Instantly boost your curb appeal with these beautiful front entryway plant ideas.
When selecting plants think about the amount of light that the area gets throughout the day. Consider plants that you love to look at and place them in areas that you and others can enjoy them from the street.
You should also consider how much time you are willing to give to taking care of your plants. Before making a final decision, consider these 17 plants for your entryway.
Petunias
Most petunias are stocky and grow up to 14-inches long and 2-feet wide. You can find petunias in almost every color, and they will bloom from late spring to fall. If you are afraid that they are not big enough for your front door area, consider Grandiflora types as their blooms are up to 4-inches wide. Put these plants in a cool location inside once the winter turns cold.
Umbrella Tree
Growing from 15-to-30-feet tall, umbrella trees have leaves up to 24-inches long and 10-inches wide. Creamy white, bowl-shaped flowers with up to 10 tepals bloom in late May. These flowers can be up to 8-inches wide. This plant loves the sun and a medium amount of moisture.
Boston Fern
The Boston fern loves the humidity, so always keep a rock-filled tray with water under it. You can find various Boston ferns with different types of fonds, including wavy, curly, twisted, drooping and overlapping. This plant grows up to 3-feet tall benefits from monthly weak fertilizer applications. Most varieties start with an upright but gracefully arches with age.
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alyssum is a mat-forming plant that can grow up to 9-inches tall. Tiny, four-petaled flowers appear in spring, and this plant will keep blooming until summer’s hottest days arrive. Cut it back by about 50%, and it will bloom again in the fall. Traditionally, the flowers are white, but you can find pink, rose, purple and apricot options.
Begonia
If your porch gets dappled sun, then begonias may be a perfect choice. Place this option in an area where it will get good air circulation. You can find dwarf options growing to be about 8-inches tall and other options that grow up to 12-inches tall. Depending on the variety chosen, you can find single-blooming or double-blooming options. Most bloom from mid-summer until you bring them inside before the first frost.
Coleus
Coleus is a shade-loving plant that grows from 6-to-36-inches tall. You can find options in every color of the rainbow, except deeper blues. Flowers appear in racemes in the summer and early fall. This plant has beautiful multi-colored leaves. Give this plant an occasional drink, and it is likely to thrive for you.
Hydrangea
If you want a shrub for your front-door area, then hydrangea may be the perfect choice for you. Control the alkaline level in the soil if you a specific color of hydrangea. If you choose blue, then plant it in highly acidic soil or if you want pink, plant it in slightly alkaline soil. This shrub blooms for a long time in the summer in flattened floral clusters.
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums are a perennial favorite for front-door areas. If you like the look of a bushier chrysanthemum, then pinch it back in late spring. You can find this fall-blooming plant in a variety of colors that stand in stark contrast to this plant’s dark-green leaves. This plant loves the sun.
Arborvitae Evergreen Trees
Arborvitae evergreen trees grow to between 20-and-40-feet tall may be a great choice to plant near your front door. Aromatic foliage that appears scaley appears in flattened sprays. The red-brown bark on mature trees exfoliates regularly, helping to create visual interest. This non-flowering tree does well in full shade, but it will tolerate partial shade.
Croton
While crotons will grow in the sun, they prefer the shade, so this may be a good tree for your front yard where the house will shade it. This option typically grows to be about 10-feet tall, so you can also plant it in a large pot. Semi-evergreen leaves are green on the top and silver-gray underneath. The leaves turn a pumpkin-orange in the fall. Poinsettia-like, greenish-yellow flowers appear on this tree in the spring.
Caladium
Often called elephant ear, caladiums do not like to dry out, so be sure to keep it moist. This plant grows to be about 18-inches tall. This non-flowering option puts on heart-shaped leaves that can be up to 10-inches long and 7-inches wide. The green leaves are speckled with pink and have white vein-like lines. Protect this plant from the wind and fertilize it regularly.
Ornamental Grasses
Hundreds of ornamental grasses will look great near your front door. Some will grow up to 15-feet tall while others stay much shorter. Many have attractive seed heads that add visual interest to winter landscapes. Consider cutting most options back in the late winter to encourage vigorous new growth.
Boxwood
Boxwood is a broadleaf evergreen with at least 70 different varieties. Most grow to be between 2-and-3-feet tall. Plant this option in slightly acidic soil in part shade or full sun. It will grow in full shade, but it is more suspectable to mites there. This option has shallow roots, so plant it in an area where it does not have to compete for nutrients.
Mandevilla
Place a small trellis in a container and plant Mandevilla in it. This plant thrives in full sun or part shade. There are about 120 varieties of this tubular option. Most grow to be between 3-and-10-feet tall. Trumpet-shape flowers up to 5-inches long appear on this evergreen plant in the summer and last throughout the fall. Often the throat-color is different than the flower’s primary color. The leaves that can be up to 8-inches long are dark green.
Heuchera
Often called coral bells, heuchera is a semi-evergreen plant growing between 12-and-24 inches tall. This plant puts on long wands of tiny bell-shaped flowers in the spring that last through most of the summer. The stunning foliage on this option makes it an attractive option throughout the year. While there are green leaves, you can easily find plants with bronze or red leaves on them.
Calibrachoa
This plant that is often called million bells seldom grows to be taller than eight inches. You can find options that bloom with petunia-like flowers in almost every color of the rainbow. Its trailing stems are filled with blooms from spring to fall, making it an excellent choice for containers and hanging baskets. While they love the sun, they will thrive in part shade.
Lantana
Lantanas comes in three different varieties and a multitude of colors. Some options struggle to get 12-inches tall while others will grow up to 36-inches tall. While you need to water this option frequently when it is getting established, it is drought tolerant once it gets older. The tiny flowers on this fall-blooming plant appear in clusters and are often two-toned.
