Thank you for joining my friends and I for a summer blog hop, I excited to share my simple summer front porch using favorite flowers and chippy painted pots filled with love.

The weather is starting to warm up a couple of days a week here in Chicagoland.

Summer is right around the corner, I can’t WAIT to get all my flowers planted.

Right no, it’s time to get the front porch ready to welcome visitors.

I started by sweeping up any straggler leaves that the wind has deposited on my front porch and getting things cleaned up.

Then I tried to remove my last remaining piece of Holiday decor, my lighted pine cone wreath.

Please don’t come at me for this one.
The wreath is hung between two windows next to my front door, and it isn’t plugged in!

Unfortunately, I did not see the gift that mother nature had left for me nestled in the faux branches of my wreath.

As I gently removed the wreath I heard something fall
I could feel my heart break a little

Because a tiny little egg fell out and cracked on the concrete

Oh, I am so sorry momma bird

Then I saw the sweetest little nest with the tiniest little finch eggs

They are less than an inch long

and oh so precious

except for all the bird poop

Most nesting birds are protected in Illinois, so I won’t be able to remove the wreath until the fledglings leave the nest and venture out on their own.

So I carefully rehung the wreath

Don’t worry, I will keep my ears open for chirping babies once they emerge in a week or so and try to get some cute pictures

and clean up the bird poop once they vacate the wreath

and continued prepping for my simple summer porch

Step 1 – Start with a clean slate

So my concrete front stoop is kinda stained and boring

I live in a rental house, so I can’t make any permanent improvements

But I can make cosmetic ones

Step 2 – Add a rug

Let me ask a your opinion

because sometimes I fuss too much over the placement of the rugs.

My front door only has a side light window on the right side, so I always wonder how to center the rugs.

Do I center based on the the door or the threshold that includes the sidelight window?

Step 3 – Layer the rug

Since the look is a simple summer porch, I started with green and white woven rug that reminded me of a trellis.

Then layered it with a sisal Welcome rug that was bursting with blooms.

It even has one of my favorite flower on it, the blue hydrangeas.

Step 3 – Add planters with beautiful flowers

The next step to creating a simple summer porch is to add planters with colorful flowers.

For my front porch I chose some of my favorite flowers.

With Mother’s Day coming up this week, my planters were inspired by the mother figure in my life that showed me the true meaning of unconditional love – my grandmother.

You see, the woman that gave birth to me left when I was less than a year old.

She didn’t just leave me, she left my father and my older half brother (same BM, different BF)

When my dad became a single father of 2, he moved back home with his parents.

So my beloved grandma holds a very dear place in my heart.

When I plan my summer pots, I like to make sure I pick flowers that remind me of her.

My first pair of urns are filled with a mixture of mushroom compost and organic potting soil.

My grandma taught me so much and her love for gardening was just one of those wonderful things.

The first blooms I choose are for my planters were these beautiful deep pink carnations from Proven Winners – they were my grandma’s FAVORITE flowers.

Urn Planting Tips

TIP 1 – gently break up the root ball

Before you plant your flowers in the urns, make sure to gently loosen the root ball

This will encourage new growth

TIP 2 – Don’t overfill your planter

Don’t fill the dirt all the way to the top of your planter

This allows the water to collect and makes it easier for the soil to absorb it
Can you see how the dirt level is a couple inches beneath the edge of the planter?

If the planter was overfilled with dirt, the water would run right off

and probably wash away some of your dirt in the process

TIP 3 – Dead head the flowers

Dead heading refers to removing any dried/ dead blooms from the plants

This encourages the plant to put energy in to making more blooms

I really fell in love with this color carnation

They are such a nostalgic flower, and the punch of color is a real show stopper!

I know grandma would love them

I have another pair of chippy green pots that were a bit larger.
For those planters, I chose a variety of flowers

This beautiful bright white candy tuft reminded me of a cozy cottage with butterflies fluttering around

Candytuft is a great pollinator flower

My next choice were these sweet butter yellow petunia’s

I picked out butter yellow ones because when my daughter was little her favorite color was LELLO

And petunias because as my grandma was getting older

and arthritis was setting in

she wasn’t as able to have a full garden of flowers

but on her front porch sat an urn or two

that was overflowing with petunia’s

and when I would visit, she would proudly show off the bight colors and tell me

“I planted these JUST for you!”

and my heart would fill with joy and love

Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her

I miss her so

Mother’s Day is this weekend and my flowers are constant reminders of her unconditional love

I finished off my second planters with a little asparagus fern for height

and those sweet butter lellow petunias

Well, they will be spilling over the sides of the planter in no time

and every time I walk by them, I will say

“Grandma, I planted those JUST for you!”

and her love will shine down to help the flowers bloom

Now that grandma’s planters are ready

I flanked my front porch with one of each

and tucked in the cutest little concrete bird to watch over them

and the centered layered woven rug and welcome mat

at least I hope they are centered properly

and on the opposite side of my little porch, I tucked a sweet little pot of angel vine on a vintage chair

if you look closely, you will see my vintage angel guarding the door

I picked her up at a roadside antique store just on a trip my daughter and I took to the Mammoth Caves in Tennessee

THAT road trip was quite an adventure

but that is a story for another day

I know I don’t have the fanciest house

But I do my best to make it loverly

It is surrounded with love and flowers, and my home is filled with love

and a couple cute little kitties

Which is one of the keys to life, isn’t it?

Love and flowers certainly make everything better

If you love to garden as much as I do, you won’t believe how I ended up with a bunch of rosebushes from cutting of flowers I received for Valentine’s Day

You can find my favorite pollinator perennials over here – especially butterflies!

Thank you for letting me share my Simple Summer Front Porch with you.

I hope you will take the time to visit all the amazing Summer Porch Decor inspiration that my friends are sharing for our Summer Blog Hop

From Farmhouse of Florida ~ Celebrate a Summer Quick and Easy Refresh

Perfecting Places ~ Summer Ideas for Small Porch Decor

An Organized Season ~ 15 Items You Need to Create a Relaxing Porch

Masterpieces of My Life ~ Summer Front Porch

My Simpatico Life ~ Inspiring Patio Makeover

Bluesky at Home ~ How to Style Your Front Porch: Getting Ready for Summer

This Dear Casa ~ 6 Tips to Prep Outdoor Spaces for Summer

Sonya Burgess ~ How to Style a Small Porch for Summer

Pure Happy Home ~ Summer Porch