This lazy girl's guide to creating pretty planters will help you decorate your outdoor space beautifully, even if you have a black thumb! All you need is my secret weapon! 😉
I am still fairly new to decorating exterior spaces. You see, before we lived in our current house, I spent most of my adult life living in a townhouse where the outdoor areas were shared and managed by the community. Our townhouse unit was also tucked back away from the road and no one ever saw the front of the house, so I didn't really bother to decorate it much.
Over the past year and a half-ish that we've lived in our current house, though, I've been trying new things, experimenting, and learning what works and what doesn't, both on our front porch and on our back deck.
As I looked at others' beautiful outdoor spaces, one thing that I loved in each and every one of them was gorgeous floral displays. Over and over I would oooh and aaaah over their pretty flowers... and then I would remember that I have a black thumb and know nothing about plants. ? Oops.
I was still determined to have a pretty outdoor area for our home, though, so I went in search of a way to make that happen, even with my lack of gardening skills, and after a little searching, I found my secret weapon.
Those of you with green thumbs may want to turn away, as this is probably not as technically correct as you would like it to be, but it's easy and I love the way it looks, so I'm sticking with it. 😉
The Lazy Girl's Guide to Pretty Planters
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
I was at Home Depot looking at their selection of plants and flowers when I came across a section labeled "Drop-N-Bloom." As I inspected it more closely, I realized that this was exactly what I had been looking for. The Drop-N-Bloom plants come in a plastic tub, and there are already a few types of pretty flowers and plants mixed together perfectly. All I have to do is remove the entire unit from the tub, stick it in my planter, and put some potting soil around it. Boom. Done.
This is what you're looking for. There are a bunch of different types. Image via Home Depot.
I don't have to figure out what flowers and plants go together. I don't have to worry about identifying "thrillers, fillers, and spillers" (which is something I learned about when a master gardener came to our MOPS group once, but didn't completely know how to make happen at my own house). The Drop-N-Bloom containers do it all for me. Woot!
[This is not an ad. The Drop-N-Bloom people have no idea who I am. But I know who they are! And I am thankful to them for helping me create pretty planters that are super easy! 🙂 ]
Once I have the plants and flowers nestled in their pots, I simply water them and give them plant food every once in a while... easy peasy!
If you have trouble locating the Drop-N-Bloom containers near you, you could do a similar thing with a pre-mixed hanging basket. They often have a good blend of plants already so that you don't have to figure out what to put in them yourself.
I will definitely continue to learn more about plants and flowers, but for now, my "lazy girl" technique is working for me!
Wooden planters are these ones.
A few more details about our porch... I bought our chairs last summer, so these exact ones are no longer available, but these are similar, and I paired them with these cushions.
We are also using this cute (and affordable!) rug for the second summer in a row, and it has held up amazingly well. I don't feel like it has faded or looks worn at all.
Our white garden stool is a versatile staple in our house-- we use it out here in the summer and then bring it into our sunroom in the winter, and it works well there too!
Lanterns are from HomeGoods, At Home, and IKEA.
The porch has quickly become my favorite spot to sit and wait for Connor to get off the bus, watch the boys play together in the driveway, or just enjoy a cool drink on a hot day. We are looking forward to using this space all summer long!
Do you have any tricks for creating a beautiful summer porch? Tell me about them in the comments below!
Sources
Door Wreath- TJ Maxx
Lanterns- At Home, Home Goods, IKEA
If you'd like to see the rest of this year's summer decor, don't miss these posts:
Have a wonderful day!
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
Awesome idea! I’m heading really Home Depot today!’
Thank you! Have fun with your project!
~Abby =)
Gorgeous. As usual. Love the pops of color in both the furniture and planters.
We have a tiny porch right now and I am considering ways to make it look good.
I have black iron furniture that belonged to a family member that I love.
It is a very weird size so finding a cushion is difficult.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you so much for your sweet words, Audrey! Your iron furniture sounds beautiful! I hope you find the perfect cushions! Have a great week!
~Abby =)
Looks great...love love your house. I have used the Drop n Bloom flowers and love them, too. I've been working on landscaping the South side of our house this Spring -after 6 years and 2 previous attempts. So far, in that space, I've planted a Weeping Cherry tree that blooms white in the Spring, a dwarf crepe myrtle that blooms hot pink all summer, a Midnight Butterfly bush that blooms dark purple and then transplanted daylillies from another area of our property, and a co-worker brought me Black-eyed Susan plants that I've added. I love perennials as they come back year after year and I don't have to think about it or spend the money for more flowers in that space. I still have to buy bags of topsoil and then mulch it all for it to be complete, but it's getting there - lots of sweat, time and even a little blood (haha) - invested in this space.
That sounds SO beautiful, Karen! I would love to spruce up our landscaping too-- it's on the list!! 🙂 Hope you've having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)