Plants have many uses in the landscape, one of which is to help your house look as enchanting and welcoming as possible. One of the best ways to achieve that aesthetic goal is to incorporate plants near your front door. However, as is the case with any gardening project, you’ll find that not all plants are as suitable for front door areas as others. For that reason, we have created this list of the best front door plants that you can use to improve the beauty of your façade and boost the curb appeal of your home.
The plants that are suitable for front door areas do not come from a single group. Instead, a front door plant can be one of many species, which means that each one comes with a specific set of requirements and ornamental features. Our list will cover those specifics shortly, but for now, it’s important to recognize these overarching key takeaways as well.
Key Takeaways
- Front door plants can increase your property’s curb appeal, which increases value as well.
- Many of the best front-door plants are on the smaller side since front-door areas often provide minimal growing space.
- Most front-door plants are container plants.
- Front door plants typically have bright and colorful flowers.
- Many front door plants are perennials or woody species, while others are annual plants.
15 Inviting Front Door Plants That Will Make You Feel at Home
1. Begonia (Begonia)
Begonias are not only an excellent first option for a front-door plant, but they are also among the most popular flowering plant species in the United States. Interestingly, whether a begonia grows as an annual or a perennial depends entirely on where you live. For example, if you live in hardiness zone 8 or warmer, you can grow this lovely bloomer all year round. If you live in any area colder than that, you’ll need to grow your begonias as annuals. Either way, begonias are phenomenal for their ability to provide colorful blooms and interesting waxy foliage.
2. Bottlebrush (Fothergilla gardenii)
As is true of the other shrub species that will appear on this list, the bottlebrush shrub is a relatively small shrub species. In most cases, it is very easy to keep this plant at a maximum size of 6 feet or less, which means that it is a plant that you can grow near your front door if you have a relatively large container. Doing so may be well worth it to you since the bottlebrush shrub has great flowers that are not only beautiful for their colors, which include white or a shade of red, but also for their incredible texture that is the inspiration for this plant’s unique and descriptive common name.
3. Boxwood (Buxus)
For some, flowers are a must when it comes to front-door plants. However, other gardeners recognize the ornamental appeal that foliage and growth habit alone can provide. There is perhaps no better example of this than the boxwood shrub. Boxwoods have broad evergreen leaves that are typically bright green and very vibrant. But the greatest value that the boxwood provides comes from its incredible responsiveness to trimming and shearing. Take advantage of this ability by creating nearly any shape of your choosing with your front door boxwood shrub. Though this species doesn’t have showy flowers, the shapes it can take make it more than worth planting.
4. Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)
A large part of designing a front door area is recognizing that the purpose of that area is to welcome your guests to your home. But did you consider that people may not be the only guests that are worth inviting to this space? Planting a front door area is also a chance to attract and support native pollinator species. The butterfly bush is distinctly capable of attracting many elegant butterflies during its bloom time. However, there are many varieties of butterfly bush that are incredibly invasive, so be sure to select this variety as it is bred specifically not to spread.
5. Caladium (Caladium bicolor)
Attractive foliage is not only a way of providing a consistent mass of lush foliage. Instead, foliage also has the ability to provide colors as varied and bright as those that flowers provide. One ideal illustration of this idea is the caladium plant. Caladium plants have large, elephant-ear-shaped leaves that typically hold multiple colors at once, including white, pink, red, and green. This eye-catching appearance is the perfect fit for anyone who wants to give their front door area a bold and slightly tropical look. Conveniently, caladium plants are also suitable for growing indoors.
6. Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
During the early spring season, creeping phlox can be one of the most impressive of the many flowering plant species that show off their blooms at that time of year. The reason why creeping phlox stands out among those many outstanding plants is that it spreads across the surface of the ground and blooms so profusely that it will make your garden look like it has a carpet of pure white, pink, or purple. But while the most popular use of creeping phlox is as a ground cover for larger planting beds, this plant is also adaptable to containers, making it a viable option for those who want their front door planting design to have a springtime pop of color.
7. Daylily (Hemerocallis)
Daylilies are among the most commonly planted perennial species in all of residential landscape design, and there are multiple reasons for this. For example, daylilies are incredibly easy to care for and typically thrive without the need for much maintenance on your part. Daylilies are also incredibly beautiful, thanks to the large-petaled flowers that they hold at the end of long stalks. That inherent beauty is what has led to more cultivated varieties of the daylily plant than you can likely count. With such a great variety of cultivars, it is easy to find a daily type that is best for your front door growing area.
8. Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’)
There are a few different plants that sometimes go by the name fountain grass, but the one that has earned a spot on our list has the specific botanical name Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln.’ This fountain grass type forms pleasant clumps that reach about two feet tall at most and are about the same in width. That small stature means that a fountain grass plant will fit well in a moderately sized container in your front door growing area. During this plant’s comparatively long bloom time, it will cover itself with many long spike-shaped flower clusters that are typically a shade of tan or off-white and have a texture that is difficult to match.
9. Geranium (Pelargonium)
Often planted as annuals, geraniums are among the most popular container plants that you can find. The main reason for that popularity is that geraniums have flower clusters that are undeniably attractive for their depth of color. Geraniums also have lovely green leaves that often have frilly margins and complement the flowers well. To make the most of your geraniums, try growing them in a hanging basket, like many other gardeners enjoy doing. Affixing that hanging basket to a front porch can be one of the best ways to improve the overall look of your front door area.
10. Giant Allium (Allium)
After seeing a giant allium plant, you will not soon forget the unique shape that this plant has. Gian alliums are perennial flowering plants that consist of a single main stem that is tall, relatively thick, and green. Atop that tall stalk rests a perfect globe-shaped cluster of flowers. Each of those flowers has a mesmerizing purple shade. That growth habit alone is enough to make the giant allium plant the best plant choice if you want to draw attention to your front door area. In those cases, giant allium is a plant that your guests will certainly not overlook.
11. Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana)
This next entry on our list is one of the best flowering plant options for front porches that are naturally a bit more shaded than others. The reason is that impatiens is one of the few popular annual plant species that blooms best in partial shade or even full shade at times. Despite not being sun-loving plants, impatiens have a bright appearance that includes flowers in varying shades of pink and other colors. As was true of some annual plants we previously mentioned on this list, impatiens often look their best when you grow them in a hanging basket.
12. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
To many, a sense of home is not only about familiar sights but also about familiar scents. If you want to associate the entry of your home with a particular scent, then growing lavender as your font door plant of choice is the way to go. But while lavender plants provide an alluring and familiar fragrance, it is also worth noting that they are incredibly beautiful as well. Lavender flowers are plentiful and purple, and they arrange themselves in elongated clusters. They also provide a textural effect that is especially impressive when it interacts with a passing breeze.
13. Marigold (Tagetes)
There are a few features that make marigolds some of the best flowering plants for front-door growing areas. First, marigolds are small enough to fit in nearly any sized container that you have. You may even have enough space to grow them with multiple complementary plants. Second, marigold blooms have a rich color that nearly no other flowering plant can compare to. Each year, when this annual plant is in bloom, it will grace your front door with glorious shades of yellow, orange, and gold.
14. Pansy (Viola × wittrockiana)
Much like the previous entry on our list, this one is a popular annual plant that is small enough to fit in nearly any growing location. In most cases, pansies will grow to be just a few inches tall, meaning that even the smallest of pots can house one of these plants. Pansies also have incredible flowers that come in many different colors and often feature more than one color at a time. At times, the most amazing characteristic of those flowers is their longevity. In a typical year, pansies may remain in bloom throughout most of the growing season.
15. Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
If your ideal font door garden includes plenty of bright colors, then you may be surprised to learn that you may be able to get all the color variety you want from a single plant species. But while that’s hard to believe, the zinnia plant proves it to be true. Zinnias have circular flowers that come in many different colors, including orange, pink, yellow, purple, and more. Take some time to select the colors you want, and soon, you can fill a container with enough zinnias to make your front door look more inviting than ever before.
Now that you have learned about a few of the best front-door plants around, it is possible that you have only grown more curious about the subject. Fortunately for you, we have answered a few of the most commonly asked questions about front-door plants in the sections below. Read on to learn more about this captivating plant group.
Frequently Asked Questions About Front Door Plants
What Plants Do Best on a Porch?
The growing conditions and environmental factors of a front porch vary in almost every case. As such, finding the plant that will do best on your front porch requires you to understand your growing location well. By understanding the factors present in your growing location, you can then select front-door plants that will not only survive but thrive in those conditions. In addition, you should recognize the amount of growing space your porch provides, as the best front door plant for you is one that has a mature size that can fit comfortably in that allotted growing space.
What is the Best Plant for a Covered Porch?
If you have a covered porch, it is especially important to monitor the amount of sunlight that reaches your growing area. Naturally, covered areas provide less sun exposure throughout the day, which means it is more likely that a plant that prefers partial shade or full shade will do well in your covered porch growing area. Likewise, you should also anticipate that plants on a covered porch won’t receive as much, or any, moisture from rainfall, meaning that you’ll need to provide that moisture yourself via regular watering.
What Plants Are Best for Screened in Porch?
As is true of plants for covered porches, the best species to select are often those that prefer partial shade or full shade rather than those that require full sunlight. The reason for that is that a screened-in porch is more enclosed than one that is entirely open and uncovered, which means less light can access the growing area within. It is also important to select plants for screened-in porches that do well in containers and are relatively small. Choosing a smaller species helps ensure that your screened porch plants won’t overcrowd your porch area.
What Plants Can I Put in Pots Outside?
You can put just about any type of plant in a pot to grow outside, provided that the plant is not too large for the pot you have. When plants are too large for their containers, their root run out of space to expand and eventually become root-bound, ultimately leading to the demise of the plant. Similarly, even if your container is appropriately sized compared to your plants, your plants will likely outgrow that space eventually. In those cases, it helps to have plants that respond well to transplanting, as that is what you will need to do to keep them alive.
How Do I Choose a Front Porch Planter?
There are many considerations, both functional and aesthetic, that you’ll need to make when choosing a front porch planter. First, a planter must serve its plants well by providing plenty of growing spaces and allowing for efficient drainage. Second, a front porch planter should compliment both the aesthetic appeal of your house and the appearance of the plants it holds. By balancing those practical and visual choices, you can find the front porch planter that is perfect for you.
15 Fascinating Front Door Plants That Can Make Your House That Much More Beautiful
Plants have an astounding ability to enhance the beauty of a home and its surrounding property. One of the best ways to see that enhancement unfold is by planting front door plants near your home’s primary entrance. Fortunately, there are plenty of incredible front-door plants that you can choose to grow, as our list thoroughly proves. So next time you want to spruce up the aesthetic appeal of your front door or simply learn more about plants that grow well near front doors, simply return to this article to find everything you need to know.
