Ideas for door plants please!

[Chrissie]

Our front door is on the ground floor and is apparently invisible to the average French caller.  We have a plain white facade, interrupted by groups of camellias growing against the walls, and the door is admittedly rather scruffy (paintwork on the to-do list) so everyone goes looking round the other side of the house.  Many of them appear on the upstairs terrace and wander into the dining room - which can give you a shock!  (One little man with a beard announced he was the local curé and was sorry to hear that someone in the house had died...)

Anyway, you get the picture.  I thought I would try to emphasise the door by putting a couple of large-ish pots on either side, containing a plant which is evergreen, preferably lighter-leaved than the camellias, won't grow too fast and so need constant renewing, will resist winters (OK, I can put some of that white sheeting over it, but that looks a bit weird !) and maybe also will have flowers sometime....

Any ideas please.  Oh yes, the doorway faces south-east.

TIA

Chrissie (81)

 

[passiflora]

Hi

Have you thought of clipped nicely shaped bay trees or box or ligustrum in pots.  They won't flower but I have had two lovely ligustrum (privet) dome shaped standard plants for a year now and clipped them back so they keep their shape - very easy and always look smart.  There are generally a good selection to be found I think most come from Italy now.  Might seem expensive to start with but should last many years.

CaroleS (16)

 

[Patf]

I've recently made arrangements in two oblong planters of grasses, ivies and two flowering plants, one yellow and one pink - sorry don't know the names. I got the idea from a magazine and our garden centre has a good selection of plants for autumn arrangements.They look attractive at each side of the door. Pat.

[Chrissie]

Thanks for those thoughts.  I really don't want to have to keep replanting the pots - have several terraces and so pots and troughs everywhere need constant changing.  The box/privet etc is an idea (don't want to look too conspicuously English though!)  Thanks again

Chrissie

[Russethouse]

I think the bay trees are a good idea, possibly underplanted with three ivies per pot, fairly maintenance free. If you wanted to brighten them up and chose large enough pots you could slip seasonal plants in, still in there own pots, perhaps geraniums, pots of bulbs etc. Whichever you choose, water well then top off with a layer of gravel.

[Chrissie]

That does sound attractive.

Why "top up with a layer of gravel" though?

Chrissie

[Russethouse]

Personal thing I suppose, hopefully it helps stop moisture evaporating ( no scientific basis for this thought though ) its easier to see those little weeds before they get to be big ones, plus it looks generally neat, finished and cared for.

[Tresco]

The other posters have made some good suggestions, but I can't help but think about the work, (watering, covering up in winter - ugly too, and you will need to repot at some point, whatever you put in) and the initial expense of plants in pots.

One of my 'things to do' for the last year has been to paint the front door, but not because of getting my privacy invaded.  If you think it'll make a difference why not paint yours and then think about these other measures if you are still getting neighbours turning up on the terrace in the spring?

Now I've said that, it has just this minute turned into fierce autumn weather here, (Charente Maritime) and i'm wondering whether the flaky paint on my own front door will last through.

Hope the weather is a bit better where you are, for planting or painting.