Outdoor planters are a fantastic way to enhance your home’s curb appeal right from the first impression. Choosing the right planters for your front yard can instantly elevate your exterior and add charm to your outdoor spaces.

Curb appeal is essential for a well-kept home, and five main factors contribute to an eye-catching exterior:

• House style and color

• Exterior lighting

• Landscaping

• A well-groomed yard

• Decorative accents, including planters, outdoor furniture, and birdbaths/yard art.

In this post, I’m going to focus on how to choose the best outdoor planters for the front of your home’s exterior, including quantity, size, color, placement, arrangement, and filler (real versus artificial). However, many of these ideas and tips can also apply to the backyard or pool space.

Outdoor Planters: Go Big for Impact

In general, I go for impact. Small outdoor planters don’t make nearly the same impact as focal points. The size of your home, porch, driveway, and yard matter substantially—the bigger all of those things are, the bigger the impact needs to be. Outdoor planters are a beautiful way to enhance space, and since everyone’s property is unique, these are general ideas that apply, but only you will know what looks best. If you are uncertain, run your idea by a friend who has an eye for design.

Placement: Goals Are 2-3 Main Focal Points with Substantial Impact

Remember, things always look better in odd numbers. If you have a large open space between the garage and porch, for example, clustering three large outdoor planters together can create a visually appealing, welcoming space.

If you have a lot of garage space showing and less house, adding a large planter in front of each area between the garage doors can be attractive. However, I generally prefer to keep the eyes on the house.

When approaching the front porch, you want to make it feel large, open, and welcoming. Many people tend to place large planters for the front of house on either side of the entrance from the sidewalk, which can quickly close in the space—especially during the summer when everything is growing rapidly. Planters should be placed outside of the walkway (level on a paving stone) or on the porch itself, which is my favorite option. However, if you are growing real plants, the shade may limit your planting options.

Size

Outdoor planters should generally be no less than 36 inches high and at least 14 inches across. The taller and wider they are, the greater the impact, but don’t go overboard and make the space look crowded. If you want to do a nesting set, I’d suggest 45 inches tall, 32 inches tall, and 24 inches tall, or something similar. Play around in the store to achieve the look you want and ensure you actually have the space for it in your yard or on your porch.

Materials

Planters can be made of concrete, ceramic, woven, or solid resin materials. My preference is definitely for the lighter-weight ones! Concrete and ceramic outdoor planters can crack during the freeze/thaw process depending on what part of the country you live in. They are beautiful but difficult to transport and prone to breaking, so be aware of the risks. Higher-quality resin outdoor planters, on the other hand, will last a really long time.

Color

This comes down to personal preference, but you definitely want contrast. The question is whether you prefer to stick to neutrals or incorporate pops of color. For example, if you have a beige-tone home, you might choose dark gray outdoor planters to offset against the house. If your house is white or dark gray, you could opt for a fun color like red, yellow, blue, or lime green. Consider the color of your front door—your planters should coordinate or complement it.

Also, remember that planters stay outside year-round. While yellow might be adorable during the spring and summer, how will it fit into your holiday decor in red and green? Can you cover it up? Maybe you don’t care, but I suggest thinking about it before making an investment of time and money.

 In any case, I would recommend sticking to the same color for all of your outdoor planters once you decide on the best choice. Sometimes it helps to take a picture of your home and use your phone’s editing features to place different-colored shapes over the photo to get an idea of what you like best.

One note: If you already have outdoor planters but don’t like the color, consider spray-painting them! You can pretty much spray-paint anything as long as it’s clean. You might have to touch up every couple of years, but it’s an instant makeover for nearly free!

Filler

Once you’ve purchased your planters, you need to fill them—and guess what? It doesn’t have to be all dirt! One of the easiest ways is to use aluminum cans or hard plastic pop bottles. They are lightweight, take up space, and won’t rust. Depending on the size of your outdoor planter, you could fill a third to half of it with cans before adding bags of potting soil. Fill with soil to just 2-3 inches below the rim.

Real versus Artificial Flowers for Outdoor Planters

Now that you have your planters, the next question is—what should you put in them? First of all, they take more than you think to fill!

Real flowers depend on where you live (in Nebraska, for example, we can’t grow anything for at least six months of the year!), how much sun your planters get, and how much you enjoy watering your plants.

Faux florals are a great alternative that look beautiful year-round and require no watering. Typically, you can get a maximum of 60-90 days out of faux flowers before they start showing signs of weather exposure. You can use UV spray to help prevent fading. Some faux plants claim to be UV-treated, but in my experience, I haven’t noticed much difference—they all fade eventually!

Lastly, you can do a combination of both! This is a great option for those who want a full look, don’t mind some watering, and want guests to wonder whether their plants are real or fake.

Arranging Planters for Front of House

Whether you choose real plants, faux, or a combination, start with height in the center—such as tall birch poles, whimsical sticks, or forsythia in the spring. Aim for approximately 30 inches in height. Then, add mid-height plants around the tall center (3-5 depending on the size) and lower plants around the base (3-6 depending on size). I also love to include draping plants to spill over the edge.

Color, texture, and fullness are key. Aim for three primary colors plus greenery. You want the arrangement to feel full but not overly busy. All your planters should coordinate with the same filler for a cohesive look. For example, if your color scheme is red, orange, purple, and green, all six of your planters should feature the same combination. This isn’t boring—it looks pulled together. Think of your planters like dressing everyone for a family picture. Not everyone needs to wear the exact same thing, but they should all look like they got the same memo and coordinate!

Finishing Touches for Outdoor Planters

• Ground Cover: Add Spanish moss to cover any exposed dirt. If you’re worried about it blowing away, secure it with a few metal landscaping stakes.

• Solar Lights: I love adding solar spotlights to my planters, especially on palm trees during the summer. They enhance ambiance and allow your decor to be enjoyed both day and night.

Entry Envy is selling faux floral planter kits that make refilling your outdoor planters for each season easy. We've done the professional design work, shopping, and arranging for you. We even include ground cover and landscaping stakes. Click HERE for more information on how to order!

By following these tips for outdoor planters and planters for the front of house, you can elevate your home’s curb appeal with minimal effort and maximum impact!

P.S. Just picture this: As your guests approach, they’re greeted by vibrant planters framing your porch, their colors harmonizing with your front door. The scene whispers, “Welcome.” Why not make this your reality?

Ready to make your curb appeal unforgettable? Explore our faux floral planter kits HERE—designed, shopped, and arranged for you.