HOW SIMPLE GARDEN CONTAINERS CAN CREATE A SPRING ENTRY

When we first moved to our townhome in Florida, I really got into container gardening. The grounds around the townhome were hard to dig into - I'd hit coral rock inches after digging through ground cover and dirt. Flash forward to living here in Arizona, and I still experience the same hard ground to dig into (mainly red rock due to droughts), plus the added challenge of finding flowering annuals that can also take the dry heat. For our first Spring here in AZ, I potted several colorful flowering plants on our stoop, and it looked great - for a few days - then most started to wilt and die. The same thing happened last year: I either over water or under water and the pretty potted plants die. This year, I kept it simple by only buying one type of flowering plant, I've seen regularly thriving in flowerbeds at entries here in Phoenix: Petunias. Since I refreshed some of my containers I had painting them black & white, it still created a fresh crisp look - and layering in more greens (I also already had) helped to create a refreshing and simple Spring stoop entry...

 

I had picked up these galvanized containers while thrifting back in November. You can read how I painted them on my previous post at,

Painted French Market Flower Buckets - Before & After

 

Last year, I had also put potted plants out on the two outer ledges flanking the steps, but since the sun has shifted, and shines on this spot at our hottest part of the day, I skipped doing it this year. Here's a look back + links to previous Spring entries I've made with container gardening...

 

The two large urns I use are old window display props. They are made of fiberglass and are easy to move + paint. Most of the other posts I've collected through the years, mostly from Big Lots. I like their shape, but not their color, so I usually paint them. I like using  lanterns to create interest and height in the container mix - and i usually pop out the glass (especially helpful when refreshing with paint). I usually find most of my lanterns I use from HomeGoods.

 

You can read how to create a Spring style stoop at  my previous post, 

Rental ReStyle: Spring on the Stoop

 

You can also see my Florida Spring Container (image 28) - plus other & tips - at HGTV.com's

30 Small Space Gardening Tips for Apartment Dwellers and Urbanites

This was my Spring Stoop I did last year, also with containers...

 

 

Although this years containers are more simple, it still works to create a welcoming entry, for Easter and Spring. The white petunias and green asparagus ferns are from Home Depot. The petunias I picked up for Spring, but the fern I picked up back in December Yay! Something green grew here in AZ - other than cacti! :)

Do you do any container gardening where you live? 

Or is it still snowing by you? This should warm you up: we already experienced 100 degree temps just this week in AZ! Containers at the door help frame the entry + give it personality...

Happy gardening and thanks for stopping by!