How to Deck Out Your Springtime Entryway

Looking for a way to spruce up your springtime entryway?  Colorful flowers and plants are an easy and affordable solution to brighten your entryway and create a gorgeous, inviting welcome to you and your guests!   Why not do what I did and head to Lowes for some Monrovia annuals or perenials?  You can get ideas before you go at www.monrovia.com  I’m so excited to show you how fun and easy it is to take your front entryway from drab to fab in no time at all!

Watch my 2 minute video Entryway Refresh!

What You Want To Do

1. Make people feel welcome.
2. Make your home look fresh and inviting.
3. Express who you are, your style, and your personality.

My Entryway Situation

I received a beautiful new spring wreath.  I was so excited to hang it on my front door.  However, as soon as I hung it up I realized how dull and lifeless the rest of the porch was!  The beauty of the wreath was in stark contrast to the rest of the scene.  It was abundantly clear that I needed a spring porch overhaul.

Operation Springtime Entryway Update

First things first….time to clean up the ravages of winter!  Time to get out the broom, wipe down the cobwebs, dust off the ledges.  I swept out all the dead leaves and dust that had accumulated over the winter months.

Wanting to start with a fresh, clean slate I moved the large orchid plants out.  They had just finished their blooming cycle so they weren’t adding much to the entryway.  Plus, I was ready for something new!  Don’t be afraid to start from scratch to get a fresh perspective.  It helps creative thinking when you move everything out and start with nothing.

Confession of a Plant-Challenged Decorator

Confession:  I am not very experienced with flowers, plants, gardening and do NOT have a green thumb.  My exposure to to most planting experiences (whether planting inside or out) is to buy the most beautiful, healthiest plants I can find, read all the information provided on the tag (ie. how much sun or water the plant needs)….and then cross my fingers and hold my breath hoping they won’t die!  Good thing my husband usually steps in and takes over before that happens.

Truth be told, this is why Monrovia Plants are my go-to choice.  If you know Monrovia you know that they grow the healthiest, highest quality plants!  Their plants are nurtured with attention to every detail to ensure vibrancy and lasting beauty.  They also have very helpful plant information tags that come with every plant so even a novice like myself can determine if the plant they fall in love with is well suited to the environment where they are planting.

Off to Lowes

Now that I had a clean porch I headed to Lowes to get flowers.  There’s no better way to make a colorful springtime splash than with beautiful, vibrant flowers.  Literally, you can’t go wrong!

Choose Your Color Palette for Your Springtime Entryway

At Lowes I was overwhelmed with colorful options!  Wow, how to choose?  This is when it’s good to have your color palette in mind BEFORE you go.  Otherwise, you will have a really hard time deciding and may get totally lost in a sea of pretty flowering plants in every shape and color.  This is another reason I recommend checking out the Monrovia website before you go!

Take your cues from the colors that already exist in your space.  The most important color is probably your front door, since this sits center stage.  Next to consider is the color of your house and any other contributing colors that exist in the setting, i.e. a bench, your planters, accent colors on your home etc.

Because my door is black I looked for something bright to really pop against it.  I also wanted to bring in white because of my new white wreath.  If you have a light colored door you may want to choose a coordinating color or a complementary color for contrast.  It really is all about COLOR, though, so don’t be shy!

Why I Love Monrovia

I try to buy Monrovia plants when I can because of their exceptional quality.  Lowes carries a lot of Monrovia plants which is why I choose Loves to shop for most of my plants.  For on-line convenience shop the Monrovia plant selection HERE. What I love about shopping the Monrovia website is they provide you with plant suggestions based on your zip code that they have already determined will thrive in your local climate.  Now that’s what I’m talking about!

Aren’t these all amazing??  This is exactly what I’m talking about when I said, “…lost in a sea of pretty flowering plants in every shape and color.”  This is the sea!  They are all so beautiful.

Now came the hard part! Deciding which ones….As soon as I saw the red geraniums I knew those were the ones.  They were the brightest flowers in the store, and I knew they would look great against the black door.  Next I picked out white pansies for the perfect pop of white I needed as my accent color and to tie back to my wreath.

Decorating your Springtime Entryway

When thinking about how to decorate your springtime entryway here are some things to consider:

1.  Fill the Space

How many plants do you need to fill the space?  It’s easier to be in your space and think about this before leaving home.  You don’t have to have an exact number, but some planning can go a long way to helping you make your decisions.

2.  Furniture Possibilities

Do you have enough room for additional decor items like a bench, a chair or a little table?  Take measurements and put them in your notes section of your phone.  That way whenever you see something you don’t have to guess and hassle with returns if things don’t fit.

3.  Add Your Personality with Decor

Do you want to add any whimsical decor items besides plants, ie. a wagon, an antique ladder or some lanterns?

4.  Plant Display

How will you display your plants?  What kind of pots or planters do you want to use?

5. Create a Variety of Levels

Decorating on different levels.  Think about ways to raise some plants up so that you can “layer” the color and bring the eye up off of the ground.  Depending on how much room you have will determine some of these decisions.  Lowes has lots of options no matter your style.

6.  Decorate Your Front Door

After all, this is your central focus.  Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box.  A wreath isn’t the only option.  What about a basket?  A basket is fun because you can change it up for the season.  You can add seasonal flowers and change them out to match your color scheme and have fun decorating for different holidays.

7.  Consider Hanging Planters

I don’t have a place to hang these but if I did I love this idea.  They lift the eye to new levels and always look fabulous.

Creating Your Planters

To keep my color palette neutral I chose terra-cotta planters along with a galvanized bucket I already owned.  I didn’t want to add additional colors to complete with the white and black.   You know me, always trying to use what I have 🙂

I planted one geranium per pot and planted 12 pansies around the circumference of each pot.  The galvanized pot was a little smaller so I only planted 8 pansies around that one and added the 4 left over pansies to another small pot.  This took only about 20 minutes to complete.  It was fun and easy!  Creating these beautiful planters left me feeling satisfied and proud! haha, it doesn’t take much 🙂

Creating Levels and Arranging the Decor

Since my entryway is architecturally symmetrical I am tempted to decorate symmetrically as well.  However, because I have a variety of decor items in uneven numbers I find it more practical to decorate each side separately.  I still strive for an overall balance.

I had 2 white lanterns, one big and one small.  And I had two white crates, one big and one small. I put the lanterns on one side and the crates on the other side in order to balance the amount of white on both sides.

One the right side I used a wrought iron plant stand to raise the flower pot up and allow for a second plant to sit underneath.  My faux lavender pots add a bit of detail without creating a strong color statement.

On the left side I used the crates to create different levels for the pots.

The Final Reveal

I am so excited about my refreshed springtime entryway!  The colorful details added by my Monrovia plants made ALL the difference.  I’m in love with how much brighter and cheerier the space feels with the addition of a few brightly-colored Monrovia annuals.  The updates were inexpensive and easy, both factors being key for this busy mom!  For more ideas about how to spruce up your outdoor patio or garden just head to the Grow Beautifully Monrovia Blog.

As always, we’d love to hear from you!  Let us know if this inspired you and what ideas you have to add!  Julie and I just love to hear your feedback.

Happy Planting!

With love,

Jodie & Julie