My front porch is pretty plain. I want to have a beautiful, welcoming front porch that I’m happy about coming home to. I also don’t want to spend a lot of money. So here are my first steps toward a Southern Living front porch on a Goodwill budget.

Here’s my porch now.

Luckily, one of my neighbors was giving away those planters you see, so they were free. The bulldog statue was also free, a hand-me-down from a friend. I never bothered to plant anything in it until now. I could have gone and bought a bunch of plants, but I’m on a budget, so I got mostly seeds instead.

The two planters toward the front of the porch will have the flowers you see above. For the bulldog planter, I got a Vinca vine and a Caladium bulb. The Caladium doesn’t flower, but it has pretty pink and green leaves. The flower seeds I planted have already started to sprout!

Hopefully by mid summer, I will have a verdant and colorful collection of plants on my front porch!