As the new year begins, your front porch needs to be welcoming with full of color and balance. During the winter months, our front porch containers were planted with Red Dogwood branches and custom glass reed art, but now Spring has arrived, and we need a new beginning.
With help from my wife, we traveled to Lowes and walked the aisles and found three Monrovia plants we felt would bring color to the front door containers this spring.
The theme was to keep it ‘Simple but Colorful’.
The three Monrovia plants we selected:
- Royal Gerbera Daisy – Gerbera jamesonii Royal Series
- Lobelia – Lobelia Magadi Compact Blue
- Prairie Fire Sedge – Carex testacea ‘Indian Summer’
Monrovia Plants
Any plant you buy will come with a plant tag, and it’s essential to read these tags before buying them. I’ll provide information from the Monrovia plant tags to help you understand more about each plant. If you plan on having a seasonal planting, it may not be a concern unless you’re planting a winter container. If you’re planting a winter container design, be sure you know your hardiness zone to understand if the plant will survive.
Royal Gerbera Daisy
Royal Gerbera Daisy – Gerbera jamesonii Royal Series
Extra full and big blooms on compact and sturdy plants. Vibrant, prolific color for the border, cutting gardens. Gorgeous in containers on porch or patio. Deer resistant
- Watering – Low, once established
- Average Size – 12-14″ H x 9″ W
- Blooms – Spring Summer Fall
- Hardiness – to 32F (Annual Flower)
This color was selected to bring out the colors in the Prairie Fire Sedge Grass.
A quantity of 3 is required to support the container garden design.
Lobelia Magadi Compact Blue
Lobelia – Lobelia Magadi Compact Blue
Leading the pack for heat tolerance offering brilliant color and a compact habit. A strong performer for garden, containers, and baskets. Deer Resistant.
- Watering – Low, once established
- Average size – 6-10″ H x 8-12″ W
- Blooms – Spring Summer Fall
- Hardiness – to 32F (Annual flower)
Deer resistant Easy Care
Care instructions: Easly grown in enriched, well-drained soil. Mabe sheared lightly mid-season to rejuvenate and promote continued bloom. Feed weekly
A quantity of 3 is required to support the container garden design
Prairie Fire Sedge
Prairie Fire Sedge – Carex testacea ‘Indian Summer’
Finely textured, glossy leaves emerge olive green and age to a distinctive orange-red. The elegant, arching, mounding form is a beautiful garden accent, ideal for containers, massing in borders or spilling over rocks. Outstanding color in full sun. Deer and rabbit resistant.
- Watering – Semi-Moist
- Average size – 16″ H 18-24″ W
- Blooms – Picked foliage
- Hardiness -10 to -20 F (Perennial plant)
Dig hole 2 times width of containers. Plant slightly above soil level refill with a mix of 1/2 garden soil and 1/2 planting mix. In pots, refill with potting soil. Water soil to settle. Check water often until established
A quantity of 1 is required to support the container garden design
Here it is, the final product with everything listed above. You can do this.. it was real easy and it all fits inside a 12 in x 12 in planting area. Yes, you will see a Hosta at the base of the pot. I can’t pull it out of the pot.
Simple Garden Container Planting
The better half felt we should add the Glass Cast Reeds to provide additional height to design.
Simple Garden Container Planting with Cast Glass Reeds
This is our final design with extra pots at the base. I’m thankful Lowes had a great selection of Monrovia plants to choose from. What do you think of this design?
Simple Front Porch Container Design
One key thing to remember about Monrovia is they have a lot of great plant information you can search for free. If you would like to learn about what plants will survive in the shade for plant hardiness zone of 8, they will provide a full list of plants. Take a look at the web page to find more about Monrovia Plants and select the Plant Catalog Tab