Easy Spring Porch Update: Colorful Plants For the Win

Carolyn Gratzer CopeMay 9, 2017November 25, 2018

Gardening doesn't have to be hard to be awesome. Case in point: these gorgeous, colorful rhododendrons in containers on the porch, creating a big impact in about half an hour.Thanks to Monrovia for sponsoring this post, and thanks to you for supporting our partners.

Easy Spring Porch Update Monrovia Colorful Plants 780 | Umami Girl

I am NOT a good gardener

You guys. Here's something. I am NOT a good gardener.And yet. I love plants. I really do. Indoor, outdoor. You name it, I love it. And often, sadly, I kill it. When I do a gardening project, it needs to be foolproof. And because I don't have the patience or skill to do a lot of gardening, it's best if my projects make a big impact. This week, Monrovia made that super easy, even for me. Pretty, right?

Easy porch update

Our house has a few porches. (An embarrassment of riches, I know.) At the moment, they could all use a little updating for spring and summer. Those in the know tend to enter via the side porch. But since the front porch is the first focal point for new visitors, I thought it made sense to kick off the season by making a big, colorful splash there.

Purple passion rhododendron

I popped over to our local Lowe's one weekday evening to check out the selection of plants that could be planted in containers. These spectacular Purple Passion Rhododendron were the first things to catch my eye, and I knew I had to have them.

A horticultural triple threat

For whatever reason, I rarely need help feeling conspicuous at home improvement stores. But this week I got some help anyway. The minute I put these beauties into my cart, EVERYONE wanted to talk to me. So for the price of a 20-minute project, I scored a stunning seasonal porch upgrade AND a bunch of new rhododendron-ogling friends. And eventually, if all goes well, we'll transplant these babies into the ground and let them claim their destiny as giant flowering shrubs. So. A horticultural triple threat. Enough said. (Maybe too much.)

If I can do this, you can do this

And the best part is, if I can do this project, you can do this project. I bet you don't need me to tell you how to put some beautiful plants into cute pots. But I made you a video anyway, in which I say, "I think I pollinated myself." Just in case you needed a reason to watch.