14 Front Door Plants to Beautify the Entrance to Your Home

Make your entryway more inviting with these expert-recommended plants.

Your front door sets the tone for the rest of your home. To make the space feel more welcoming, consider framing your entrance with some thoughtfully placed plants. From vibrant blooms that add a pop of color to fragrant foliage that emits an inviting scent, there are plenty of plants that will shine when grown near your entryway. Whether you plant them in containers, adjacent garden beds, or train them to grow up columns, these plants will make your front door area even more beautiful.

Meet the Expert

• Ryan McEnaney, garden designer and author of Field Guide to Outside Style: Design and Plant Your Perfect Outdoor Space

• Jim Putnam, of the Southern Living Plant Collection, a plant collection designed to solve landscape challenges in southern gardens

• Linda Vater, garden designer and plant expert on behalf of Encore Azalea, a grower of azaleas designed to bloom for multiple seasons
  

Related: 25 Creative Container Garden Ideas to Enhance Your Outdoor Space

Anise Tree

Anise tree (Illicium) is an evergreen shrub with leaves that have an anise-like scent. If you're looking for a compact variety perfect to display by your front door, consider BananAppeal. "I love BananAppeal in a decorative pot on a shady entryway, especially if the siding color is wood or a darker tone," says Ryan McEnaney, garden designer and author of Field Guide to Outside Style: Design and Plant Your Perfect Outdoor Space. "It really brightens up the space, and it can live in the pot year-round in warm climates."

• Growing zone: 7 to 9

• Size: Varies by variety

• Care requirements: Partial sun to full shade; moist, well-draining soil
  

Canna Lily

Add color to your front door with canna lilies. "Cannas are recognized for their broad, colorful leaves and bright flowers that shoot up on spike-like stems in late summer," says McEnaney. Display them in decorative containers for late summer color.

• Growing zone: 9 to 11

• Size: 3 to 5 feet tall x 2 to 4 feet wide

• Care requirements: Full sun; moist, well-draining soil

Mandevilla

Give the front of your home a tropical feel with mandevilla, a vining plant with colorful blooms that climbs beautifully when given proper support. Grow it in a container with a small trellis and it will create a pillar-like look that perfectly frames your door.

• Growing zone: 10 to 11

• Size: 3 to 10 feet tall x 3 to 4 feet wide

• Care requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil

Boston Fern

Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) has lush foliage that spills over the edges of containers or hanging baskets for a striking look. It needs moist soil that is never allowed to dry out and is best grown outdoors in humid climates.

• Growing zone: 10 to 13

• Size: 2 to 3 feet tall x 2 to 3 feet wide

• Care requirements: Partial shade; moist, loamy, well-draining soil
  

Paper Flower

One of the most recognizable colorful vining plants, paper flower (Bougainvillea) offers tropical bursts of color when planted in decorative pots or trained to climb up a wall. "I love bougainvillea at an entrance because it adds so much colorful drama," says McEnaney. "In a warm climate where it can survive the winter months, it can climb and cover the wall around your front door. In cooler climates, grow bougainvillea in a pot and allow it to climb up a trellis or grow it as a ground cover around your entryway."

• Growing zone: 9 to 11

• Size: 20 to 40 feet tall x 15 to 40 feet wide

• Care requirements: Full sun; moist, well-draining, acidic soil

Boxwood

Boxwood (Buxus) is a low-maintenance evergreen shrub that is often displayed as a ball-shaped topiary. "There are multiple types of boxwood available, depending on your needs," says McEnaney. "Because of their year round foliage, boxwoods allow gardeners up to zone 4 and 5 to have colorful entryways, even in winter."

• Growing zone: 4 to 9

• Size: Varies by species

• Care requirements: Full to partial sun; well-draining soil

Wax Begonias

One of the most versatile plants, wax begonias flower from spring through fall. "Wax begonias are great for a front entry, especially when it’s shaded by an overhang or facing north because they are adaptable to full shade," says McEnaney. "With their ability to bloom from spring to frost, it’s a great way to add lots of color to the front entry without a ton of work."

• Growing zone: 9 to 11

• Size: 6 to 18 inches tall x 6 to 18 inches wide

• Care requirements: Full sun to partial shade; well-draining soil

Pop Star Hydrangea

Pop Star hydrangea is a compact bigleaf hydrangea, so it's great for growing in containers you can display next to your front door. "It re-blooms throughout the season and comes back year after year," says McEnaney. "Hydrangeas are classic flowers that most people know and recognize, making it a welcome entrance plant, and the lacecap flowers add a bit of extra intrigue."

• Growing zone: 4 to 9

• Size: 18 to 36 inches tall x 18 to 36 inches wide

• Care requirements: Morning shade with dappled afternoon sun; moist, well-draining soil

Gardenia

Gardenias are a warm-climate garden staple with thick, glossy foliage and fragrant white flowers. For a compact cultivar that's great for your front door, consider Double Mint Gardenia, which doesn't get bigger than 3 feet tall and wide and re-blooms all summer. "Double Mint would be great to line a pathway up to the front door or in decorative pots at the entrance," says McEnaney. "Bringing it up close allows that classic gardenia fragrance to welcome you and your guests home."

• Growing zone: 7 to 11

• Size: Depends on variety

• Care requirements: Full sun to partial shade; well-draining, slightly acidic soil

Panicle Hydrangea

Panicle hydrangeas are defined by their cone-shaped flowers that bloom in summer and mature to a range of pink to deep red in fall. "I especially love the tree form of Berry White Panicle Hydrangea because of its stunning deep merlot fall color," says McEnaney. Plant it on both sides of your front door to frame the entryway of your home for multiple seasons of interest.

• Growing zone: 9 to 11

• Size: Varies by species

• Care requirements: Full to partial sun; well-draining soil

Star Jasmine

Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is a climbing vine or trailing groundcover with fragrant, star-shaped white flowers that bloom from spring into summer. "In warmer climates, it will stay evergreen and re-bloom again the following season," says McEnaney. "Star jasmine is excellent at the entrance to a home because it can climb the wall and frame an entry door, adding an incredibly  fragrant bonus to welcome guests in warm climates."

• Growing zone: 8 to 11

• Size: Varies by species

• Care requirements: Full to partial sun; well-draining soil

Azalea

Azaleas are the ultimate front-door plant—they offer vibrant blooms, attractive foliage, and are manageable to care for. For a variety that offers multiple seasons of interest, try Encore Azaleas, which feature dense evergreen foliage in various green hues and blooms in pink, red, white, and purple for three seasons. "They are also more sun-tolerant than traditional varieties, making them ideal for bright and sunny porches," says Linda Vater, Linda Vater, garden designer and plant expert on behalf of Encore Azalea.

• Growing zone: 6 to 10

• Size: Dwarf varieties grow to 3 feet tall x 3 feet wide (traditional azaleas may grow up to 6 feet tall x 6 feet wide)

• Care requirements: Full to partial sun; well-draining, organically rich soil

Soft Caress Mahonia

For a unique textural element and year-round visual interest, turn to 'Soft Caress' Mahonia. "Unlike traditional mahonia foliage, 'Soft Caress' has feathery, fern-like evergreen foliage that infuses a cozy feel to porch spaces," says Jim Putnam, of the Southern Living Plant Collection.

• Growing zone: 7 to 9

• Size: 3 feet tall x 3.5 feet wide

• Care requirements: Full to partial shade; moist, well-draining soil

Weeping Fig

Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) has glossy green leaves and grows well in large containers, making it a great option for framing your front door. It can grow to be very tall, so it will need be pruned into a hedge or rounded shrub to give it a smaller stature that doesn't overwhelm the entryway to your home.

• Growing zone: 10 to 12

• Size: 5 to 30 feet tall x 3 to 30 feet wide

• Care requirements: Full to partial sun; well-draining soil

Read the original article on Martha Stewart.