prettying up the front porch


It looks pretty now {I hope you agree!} but my house was in sorry shape just a few days ago. Do I dare discuss the dreaded "w" word here? There may be no way around it. Okay, w is for winter. And winter is the reason my front porch was trashed come spring and my window boxes looked like this.


Yucky, right? Well, after a little scraping and sanding, I gave them a coat of primer. Much better already.


Then a coat of paint {yeah, I could probably have used two} and some flowers to fill them is step 2 to curb appeal. I like to lay out my flowers while they're still in their containers to see how they look and get the arrangement I want. This is the equivalent of using laying out your art gallery wall before you start nailing. I always do it, and I like to tweak things to make sure my window boxes coordinate but don't match. So, the flowers in each box are the same but will line up in a different order. This helps keep things interesting, I think.


I kept it simple this year. Here's what I planted:
Pink verbena
Purple sweet potato vine
Chartreuse sweet potato vine
Lobularia "Sweet Princess"

I like the pink and lime green together. And the dark vine is nice against the light yellow of the house. The boxes don't look like much now, but in another month, they'll be full and lush and looking great.

Next step in freshening up the front: scrub where needed with Simple Green and hose down the porch. You won't believe how much dirt builds up here.


And next, a new doormat. A must. I love my extra-long striped one this year. So cute! Welcome!


Bring out the cushion and outdoor rug. This place is totally ready now, for guests, for neighbors walking by, for me drinking cofee on a cool sunny morning. So what do you think? And what's the next step? {Because no project is ever really done.} Outdoor pillows, I think. And painting the front door's threshold. Should it be black, to match the front door? Opinions/thoughts/help needed!

7 comments

René said...

Your porch is so welcoming! Would love to have a porch large enough for seating. Your window boxes are going to be so pretty when those trailing plants start to spill over. I hope you share pics then.

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

Oh yes, much better now. And yes, I would go black on the threshold, too!

Tonya said...

I would also love a front porch big enough to sit on or have a seat. And I LOVE the door. Maybe the light could be bigger? But the same design detail. Your neighbors are lucky to have you :)

Fran said...

Pretty, Casey!! Must be so nice to have a front porch. I love your flower pots on your steps! Adds a little modern touch to your porch. As far as the threshold is concerned, I think a different color would freshen it up. I like the idea of black.

The Vintique Object said...

Your energy level is amazing! How pretty and welcoming everything looks. Love the sweet potato vine and how it drapes as it grows. Will yo do an update as the planters fill in? Regarding the threshold, I also need to paint mine, but have never given any thought to color. I'd say to do the same color as the trim, but who I am to know?
Camille

Comeca Jones said...

Looks so nice.

Holly Gruszka said...

Commenting a few days late on this but I've also been putting a lot of effort into our front porch and curb appeal. You're doing a great job. Isn't the sweet potato vine great? It adds great color and grows so well. Please do an update - I'm hoping to do monthly updates on my planters and can't wait to see the growth.