Front Porch Planters: 15 Unexpected Things Clever Homeowners Turn Into Showstoppers

Front porch planters can cost a small fortune at the garden center, but some of the prettiest ones on the block started life as something completely ordinary. A pair of kitchen colanders. A rusty tomato cage. A plastic serving bowl, a stack of cheap pots, even the rain boots your kids outgrew. Clever homeowners are turning these everyday things into planters that make neighbors slow down and stare, and the best part is that most of them cost just a few dollars. Whether your porch is big and wide or just a little stoop, there is an idea here that will make coming home feel a bit more special. Grab your gloves and let us get planting..

Front Porch Planters That Look Designer for Pennies

Look closely at these tall front porch planters and you would never guess what is hiding inside. The secret is stacking cheap everyday pieces, like a black plastic pot, a wire tomato cage and a painted colander, so they read as one tall, elegant shape. Fill them with trailing ivy and bright petunias, place one on each side of the door, and your entry suddenly looks like it belongs in a magazine. A matching pair always looks more expensive than one on its own. Which side of your door needs it most..

You will need: Two large plastic pots, two wire tomato cages, potting mix, trailing ivy or sweet potato vine, petunias or other bright annuals, outdoor spray paint (optional).

How to make it: 1. Spray paint the pots and cages the same color so they match your door or trim. 2. Set each cage upside down in a pot, fill with potting mix and plant ivy at the base so it climbs. 3. Top each cage with a smaller pot of flowers and water well.

Colander Garden Orb

This idea took off on MSN, where a video of a homeowner turning cheap colanders into a porch idea collected more than 900 likes. Two metal colanders joined rim to rim make a perfect sphere, and the holes are just right for little plants to poke through. Line it with moss, fill it with soil, and set it on top of an urn. It looks like a living sculpture. What color would your orb be?

You will need: Two metal colanders of the same size, outdoor spray paint, sheet moss, potting mix, small trailing plants, zip ties or wire.

How to make it: 1. Spray paint both colanders and let them dry. 2. Line each with moss, fill with potting mix and tuck small plants through some of the holes. 3. Hold the two halves together rim to rim and wire them tight, then set the orb on a pot or urn.

Tomato Cage Tiered Porch Planter

A wire tomato cage is basically a ready made plant stand. Flip it upside down into a big pot and the rings become perfect shelves for small coir lined baskets. Stack three tiers of geraniums and ivy, and you have a tall flowering tower that looks like it came from a fancy nursery. It is one of the strongest porch ideas on MSN right now, and it costs very little if you already have a cage in the shed. How many tiers will you try?

You will need: A wire tomato cage, a large heavy pot, two or three small hanging baskets with coir liners, potting mix, geraniums, trailing ivy.

How to make it: 1. Set the tomato cage upside down in the big pot and fill the pot with soil to hold it steady. 2. Rest the small baskets on the wire rings at different heights. 3. Plant each basket with flowers and ivy and water from the top down.

Stacked Pot Tower Front Porch Planters

Four plain plastic planters and one metal rod create one of the cheeriest front porch planters you will ever see. Each pot is tipped at an angle on the rod so the tower looks like a fountain of flowers spilling down. It is great for small porches because it grows up instead of out. Paint all the pots one color for a polished look, then fill them with marigolds or petunias. Would you go bright and bold or soft and pastel?

You will need: Four or five plastic pots with drainage holes, a metal rod or rebar about four feet long, outdoor spray paint, potting mix, flowers and trailing plants.

How to make it: 1. Paint the pots and let them dry. 2. Push the rod into the soil of the bottom pot, then slide each next pot onto the rod through its drainage hole, tilting each one. 3. Fill each tilted pot with soil and plant it, letting vines hang over the lip.

Cut Fence Panel Planter Box

A single cheap fence panel can be cut into enough boards to build a pair of tall planter boxes. Another popular MSN video showed a homeowner cutting up a fence panel for a porch idea, and it is easy to see why it caught on. With a warm stain, these boxes look like custom cedar planters, and they hide plain plastic pots inside. Pop a spiral topiary in each one for instant curb appeal. Ready to borrow a saw and some help?

You will need: One wooden fence panel or loose pickets, a saw (adult only), wood screws, a drill, wood stain, two plastic pots that fit inside, plants.

How to make it: 1. An adult cuts the pickets into equal lengths for four sides. 2. Screw the boards to corner strips to make a tall square box, then stain it. 3. Drop a planted plastic pot inside and fill the gap with a little mulch.

Plastic Bowl Pedestal Urn

This classic urn is one of the smartest front porch planters around. It looks like heavy cast stone, but it is really a plastic serving bowl glued onto an upside down pot. A textured stone spray paint does all the magic. Homeowners on MSN have been doing the same thing with inexpensive store bowls, and the results fool almost everyone. Fill it with pansies and ivy, and it adds instant old world charm to a plain porch. Would anyone guess it started in the kitchen aisle?

You will need: A large plastic serving bowl, a plastic pot for the base, strong outdoor glue, textured stone spray paint, a drill, potting mix, flowers.

How to make it: 1. Drill a few drainage holes in the bowl. 2. Glue the bowl onto the upside down pot and let it cure overnight. 3. Spray with textured stone paint, let it dry, then fill with soil and plant.

Old Wicker Basket Planter

That old wicker hamper or laundry basket has one more job to do. Line it with a heavy plastic bag, poke a few drainage holes, and it becomes a soft, cottage style planter that looks lovely by the door. Ferns and mums are perfect in fall, and you can swap in spring bulbs later. Under a covered porch, the wicker will last for several seasons. Among budget front porch planters, it is a sweet way to add texture next to all those hard pots. Do you have a basket hiding in the closet?

You will need: An old wicker basket or hamper, a heavy plastic bag or pond liner, scissors, a plastic pot that fits inside, potting mix, ferns or mums.

How to make it: 1. Line the basket with plastic and snip a few holes in the bottom. 2. Set a planted pot inside or fill the basket with soil directly. 3. Tuck moss around the edge to hide the liner and water gently.

Galvanized Tub Front Porch Planters on Crates

Galvanized tubs and buckets have a farmhouse charm that never goes out of style. Raise them up on wooden crates and they suddenly look like a flower stall at a country market. Mix heights by stacking crates two or three high, and fill the tubs with bright gerberas, ranunculus or mums. The metal looks great against both white siding and dark doors. Drill a few holes in the bottom so the flowers do not drown. Which colors would you put on your crate display?

You will need: Galvanized tubs or buckets, a drill with a metal bit (adult help), wooden crates, gravel, potting mix, bright flowers.

How to make it: 1. An adult drills several drainage holes in each tub. 2. Add a layer of gravel, then potting mix, and plant the flowers. 3. Stack the crates at different heights by the steps and set a tub on each one.

Old Chair Planter

A chair with a wobbly seat is not junk. It is a plant stand waiting to happen. Set a planter box right on the seat, or remove the seat and drop a pot into the frame. Painted chairs in soft blue, white or sage look darling on a porch, especially next to a rocker or bench. Fill the box with primroses or pansies for a burst of color at eye level. It is one of the easiest front porch planters to make. Is there a lonely chair in your garage?

You will need: An old wooden or metal chair, outdoor paint, a planter box or pot that fits the seat, potting mix, flowers.

How to make it: 1. Clean and paint the chair in a cheerful outdoor color. 2. Set a planter box on the seat, or remove the seat and slide a pot into the opening. 3. Plant with low flowers and trailing vines that spill over the edge.

Rain Boot Front Porch Planters

When the kids outgrow their rain boots, do not toss them. Lined up on the steps and filled with flowers, they become the most playful front porch planters around. Every visitor smiles when they spot them. Drill a small hole in each sole for drainage and stuff the toes with gravel so they stay upright. Bright yellow, red and navy boots look best with simple white or purple flowers. Whose old boots will get a second life on your porch?

You will need: Old rain boots, a drill (adult help), gravel, potting mix, small flowers such as petunias, lobelia or pansies.

How to make it: 1. An adult drills one or two holes in each sole. 2. Fill the foot with gravel for weight, then top up with potting mix. 3. Plant small flowers in each boot and arrange them on the steps in a row.

Ladder Shelf Plant Stand

A ladder style shelf lets you show off a whole collection of plants without taking up the full porch floor. You can build one from an old wooden step ladder by adding boards across the steps, or use a simple tiered shelf like this one. Group spider plants, ferns and herbs in mismatched pots for a relaxed, collected look. It also keeps plants up off the cold floor in fall. For more ideas to welcome guests, see our DIY front door signs. What plants will fill your shelves?

You will need: An old wooden step ladder or tiered shelf, scrap boards, screws, outdoor paint or stain, a variety of potted plants.

How to make it: 1. Sand and paint the ladder. 2. Screw boards across the steps on both sides to make wide shelves. 3. Arrange pots by size, with bigger ones on the bottom and trailing plants on top.

Wheelbarrow Flower Display

An old wheelbarrow with a rusty tub is perfect for a flower display near the porch steps or along the front path. Fill it with soil and plant it like a mini garden bed, with tall flowers in the back and trailing ones spilling over the front. It looks charming and a little bit whimsical next to your other front porch planters. Because it has a wheel, you can even roll it into the sun or tuck it closer to the house in bad weather. Does your shed have a wheelbarrow that deserves retirement?

You will need: An old wheelbarrow, a drill (adult help), landscape fabric, potting mix, a mix of tall and trailing flowers.

How to make it: 1. An adult drills drainage holes in the tub. 2. Line it with landscape fabric and fill with potting mix. 3. Plant tall flowers at the back, mounding ones in the middle and trailing ones at the front edge.

Window Box Front Porch Planters

Window boxes are the front porch planters that often get forgotten, yet they frame the house like nothing else. A simple wooden box, even one built from scrap boards, makes a plain window look charming and cottage style. White flowers glow in the evening and match almost any color of siding. Add a few trailing plants so the box softens as it grows. If you cannot screw into your siding, set the box on sturdy brackets or right on the porch rail. Which window will you dress up first?

You will need: A wooden window box or scrap boards to build one, sturdy brackets, screws, a drill, potting mix, white flowers and trailing greenery.

How to make it: 1. Build or buy a box a little shorter than the window width and drill drainage holes. 2. Mount it securely on brackets below the window or on the rail. 3. Fill it with soil and plant flowers in a row with trailing plants at the front.

Watering Can Spill Planter

This is the kind of planter that gets photographed. Tip an old watering can on its side at the top of a step, then plant a stream of small flowers so it looks like they are pouring out of the spout. Purple lobelia and white sweet alyssum work beautifully because they creep and fill in fast. It is playful, it costs very little, and it is a great use for a leaky can that no longer holds water. Where would you make your flowers spill?

You will need: An old metal watering can, a shallow tray or landscape fabric, potting mix, small creeping flowers such as lobelia, alyssum or creeping jenny.

How to make it: 1. Lay the watering can on its side and fill the inside with a little soil and a plant. 2. Make a narrow strip of soil on a tray or fabric running away from the spout. 3. Plant the creeping flowers in a flowing line so they look like they are pouring out.

Wooden Box Succulent Garden

Here is the last idea, and it is perfect for a small table or a sunny step. A wooden tote box, wine crate or toolbox filled with succulents makes a living centerpiece that needs very little care. Mix shapes and colors, then tuck in a few blooms for a special occasion. Succulents love sun and hate wet feet, so add gravel at the bottom and water lightly. Together with the other ideas here, your front porch planters will look one of a kind. Which box will you plant first?

You will need: A wooden tote box, crate or old toolbox, plastic liner, gravel, cactus potting mix, assorted succulents.

How to make it: 1. Line the box with plastic and poke a few holes in the bottom. 2. Add a layer of gravel, then cactus mix. 3. Plant succulents close together, mixing heights and colors, and water lightly.