Porch planters are the one place where the planter is doing architectural work rather than horticultural work. It frames an opening. That makes the decision unusually simple: get the proportion right and almost anything planted in it will look considered.
Sizing a porch planter to the door
Aim for roughly a third to a half of the door height. On a standard 80 inch door that is a planter somewhere between about 27 and 40 inches tall before planting. Shorter than that and it reads as an afterthought at the foot of the frame; taller and it starts to crowd the opening.
The planting adds half again. A 30 inch planter with a 20 inch shrub in it reads as a 50 inch object. People consistently buy too tall because they picture the planter empty.
Width is limited by the route, not the look. Whatever sits beside a front door has to leave a clear path for people, deliveries and anything being carried in. Measure the clear width you need first and treat it as fixed.
Pairs, and why they are worth it
A single planter beside a door reads as decoration. A matched pair reads as architecture, because symmetry is what the eye expects at an entrance. If the budget only covers one good planter rather than two, a pair of smaller ones will usually do more for the frontage than one large one.
Order a pair together and they are finished in the same run, which is the best way to get an exact color match across two pieces. Jay Scotts note that because the planters are finished by hand, weights and dimensions can vary slightly from piece to piece.
What a porch does to a planter
Exposure is uneven. A porch often shelters one side and leaves the other in full sun and rain, so a pair can dry at different rates. It is worth checking both rather than watering on a schedule.
Wind funnels at entrances. Doorways and passages between buildings accelerate wind. A tall planter on a small footprint is a sail; keep ballast low in the base.
Steps are the weak point in handling. Most damage happens while a planter is being carried up steps, and corners take it first. Weights here run from 6.5 lb to 271 lb, so check the figure on the specifications page before deciding it is a one-person job.
Drainage and finish
Porch planters sit on a finished surface, so what comes out of the bottom matters. Drilled drainage on a painted or timber porch will stain it over time unless there is a saucer or a stand underneath. We do not drill unless you ask; Jay Scotts add holes free of charge at order time and a drilled planter is final sale. See the drainage guide.
Every model here comes in any of the 20 standard colors or a custom match. An entrance is the most common place to specify a custom color, because matching a planter to a front door or to window joinery is what makes it read as part of the building. Custom color orders are final sale.
