Planting a Peaceful Front Porch
I shared a few weeks back about my plans to amp up the cozy factor on our front porch. We have been spending a lot more time out there than we have in previous summers, simply because Mabel is getting a little older and is able to play more independently while we sit back with a drink or a book. I shared a fun collection of items in that post, and while I would love to slowly add more decor pieces to extend our living space out, I know that the true magic of a front porch space comes from the plants.
This past weekend, I finally ventured out to gather some plants from a few different garden centres. In Canada, we never risk planting before the May long weekend (on May 24th), and even still, I put off planting even longer than usual this year. With garden centres being one of the very few places open for public shopping (we are still under lockdown restrictions), they are beaming with people eager to get out so they can enjoy being out again. Now that we are a few weeks into the summer, the centres have quieted down and I finally felt ready to venture in and start working on my own outdoor space.
Do you have a formula you follow when purchasing your annual summer flowers and plants? Do you always buy the same type, in the same colour, for the same spot? Since we have only been in our home for two summers before this one, I haven’t quite nailed down our formula, but there are a few essentials I always scoop up. Red begonias are hands down my favourite hanging basket flower - they have thick, shiny green leaves and vibrant flowers. Then I always love to pick up some Boston ferns for the porch since they thrive in shady areas and always pack a punch with their bushy green frills. Other than that, I’m open to whatever catches my eye, but tend to keep my colour scheme pretty tight and look for interesting textures in the leaves and varying heights for variety.
This year, I started by purchasing my regular red begonia hanging baskets, but decided to give them a little more substance by repotting them in some reusable hanging planters. I have wanted some reusable hanging baskets for a few years but was never able to track down exactly what I wanted. This year, I ordered these hanging baskets in packs of two and they add a perfect amount of interest through the woven texture without taking away from the beauty of the flowers themselves. We already had brackets on our porch posts, so I simply shortened the chains on the baskets to a length that worked well with the existing brackets.
One of my main goals for our porch was to create a warm and inviting entry to our home. The front door itself exists with a single window next to it and to enter, you must step up on an offset cement block. I’m sure few people would notice this or even care, but I have found it difficult to decorate because it isn’t symmetrical. In an ideal scenario, I would use some planters to frame the door symmetrically, but instead, I tried to work with the asymmetry by using a variety of different planters - two that sit at the entry to the porch and one that sits next to the door itself. I like to purchase hanging baskets and repot the flowers in these large planter pots instead. It gives them space to grow and expand, but is a really easy and budget-friendly way to get a bang for your flower-buying buck. I picked up a couple of Boston ferns and a couple of white flower baskets that I couldn’t tell you anything about. They’re simple and beautiful, which I think helps to compliment the asymmetry rather than add more chaos to it.
Over by our sitting area, I added a couple additional planters in varying heights and shapes. I filled the tall one with a Boston fern and the small one with a variety of small plants and flowers that do well in shaded areas. I tried create variety in this small planter by using a couple of trailing plants and a couple of flowering plants. I already love the texture this little planter adds to the space.
I have already spent a few breezy evenings out on our porch now that it is filled with these beautiful plants and flowers and it reminds me what these efforts are all about: I created this space to be a space filled with peace. Will flowers themselves bring me the peace I long for? No, but these past couple of years have been hard and painful and I have struggled so deeply with anxiety. Sitting down, taking a breath, smelling the flowers and feeling immersed in the beauty and love found in these plants reminds me that there is peace to be found in rest and, well, the little things. It feels like a new season is among us and I am ready to step in - err, sit down - and take it all in.
What are your go to plants and flowers? Where have you been finding peace lately?
