If it looks like a greenhouse.....well, that would be ok!  Look around your yard and house.  You may have items like my wooden box which you would not mind having out on the porch.  It looks nice if you have things at different levels, so if you have bricks or something to lift some of the plants, that looks nice.  I've even used larger pots upside down.  Have fun.  

[hayseed00]

i think flowers would look great, you could put the pots at different heights, and pretty colored pots.  I have an antique wagon wheel up against my porch with pretty flower pots around it.

[Mom2Dogs]

@AuntG....go online and look at some photos, you will get great inspiration.  

[jlkz]

@AuntG

If you have a Marshall’s or Homegoods nearby, you can pick up reasonably priced wrought iron small tables to flank the front door and place large ceramic bowls with real or silk flowers.  I have had the two in the picture below for many years.  They were sprayed orange with Rustoleum to match the bowls.

The white flowers are silk.  The red orange in planters are real begonias.

DH laid the large tiles on top of an old wooden deck and framed them in wood that he treated and stained.  Materials cost about $200.  It is about 3 years old and still looks great.  We power wash it in Spring.

HTH

[fthunt]

Why not go to your garden store and buy 2 chairs?  Nothing like sitting on a porch in the evening - and decoration by day.

[Kitlynn]

Buy some pots that will be a contrast to your house color. Plant them with flowers and some flowing vines. It will look really pretty and you might find some kind of wooden or metal rocking chair to put on the porch also.

[Kachina624]

I'd use several large pots of flowers grouped together instead of a bunch of small pots.  More impact and bang for the buck.

[stevieb]

For starters, how about finding large, pretty matching pots, fill them with annuals appropriate for the space and placing one at each of the columns... Then, maybe a couple of wicker chairs with cushions and a small table between them on which to set a small planter or a glass of iced tea...