17 Best Porch Plants for Stunning Curb Appeal
Dress up your porch using beautiful plants with season-long color
Creating a good first impression of your home adds value and curb appeal to your property. The front porch is one of the first things people notice when passing by or visiting. Ornamental plants add a living decorative touch, providing lush greenery and bright color, helping to soften the home’s facade.
Whether you have a porch in blazing afternoon sunlight, or underneath a shady tree, there are many garden plants that will thrive in this outdoor space. Good porch plants will grow well in containers, are adaptable to different light conditions, and require little maintenance. When choosing front porch plants, consider your home’s architectural style and color scheme, as well as your own personal tastes. Use a variety of different front porch planters, including pots, hanging baskets and window boxes.
1. ANGELONIA Angelonia spp. Zones: 9–11; most often grown as an annual Angelonia is a warm-season annual that thrives in full sun and heat, making it a good choice for porches that receive a lot of direct sun during the summer. Small orchid-like flowers are produced on tall stems from planting until frost, providing height and long-lasting color to containers. Plant by itself or in combination with other heat-loving plants. Angelface® Blue angelonia pairs well with complementary colors of yellow and orange. Here are some ways to boost your home’s curb appeal with flowers. |
2. BEGONIA Begonia spp. Zones: 9–11; most often grown as an annual This popular bedding annual is tolerant of different light conditions and thrives in containers, making it one of the best front porch flowers. When grown as outdoor porch plants, provide rich, well-drained potting soil and regular water. Mass in a container by itself or in mixed pots and baskets. Double Up™ Red begonia has bright double red flowers and deep bronze foliage on upright plants, with a long bloom time from planting until frost. Follow these tips on decorating your front porch with plants. |
3. BOXWOOD Buxus spp. Zones: 5–9 These evergreen shrubs are some of the most popular landscape plants for their versatility and adaptability and are amenable to shearing into formal shapes and topiaries. Boxwood thrives in sun or shade and performs well in containers, adding year-round color to porches with variable light conditions. Sprinter® boxwood has a compact stature suitable for pots, with a dense growth habit and glossy green foliage that stays lush all season long. |
4. CALADIUM Caladium spp. Zones: 9–11; most often grown as an annual Caladium is a heat-loving tropical plant with leaves in bold colors and patterns. This shade lover is easily adaptable to containers and porch environments. Add a bright pop of color to summer baskets and pots with an exotic variety such as Heart to Heart® ‘Bold ’N Beautiful’ caladium. Bulbs can be stored over winter and replanted the following season. |
5. CHINESE FRINGE FLOWER Loropetalum spp. Zones: 7–10 Related to witch hazel, Chinese fringe flower produces delicate tendril-like flowers in spring against a backdrop of colorful deciduous foliage. Plants prefer rich, well-draining soil and at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sun for the best color and flowering. Add a splash of color to a porch with Jazz Hands Mini® Chinese fringe flower, a dwarf variety that produces bright magenta-pink flowers and dark purple foliage. |
6. CLEMATIS Clematis spp. Zones: 3–10 Clematis is a vining perennial with showy flowers that can be trained up porch columns or trellises. Provide rich well-drained soil, regular water, and protection from hot afternoon sun. Jolly Good™ clematis produces abundant purple flowers all summer long on compact plants, making it suitable for containers and smaller spaces. Include clematis varieties that bloom at different times for long-lasting color throughout the growing season. |
7. COLEUS Coleus spp. Zones: 10–11; most often grown as an annual Made popular during the Victorian era, coleus is one of the best plants for front porch pots. This tropical foliage plant comes in an endless array of leaf colors and patterns. Use a trailing variety such as ColorBlaze® Chocolate Drop coleus in hanging baskets or window boxes. Try this porch planting featuring red coleus and pink flowering plants such as Trufflela™ Pink globe amaranth and Supertunia Mini Vista® Pink Star petunia. |
8. CONEFLOWER Echinacea spp. Zones: 3–9 Attract butterflies and other beneficial insects to your porch with this quintessential summer flowering perennial. Plants thrive in full sun and are drought tolerant once established. Summersong™ Firefinch™ coneflower, which has a compact habit suitable for containers and long-lasting flowers in brilliant sunset hues of red-orange and pinkish red. |
9. CORAL BELLS Heuchera spp. Zones: 4–9 Coral bells is a versatile perennial that tolerates a range of growing conditions, making it suitable for porches with variable light. Grown primarily for the evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage in a range of colors and shapes, coral bells thrive in containers and pair well with many other ornamental plants. Use a colorful variety such as Dolce® ‘Wildberry’ coral bells as a stunning focal point in a decorative pot or combine as a filler element with flowering annuals or perennials. |
10. FERNS Various genera Zones: 3–11 Grown for the elegant foliage, ferns are one of the best porch plants, with varieties that come in a wide range of sizes, leaf shapes and colors. These woodland plants prefer shade, are adaptable to containers, and are virtually maintenance-free. Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) is a favorite plant for porches and is especially attractive in hanging baskets and urns. For a unique look, try ‘Crested Surf’ crested Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum), with frond tips that are double-crested. |
11. HIBISCUS Hibiscus spp. Zones: 5–9 Hibiscus is a popular garden shrub with large showy flowers that lend exotic appeal to the landscape. Add tropical flair to a porch with a smaller hibiscus variety suited to containers, and provide rich, well-draining soil and regular moisture. Hollywood™ Hibiscus Sunset Boulevard™ is a tender variety with lush dark green foliage and large orange flowers that will brighten up a sunny porch all summer long. |
12. HOLLY Ilex spp. Zones: 3–10 Holly is a diverse group of evergreen or deciduous shrubs, with many sizes and forms that provide year-round interest. Plant a smaller variety such as Little Goblin® winterberry holly or Strongbox® inkberry holly in an outdoor pot and place on a porch to provide winter interest at a time of year when there is little color in the landscape. Patti O Box® Japanese holly has glossy evergreen leaves, a slender columnar shape and compact size that is suitable for flanking a porch entryway. |
13. HOSTA Hosta spp. Zones: 3–9 One of the best potted plants for shaded porch areas, hosta is a long-lived hardy perennial grown for the attractive foliage in a range of colors and patterns. Potted plants need little or no attention other than watering, adding carefree appeal to porches and other outdoor living areas. Display a miniature variety such as ‘Sun Mouse’ on a tabletop, or a medium-sized variety such as Shadowland® ‘Wheee!’ hosta on a porch floor. |
14. HYDRANGEA Hydrangea spp. Zones: 3–9 Hydrangea is one of the most popular flowering shrubs, with large showy flower heads that bloom from summer into fall. For homeowners with little gardening space, dwarf varieties such as Little Lime® panicle hydrangea or Invincibelle Wee White® smooth hydrangea can be planted in containers and displayed on a sunny or semi-shaded porch. Provide a high quality all-purpose potting mix that drains well, and water plants regularly. Find more compact hydrangeas for small spaces. |
15. PETUNIA Petunia spp. Zones: 10–11; grown as an annual Petunia is one of the most popular warm-season annuals, with flowers in a wide range of colors, and a mounding or trailing habit suited to hanging baskets and containers. This versatile plant thrives with full sun, rich, well-drained soil and regular water. Display petunias on a sunny porch as a focal point, or in combination with other plants. Supertunia Vista® Bubblegum® has pink flowers and a vigorous trailing habit, adding long-lasting color to porch baskets and pots. Find more on petunia hanging baskets. |
16. ROSE Rosa spp. Zones: 2–11 Roses are one of the most beloved landscape shrubs, occurring in a wide array of sizes and flower colors to suit any landscape. Climbers can be trained up a trellis, while smaller sized rose bushes such as Ringo® can be planted in containers and displayed on a sunny porch. Rise Up Emberays® rose, with glowing orange and yellow flowers, can be kept smaller or trained up a porch pillar or trellis for vertical interest. |
17. WISHBONE FLOWER Torenia spp. Zones: 10–11; grown as an annual Wishbone flower is a warm season annual with colorful snapdragon-like blooms from planting until frost. This heat lover thrives in partial to deep shade and grows well in containers, making it suitable for porches with little direct sunlight. Provide rich, well draining soil and regular moisture. Summer Wave® Trailing Large Violet has large purple flowers and a trailing habit, making it one of the best porch hanging plants for baskets. |
FAQs
What plants are good for porches?
When choosing container plants for front porch areas, use varieties that will thrive in pots, are adaptable to porch growing conditions, and have multi-seasonal appeal.
Jenny Simpson of Creekside Nursery shares her tips on creating hanging baskets for the front porch that will make a dramatic statement all season long.
What are the best low-maintenance porch plants?
Plants that are tolerant of a range of growing conditions and are virtually carefree will be the best low maintenance plants for porches.
Laura LeBoutillier of Garden Answer shares her tips on creating a part shade container using easy porch plants such as ferns, hosta and coral bells.
What is the best plant to put outside your front door?
Use visually appealing plants that will draw attention to your home’s front entrance. These plants should have attractive structure, interesting traits such as colorful foliage or flowers, and hold their appeal throughout the growing season.
Janey Santos of Dig, Plant, Water, Repeat shares her ideas on how to dress up your porch entryway with captivating plants.
What is the best plant for a hot sunny porch?
Include plants that will thrive in heat and sun, with long-lasting flowers or colorful foliage. These include petunias, coneflower, hibiscus, verbena and angelonia.
Find more on how to grow verbena in pots and hanging baskets.
What are some good fall porch plants?
When choosing plants for the fall porch, include varieties with late season color that will thrive in cooler temperatures and shorter days. These include mums, sedum, aster, hydrangea, ornamental grasses and dahlias.
What are the best porch plants for winter?
Plants with winter interest can help lift the mood to get through dreary winter months when gardens are largely dormant. Some of the best outdoor potted plants for the winter porch include hellebore, holly, boxwood and coral bells.
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