Summer Outdoor Spaces | Easy Porch & Patio Container Plants
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The time has arrived for adding the finishing touches to our outdoor spaces and I am excited to share with you some of my favorite outdoor container plants to fill up the porch and patio areas for the summer months. During the last few weeks I have been prepping our outdoor areas and getting each space ready for new plants this season. In this recap, I’m sharing the details of our front and backyard spaces to help simplify your outdoor landscape with easy, low maintenance plants.
Front Porch
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First up for review is the front porch! This is a great way to create a welcoming vibe for anyone entering your home (or admiring from afar) and offers a way to add new elements of color and texture to your landscaping for the season. The first few years we lived in our new house, I struggled figuring out what variety of plants and flowers would work best in our different outdoor spaces. After several rounds of trial and error, along with a few dead plants, I have found several options I now use on repeat to create a formula for each space. This keeps things easy and instead of agonizing over what to buy and where to plant what, I have a short list of what I know works and love in each space.
Front Porch
Since our porch is deep I have room for several different planters while still having open space on the porch. Last year, I purchased from Crate&Barrel these outdoor planters to add to our front porch. I have been so pleased with how well these fill the space, add texture with the ribbed detail and the quality of these items which have held up well their first year. I found I like having a grouping of 3 items towards the front of the porch and keeping a tall planter with grass to pair back by the front door. This works well with the depth in this space and creates a welcoming walkway for our guests. This side of the house gets the hot afternoon sun and all of these plants thrive in this condition with an easy early morning watering each day.
Ornamental Grass
An easy to grow grass in a container adds a fun element to the entryway. This grass blooms from spring until fall and last year I was able to keep these out thru October on our front porch!
Front Porch
This is a view of the front porch at the end of the season. You can see how the plants fill the planters and creates a space full of blooms from the start of the season until Halloween!
Dipladenia Shrub
I love these ready made containers from Home Depot. These are easy to drop in a planter, and the flowers will bloom all summer long providing a nice fresh look throughout the season.
Front Porch Details
- Small Black Ficonstone Outdoor Planter | Creeping Jenny Groundcover
- Medium Black Ficonstone Outdoor Planter | Drop-N-Decorate Dipladenia Flowering Shrub
- (Similar) Led Solar Outdoor Lantern
- (Similar) Tall Black Planter | Ornamental Grass
- Translucent Plant Saucer (11in)
Back Patio | Garden Bed
Next, we have our version of a garden at the back of the house. When we first moved in, we didn’t do much landscaping in the back and I knew this little spot would be great to convert from grass, to a small garden bed. I also knew I wanted to do a container garden so when we met with the landscaping company, I pitched them an idea of only a few in ground plants at the front of the bed, allowing for a back wall of containers that I can change up as needed. I have been so pleased with how this space turned out and the produce we’ve been able to grow in our backyard! Nothing beats a homegrown tomato and this mini garden area is the gift that keeps on giving each year.
Back Patio | Garden Bed
Each year, I select 6 different kinds of tomato varieties to plant in our containers for this area. I’ve learned to shop for those identified as growing well in containers, as it really does matter for the success of your produce each year. This area along the back of our house gets the morning sun and starts to get shade from the house starting around mid afternoon. Last year we had a nice supply of tomatoes all summer season allowing us to have a steady enjoyment of our favorite seasonal recipes. The walking path we had placed in the middle of the garden bed has made the morning water routine super simple and adds a nice element to the otherwise pretty basic garden bed. This year I am switching up a few of my tomato plant selections and look forward to learning how they do in this space over the next few months. Fingers crossed!
Tomato Plants
Growing tomatoes in containers has been easy to do in our backyard. I wouldn’t say I am a pro by any means and I enjoy learning new tips each year. If you are on the fence with container gardening, I recommend to give it a try!
Garden Bed
This garden is simple and easy to maintain. We did rock in the back instead of mulch and I highly recommend this option. The price point is higher up front, however the rock stays put and doesn’t need a refresh each year like most mulch.
Boxwood Shrub
Boxwoods are easy shrubs and grow well in the midwest. I tried a flowering shrub back here for something different, and it didn’t work. So I pivoted back to the tried and true boxwood shrub which gives greenery all year round.
Back Patio | Garden Bed
- Resin Planter – Cement (15in)
- Resin Planter – White (15in)
- Resin Planter – Cement (19in)
- Husky Red Cherry Tomato Plants
- Celebrity Tomato Plants
- Bush Goliath Tomato Plants
- Red Beefsteak Tomato Plants
- Early Girl Tomato Plants
- Roma Tomato Plants
- Miracle Gro Organic Raised Bed Soil
- Tomato Cage
- Boxwood Shrubs
Back Patio
I like to keep a small flowering plant out on our outdoor side table by the fire pit to add a little pop of color to the space. I have learned over the years, Vinca does great in full sun and this is the perfect spot for this plant. These Terracotta planters from Lowe’s are some of my favorites and I use them both indoor and outdoor. I like the variation of colors offered including White and Brown which is a different look than the traditional terra cotta pots while offering a similar look and feel.
Back Patio
I mentioned in this spring post how I am exploring a new purchase for this part of the back patio to create a defined walkway with some of our herbs planted to create a mini garden of seasonings in planter. I am debating between this option or this option and may wait to purchase at the end of the season if I decide to go this direction. For now, I have lined up my herb garden in these cement planters I’ve had for years from Target and will watch how they grow in this space over the summer.
Basil
Some of our favorite summer recipes include basil and we love a fresh homemade batch of pesto sauce! This year I have three basil plants. I find this plant easy to grow and love the return on investment with having fresh basil.
Back Patio
This year I have the herbs in a different section of the patio, closer to our outdoor cooking space. In addition to fresh herbs, the aroma from having these plants in your close by adds an extra element to the ambiance when outside.
Thyme
I am trying my luck at growing lemon thyme in containers this year and found a spot under the deck to offer a little more shade while still be able to benefit from the afternoon sun. Stay tuned for how this works out.
Back Patio Details
- Terracotta Pot (Brown)
- Vinca Plant
- (Similar) Cement Planter
- Sweet Basil Plants
- Self-Watering Planter (Black)
- Lemon Thyme Plants
Final Thoughts
Outdoor spaces are an extension of your home and the addition of a few plants or flowers creates the added touch to make this space feel special during the summer months. Take notes of what works in your space and make next year’s plant shopping season an easy one! I hope this gave you a few inspiring ideas for a new addition to your outdoor areas.
This post pairs well with a Seghesio Chardonnay which is a nice light wine to enjoy while sitting outside. If you found this post useful, please consider sharing it on Pinterest with others! Cheers!
I love gardening so these pot ideas have really inspired me, thank you!
I’m a gardener, too, and always trying out new things and crossing my fingers! How did your tomatoes do in the containers? I haven’t tried any of the ones you listed, but have been curious about some of them. I have small raised beds and sometimes they turn into a jungle. LOL! I love your outdoor decor style.
Thanks Laurie. Our tomatoes have done great in containers and we had a steady supply last summer! The Roma ones might be my favorite in terms of flavor. The hardest part is consistent watering to prevent blossom-end rot but I found with watering daily especially during fruiting with a nice saturation of water worked well. Good luck with your gardening this year.
These are great ideas for summer plants! Thank you!
I love how your porch container gardens worked out. They look wonderful, and I sure will continue to do so as the summer continues. Having a new home this summer, I have a front and back porch that need something done with them, and container plants are one thing to do. For the front porch, I need to make sure anything I grow is deer-resistant since we have deer in our yard regularly.
Love this post! Such great ideas for making outdoor spaces beautiful with minimal effort. I can’t wait to try out some of these container plant suggestions for my own porch and patio!
Such a lovely post! thanks for sharing!
Your outdoor space sounds so cozy and inviting! I love how simple and low-maintenance these plant ideas are—definitely feeling inspired for my own porch now!