I am very new to the forum but I must thank everyone for being so very helpful with my questions. I have posted a picture of my front door and as you can see it is very uninviting. This is the door we use all the time and I really want to give it some more punch. I have considered a tall cedar or something in a urn to the right of the door. I have also thought about a chair or something. I really at a loss as to what to do. I will admit I am not much of a gardener so it would have to be something low maintainance and as the door it beneath a canapy it would also need to do well in shade. I live on the east coast of Canada so our summers are very short and I think I need something that will make a statement year round. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. You may notice from the picture that the welcome inside the door is much warmer than outside, thanks to our puppy.
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Try Canadian Tire they have dark brown vinyl wicker chairs. My friend just bought an ordinary wood chair at a thrift store for $5, painted it black and has pots on it...looks adorable and so welcoming at her front door. :) with the black door mat, also from Can. Tire. with a cut out pattern.
A natural wicker chair would just blend away into the colour of your siding...so I'd go with white or even black. If you can't find what you want, I'm pretty confident you could spray paint it.
I really appreciate all the wonderful suggestions. I like the idea of a wicker chair with a few pots around. Do you think that chair needs to be white wicker or would a natural wicker look better? My house has Mocha siding, white trim and the front door is black.
If you are set on a green tree that can stay there all year, and be decorated for the seasons...then a topiary would do the trick. They are fake greenery, some come as tall as 4-6 feet . Bombay Canada has a 4 ft. one on sale right now. Use the code
FSPXFS on the checkout screen where it says "code" and get another 15% discount. I think the code is valid until midnight tonight,.
With a little luck you might find one you really like to nestle in the front right corner. Maybe a wicker look would be nice, since the area is protected from the elements. It you place it on an angle in the corner you could also place some pots in the foreground (maybe terra cotta?), between the side of the chair and the wall.
To begin with don't worry about all-season choices for your plantings-maybe just stick to something annual that will tolerate the light conditions through summer. I grouped a red coleus surrounded by white impatients in my sheltered entrance, and I place them out in the sun sometimes when I water them so they get a bit of sunlight now and then. Remove the pots in fall and set out some pumpkins there for Halloween, and change again at Christmas time.
A wall-mounted lantern might look nice on the wall to the right of the door, if room allows. If you want something a little more colourful check out "lanterns" at [url]www.pier1.com[/url] for more ideas. You don't have to hardwire a light there, you could just hang a (weighted) paper lantern or two from the ceiling for visual interest. You might also consider hanging something of interest on the wall adjacent to the door on the left. One idea is a leash holder, as you mention you have a dog. Here is just one example of what I mean, but many specialty pet stores carry different styles. If a leash holder doesn't cut it, try something else-maybe a great decorative wrought-iron-framed mirror would be nice.
Adding a doormat is another opportunity to introduce more interest to this area.
and you could put hostas in which I believe stay green all year. I think a chair would warm it up for sure.
The cedar would be lovely there, the only thing is it would not over winter (too cold) in a container unless the container was large about the size of a 1/2 barrel. That may work. If you did not have to have it there all winter then a small container would work for summer/fall and then dig the cedar out in the fall and plant in the garden for winter. Then repot again for the summer. ;)