21 Best Plants for the Front Porch | Plants for the Entrance Door

Flaming Katy also called Christmas Kalanchoe or Florist Kalanchoe is a succulent bushy plant which bears reddish leaves in bright light and long lasting flowers which can be induced in any season. The blooms are a sight to behold creating an indelible impression.

Many varieties of Florist Kalanchoe are available including Bali with red flowers, Mistral with lilac flowers, Fortyniner with yellow flowers, Tarantella with orange flowers and Vesuvius with red flowers among others.

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana prefers bright light with some direct sunlight, average warmth and moderately moist, fertile, succulents soil coupled with fortnightly feeding in the growing season.

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Bird of Paradise Plant or Crane Flower is a spectacular flowering plant with vivid bright orange and blue flowers borne on top of tall stalks and surrounded by large leaves and is perfect for a sunny front porch to create a great first impression.

The Crane Flower Plant grows to a height of about 5-7 ft and 3-4 ft wide. The evergreen leaves are arranged in two ranks, making a fan-shaped crown.

Strelitzia reginae grows best in bright light with some direct sunshine, average warmth, humid conditions and consistently moist, fertile, well-drained soil coupled with monthly feeding during the growing season.

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Sago Palm also called King Sago, Sago Cycad or Japanese Sago Palm is a slow-growing, drought-tolerant plant which bears an attractive dark-green rosette of stiff arching foliage and is perfect for a sunny front porch or entrance.

The leaves in Japanese Sago Palm grow out into a feather-like rosette. The leaflets are stiff and have strongly recurved or revolute edges. The trunk is characterized by a thick coat of fibers and can branch several times to produce multiple heads of leaves.

Cycas revoluta prefers medium to bright light with some direct sunlight, average warmth and humidity and moderately moist, rich, succulents mix coupled with monthly feeding during the growing season.

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Bougainvillea or Paper Flower is a charming plant for a sunny front porch or entrance on account of its showy blooms and can be grown as a shrub, as a hanging basket plant, as a bonsai or allowed to climb on a trellis.

There are many hybrids of Bougainvillea like the large-leaved, large-flowered Mrs Butt whose flowers are rose-crimson, Magnifica which is purple, Raspberry Ice whose flowers are a ravishing red, Alexendra which is pink among others.

Bougainvillea glabra thrives in very bright light with some direct sunlight, average warmth, average humidity and moderately moist, fertile, free-draining soil coupled with regular feeding during the growing season.

Learn how to grow and care for Bougainvillea Plant

Chinese Hibiscus also called Tropical Hibiscus, Rose of China or Shoeblackplant is a great flowering plant for a sunny front porch due to its large, ruffled, trumpet-shaped blooms which come in many vibrant colors.

With proper care, Tropical Hibiscus will produce a succession of papery flowers in early spring to late fall which come in red, white, yellow , pink, orange, purple, peach and may be single, double or semi-double.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis thrives in bright light with 6-8 hours of direct sunlight, average warmth and humidity and consistently moist, fertile, well-drained soil coupled with fortnightly feeding during the growing season.

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Areca Palm also called Butterfly Palm or Golden Cane Palm is an ideal plant for a shaded front porch which adds an unmatched a tropical feel to the space.

The beauty of Golden Cane Palm emanates from its smooth yellowish bamboo-like canes and yellowish-green leaflets. The long, feathery fronds growin in a canopy lend an air of elegance and sophistication.

Dypsis lutescens flourishes in bright, indirect light away from hot direct sunlight, average warmth and humidity and moderately moist, fertile, free-draining soil accompanied by monthly feeding during the growing season.

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Bush Lily also called Natal Lily is a flowering plant ideal for a sunny front porch or entrance which bears large clusters of flowers and easily adapts to various growing conditions.

The Natal Lily is a sensitive plant which does not like to be disturbed therefore, don't move the plant when in bud or flower and don't repot unless the plant is pushing out of the container.

Clivia miniata grows best in bright light with 4-6 hours of direct sunlight, warm conditions and moderately moist, rich, well-drained soils coupled with regular feeding during the growing season.

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Geraniums are popular front porch plants with large colourful blooms and a long flowering period. They will bloom almost all year-round if kept on a sunny window at an average room temperature.

Some Geraniums have small insignificant flowers and are grown for their colourful foliage but majority bear large flowers which may be single, semi-double or double.

Pelargonium x hortorum thrives in bright light with some direct sunlight, cool to average warmth, average room humidity and consistently moist, fertile, free-draining soil coupled with monthly feeding in the growing season.

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Wax Begonia is a small leafy bush which blooms almost the year round which easily adapts to various growing conditions and is perfect for the sunny front porch and entrance door.

There are many Wax Begonia hybrids with a wide range of flower types in red, white, orange and pink. Newer hybrids are regularly developed which are more compact and have bigger blooms.

Begonia semperflorens thrives in bright, indirect light with some direct sunshine, average warmth, humid conditions and moderately moist, rich, well-drained soil coupled with fortnightly feeding during the growing season.

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Ponytail Palm or Elephant Foot is a perfect plant for a sunny front porch that does not require a lot of attention which makes it ideal for a beginner or the forgetful plant parent.

This is because the large, swollen bulb in Elephant Foot stores water which resembles an elephant's foot and a thin trunk topped by a plume of long strap-like leaves which give this plant its common name 'Ponytail Palm'.

Beaucarnea recurvata grows best in bright light with some direct sunlight, average warmth and moderately moist, rich, free-draining soil coupled with monthly feeding in the growing season.

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Mandevilla or Rocktrumpet bears glossy, dark-green oval leaves and brightly colored, large, trumpet-shaped flowers in white, pink, yellow, red or mixed colors making it spectacular on a sunny front porch or entrance door.

The Rocktrumpet also called Dipladenia is native to the tropical regions of Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America.

Mandevilla Plant thrives in bright light with some direct sunlight, warm and humid conditions, and consistently moist, rich, well-drained soil coupled with fortnightly feeding during the growing season.

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Ivy Geranium also called Ivy-leaved Pelargonium, Cascading Geranium or Trailing Geranium bears five shallowly or deeply lobed, circular to heart-shaped, glossy leaves and large, umbel-like inflorescences atop a long stalk making it a magnificent plant for a sunny front porch.

The flowers in Cascading Geranium occur in clusters of white, pink, lavender, purple, orange, salmon, red, burgundy, bicolored or patterned and appear in spring through fall.

Pelargonium peltatum grows best in bright light to full sun, moderately warm and humid conditions, and moderately moist, rich, free-draining soil coupled with fortnightly feeding in the growing season.

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Fiddle Leaf Fig is a popular plant on account of its large, striking, violin-like leaves with a leathery texture, prominent veins and a wavy margin which is perfect for a sunny front porch or entrance door.

The Fiddle Leaf Fig is relatively tough and can grow to a height of 6-10 ft when grown indoors. The leaves are about 1.5 ft long.

Ficus lyrata grows best in bright light with 4-6 hours of direct sunlight, warm and humid conditions and moderately moist, fertile, well-drained soil coupled with monthly feeding during the growing season.

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Fuchsia Plants are considered satisfactory flowering plants for a sunny front porch with showy sepals and petals which may or may not be the same color and may be grown as a bush or in a hanging basket.

The flowers in Fuchsia Plants may be single, semi-double, double bells or clustered blooms on soft-stemmed bushes are spectacular in any space.

Fuchsia hybrida blooms in bright light away from direct sunlight, cool to average warmth and consistently moist, fertile, free-draining soil coupled with regular feeding in the growing season.

Learn how to grow and care for Fuchsia Plant

Painted Nettle or simply Coleus offers a multicolored display of foliage and a bewildering choice of hybrids making beautifully colored plants for a sunny front porch or entrance.

There is no basic color in Coleus; almost every conceivable mixture can be found. There are some attractive single-colored varieties but the usual choice is for the multi-colored varieties.

Coleus blumei grows best in very bright light, average warmth and consistently moist, fertile, well-drained soil coupled with regular feeding during the growing season.

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Purple Coneflowers are long blooming, self-seeding, herbaceous, perennial plants with large rounded flowerhead with a light, sweet, honey-like fragrance and are spectacular for a sunny front porch.

The inflorescence in Purple Coneflower is a composite flower comprising of a compact arrangement of ray and disk florets. It blooms from early summer to mid-fall. The flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and songbirds.

Echinacea purpurea blooms in full sun with at least 6-8 hours of sunshine per day, warm, dry conditions and well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter to promote a lush growth.

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Buddhist Pine also called Yew Plum Pine, Japanese Yew or Fern Pine is a durable plant which does not mind a drafty conditions making it perfect for a shaded front porch or entrance.

The upright stems in Japanese Yew bear dark-green narrow and glossy leathery leaves where regular pruning will keep the plant as a compact shrub.

Podocarpus macrophyllus blossoms in bright light with some direct sunlight, cool ordinary room conditions and moderately moist soil that is rich in organic matter coupled with monthly feeding in the growing season.

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Dwarf Umbrella Tree also called Hawaiian Schefflera or Dwarf Schefflera is a charming plant for a shaded front porch due to its tolerance to neglect and various growing conditions.

Many varieties of Hawaiian Schefflera can been selected for their variations in leaf color and pattern which are often variegated with creamy-white to yellow edges or centers.

Schefflera arboricola prefers medium to bright light away from direct sunshine, moderate warmth and moderately moist, rich, well-drained soil coupled with monthly feeding during the growing season.

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Lacy Tree Philodendron also called Tree Philodendron or Splitleaf Philodendron is a non-climbing, large plant which is impressive on a shaded front porch or entrance door.

There are several variants of Tree Philodendron like Philodendron bipinnatifidum 'Hope' which matures at about 4 ft and Philodendron bipinnatifidum 'Xanadu' which has a mounding growth habit.

Philodendron selloum likes medium to bright indirect light away from direct sunlight, warm and humid conditions and moderately moist, fertile, free-draining soils coupled with monthly feeding in the growing season.

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Rhaphidophora tetrasperma, often incorrectly labelled as Mini Monstera, is an evergreen vine which bears leaves with split lobes and easily adapts to indoor growing conditions making it perfect for a shaded front porch.

The Rhaphidophora tetrasperma is a climbing plant which can grow to a height of 12 ft when provided with a sturdy support like a moss pole or a trellis. Its size can be controlled by regular pruning.

Rhaphidophora tetrasperma flourishes bright, indirect light, warm and humid conditions and moderately moist, well drained soil that is rich in organic matter coupled with monthly feeding during the growing season.

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Dracaena deremensis is a magnificent foliage plant ideal for a shaded front porch or entrance. Its dark-green foliage bears one or more longitudinal stripes in a different color.

Dracaena deremensis can be grown as a stand alone plant or as part of a mixed group, with the various leaf patterns complementing and overlapping one another. It can grow to a height of 4 ft or more.

Dracaena deremensis requires bright, indirect light, moderate warmth and consistently moist, rich, free-draining soil coupled with monthly feeding during the growing season. It has no need for extra humidity, average room humidity is ideal for the plant.

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