Yes, We Live Here

In the 3 weeks since we moved into our Charlotte home, we've been concentrating mostly on the interior - trying to get everything unpacked, put away and organized. Now that we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we had a couple of moments to turn our attentions to the exterior front of the house. 

I mean nothing says, yes we live here, we take pride in our home and are excited to be new neighbors than a barren front stoop and an old pot filled with sad and neglected marigolds. Am I right?

Of course, my pineapple finials do look nice!

Some things to consider when you're outfitting your front stoop:

1. Lighting - shade or sun?

2. Maintenance - are you willing to be out there everyday watering, deadheading etc or do you want more of a "set it and forget it" situation?

3. Style - what style is your home: cottage, colonial, French, etc. This will aid in plant and container selection.

4. Weather conditions - can you have one type of plant all year long, or do you want to change your planting seasonally?

In our new house we are learning toward more of a French look, 

(I know, previously I said English cottage, but after living with it, we think the peach-y stucco is more of a French look than English), have part sun due to the awning and I am definitely a low maintenance gal.

We decided to go for a pair of Steeds Upright Holly in terra cotta acorn style pots, flanked by our pineapple finials.

These holly shrubs have a pyramidal shape, are evergreen and require very little maintenance. At $22 a piece, that's a lot of bang for my buck. 

Fortunately for us, the previous owner left a massive terra cotta pot on the front sidewalk as well. Being in full sun, it's the perfect spot to add a fun accent to the front of the house. Charlotte's milder climate allows for loads of color and texture options all year long. (No more frozen sticks in the dead of winter, like in Chicago!) So, I hit up our local nursery and checked out their crazy fabulous pots for cooler season inspiration.

You know what they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery...I just copied their ideas right into our little pot.

A good rule of thumb for pot filling: 

1. Something high: lavender.

2. Something as filler: pansies and rainbow kale

3. Something hanging: lemon thyme

Definitely no way I could have come up with this combo on my own. I love all the colors, textures, that it's edible and most importantly that the combination will last through to Spring. 

I over-estimated the size of our front planter (another good tip, measure your container before purchasing your plants) leaving me with enough to fill a couple little pots at our side entry. 

It's so important to love the everyday in your home - having a touch of color at the door I use daily makes me very happy! Sometimes the littlest changes make the biggest impact. 

Hope you had a great weekend and made some little changes in your world.

until next time,