Adding topiary planters to your front porch adds tons of beauty to a front porch. Use this simple recipe and tips for designing and creating topiary planters.
To create a beautiful front porch topiary planters start by planting a topiary in the center of the flower pot. On both sides of the topiary, add 1-2 mid sized flowers. Finish the arrangement by adding 1-2 small sized draping flowers in the front and back of the topiary.
How to create beautiful front porch topiary planters
Adding planters to your front porch can really add lots of curb appeal to your front porch. This is the method I use to design and create beautiful summer front porch planters. I hope this helps and inspires you to do the same this summer.
Flower Pot recipe ideas
For my topiary planters, I used 6 gallon trash cans that I had on hand in the garage. They didn’t have proper drainage, so I added some drainage holes with my drill. I chose to plant a lavender topiary as the centerpiece, and accent it with violet supertunias and scopia double snowballs bacopa. Feel free to adjust this recipe as needed for your container.
Advantages of adding topiaries planters to your front porch
I love using topiaries trees in my front porch planters. These add height to the front porch which add lots of curb appeal. Also, it makes your porch feel more grand and inviting. All topiary trees are also perennials. Therefore, they will come back year to year with proper care and maintenance.
Choosing a topiary tree for front porch planters
There are a wide variety of topiary plants and ornamental tree options to use for front porch planters. Choose a plant type that will work with the growing zone of your area, sun exposure of your front porch, and your lifestyle. In the chart below, I have listed some topiary options that you can choose from along with some care instructions (including sun exposure, water requirements, hardiness zones, and winter care information for each).
| Topiary | Sun exposure | Watering | Hardiness zone | Winter care |
| Lavender | Full sun | Keep soil moist, with well draining soil | 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | Zones 7-9: can be kept outdoors Zones 5-6: bring indoor for winter |
| Boxwood | Part shade to full sun | Keep soil moist, with well draining soil | 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | Can be kept outdoors in zones 5-9 |
| Rosemary | Full sun | Keep soil moist, with well draining soil | 6,7,8,9,10 | Zones 7-10: can be kept outdoors Zone 6: bring indoor for winter |
| Rose Tree | Full sun | Keep soil moist, with well draining soil | 7, 8, 9 | Zones 7-10: can be kept outdoors Zone 6: bring indoors for winter |
| Hydrangea Tree | Part shade | Keep soil moist, with well draining soil | 5, 6, 7, 8 | Can be kept outdoors in zones 5-9 |
| Hibiscus Tree | Full sun | Keep soil moist, with well draining soil | 5,6,7,8,9,10 | Zones 5-10: bring indoors for winter |
Pruning topiaries
Most plants do not naturally grow in a topiary shape. Therefore, you will need to prune your plant occasionally to maintain its shape. Simply use garden shears to snip off low hanging branches that drape too low.
Adding accent flowers to your topiary planters
When creating topiary planters for your front porch, you may decide to simply plant the topiary on its own in a pot. This will create a beautiful simple arrangement. However for an added WOW factor, consider adding a few accent flowers to your topiary planter. These plants can really make the topiary pop!
Tips for creating beautiful looking summer front porch planters
- Select flowers that have a variety of bloom sizes and heights. Adding variation to the flowers in your planter adds more visual interest for the eye and different textures.
- Stick to a cohesive color palette. Choose flowers that have similar colors (e.g., purples and blues) that will be more cohesive and professionally designed.
- Make sure to select plants that all prefer similar light and water preferences. As tempting as it may be to select plants just for their blooms or interesting leaf structure, take into account their light and water needs as well.
DIY front porch topiary planters
- Choose a container that is double the size of your topiary to ensure there will be enough growing room and enough space for other plants. It is also very important to choose a container with drainage holes. If your pot does not have this, you can use a drill to add some.
- Plant the topiary in the center of the pot. I wanted my topiary to be slightly higher than the other flowers, so that the stem would still be showing, so I slightly built it up with dirt in the middle. Be sure to leave plenty of room around the sides of the topiary to add in the other flowers.
- Plant the mid-sized flowers on both sides of the topiary.
- Plant the smaller draping flowers in the middle and back.
- Finish the planter off by giving all the plants a good drink of water.
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