Perennial & Porch Planning

I am so excited to see some of the perennials I planted last year in our yard coming up again!  Even the dollar store tulip bulbs my kids and I planted last year are starting to make an appearance.  Last year I planted some candytuft at the front edge of my flower bed, and I think it was just too hot being the south side of the house.  I may just be a terrible gardener (which could also be very true), but they didn’t survive (except for one little cluster of green!)  The plants that did do well over the winter were the peonies, daylillies, and salvia.  These plants have also been pretty low maintenance too, which is my kind of plant!  

I had a few bare spots in my flower bed that I wanted to fill, so the other day I decided to make a little pit stop at a local greenhouse.  The greenhouse is pretty much my favorite place to go in the spring and summer.  I just love being surrounded by all the lovely plants!  It’s such a great atmosphere to be in—and a fun outing for me and the kids!  Maneuvering both a plant cart and a stroller was a little challenging, but I managed to come out with everything I was looking for.  I ended up choosing some coneflowers, dianthus, and some stonecrop sedum for groundcover at the front of the bed.  My older kids were happy because they got to play at the playground while I shopped (with them still in my sight of course!)

You can barely see my tiny new plants in the bed, but they are there!  I wish perennials would fill out more the first year they are planted, but for now I’ll have to be patient and do my best not to kill them!

I also picked up a few ferns for my front porch.

Here is my porch with the ferns all planted!  I used two black square planters that I already had (these planters are similar).  I still plan to dress things up a bit with some flowers, so keep scrolling!

I’d love to buy a white or blue seat cushion for my bench (see a similar white bench here) just to make it a little more comfortable.

Oops…one of my ferns isn’t doing so good, so I moved it over there to get a bit more light.  So far it isn’t helping! 🙁

 

The blue and white rug is an outdoor rug and I love it because it is reversible.  It is no longer available so I’ve linked some similar rugs here, here, and here.

The crate is an old apple box that was my grandma’s.  It works great as a side table to put a lantern or plant on.

I found my large boxwood wreath (similar one here) at HomeSense, and I’m always switching up where I put it in my home.  I love in on the front door but also love it on my fireplace mantel.  I’ve thought about painting my front door, but I’m just not sure!  I do like it white, but a color might be more fun!  If I do paint it, I am leaning towards a lighter color, since our siding is already so dark, but nothing too bright or bold.  Maybe either a very light grey or a soft blue/green?  I don’t know….any suggestions?  Or should I just leave it white?

I picked up this cute “hello” door mat at Home Depot.  It’s similar to this Hello Door Mat that I’ve had my eye on for a while now.  I love the look of layered rugs on my front porch!

What plans do you all have in the works for your front porch or flower beds?  I’d love to hear your comments or questions about my front porch!  Thanks so much for stopping by to read my post today!

 

Other posts you might enjoy:

Patio Decor Inspiration

On the Hunt For an Outdoor Rug

Farmhouse Front Porch Finds