5 Summertime Porch Tips

As a life long southerner, I adore a front porch and I love porch sitting in the summertime.

We have a huge front porch and I love filling it with gorgeous flowers and plants. However, keeping everything looking great all summer long is daunting. Here are 5 Summer Porch Ideas that I use to help me keep my porch looking fresh all season long.

Summer Front Porch Ideas – Flowers

My porch gets intense sun in the evenings and not just any flower will stay looking good all summer. I choose to use geraniums for my flowering plant. They bloom all summer long and are much easier to keep looking fresh than other flowering plants I’ve tried.

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These geraniums are planted in a larger container that sit within the galvanized tubs. This allows me to move the geraniums to the porch edge or sidewalk for watering when we get a rain show.

In addition, I use these self watering spikes when I’m away from home to keep my porch plants nourished.

A friend and master gardener taught me how to keep geraniums blooming from Spring to Fall many years ago and it works every time.

Ferns can take the heat

Ferns are another great addition to your summertime porch because you can keep them fresh for months.

I also use a plastic saucer to collect water at the base of the plant. Ferns love receiving a drink of water from the roots.

In other money savings news, both ferns and geraniums can be saved for next year by following these overwinter tips.

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Summertime Porch Tip – Mix in Some Faux

If you like to place flowers in unconventional containers such as these Welcome Baskets, I have found that faux works best.

In addition, the quality of artificial flowers has improved greatly and when mixed with real, it’s hard to tell the difference.

These red geraniums are fade resistant and look will look great for several seasons.

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Use Good Quality Outdoor Rugs

Outdoor Rugs are a great, inexpensive way to update your outdoor spaces. However, they are not all created equal.

A fun rug can really change the overall appearance of your porch. Although my porch is under cover, I always purchase rugs that can used anywhere outdoors, with or without protection, because they will still look great at the end of the summer.

In addition, they don’t have to break the bank. Boutique Rugs offers a great selection and you can receive a 60% discount using code: PONDS60.

Each season the rugs can be changed to give the porch a different feel.

You can learn more about how to choose outdoor rugs here.

This year I choose this neutral color rug for the summer front porch, however you can purchase this rug in several color options.

You can see more about the Spring and Summer Porch Tour 2021 here.

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Summer Front Porch Ideas – Pillows and Seat Cushions

Another great idea for your Summer Porch is to take care of your pillows and seat cushions.

First, I like to use pillows that are reversible. This doesn’t mean both sides have to be decorative. Reversing the pillows during the week to preserve the decorative side will help keep the beautiful pattern fresh for weekends and entertaining.

Here you see the flag pillow which I like to display when I have guests arriving.

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However, the reverse solid side works great for weekdays and as a result the flag pillow doesn’t fade and looks brand new for the entire summer.

Protect Your Fabrics

Keeping your outdoor pillows from becoming damaged due to dampness can be a challenge, therefore I spray all my pillows and cushions with Never Wet Water Repellant for Fabric.

Just give everything a good coating at the beginning of the summer and no more mildew.

This is especially important if you are using pillows that are not waterproof.

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The Final Summer Porch Idea – Keep The Bugs Away

When you keep your summer porch free of bugs, your plants, rugs and cushions will all look better at the end of the season. In order to keep the bugs away, I spray the perimeter of the front porch with this Ant, Roach & Spider Barrier Spray.

Spray around all the doors and windows where spiders love to hang out.

In addition, it’s important to spray your plants, inside your containers, under chairs, tables, etc.

Spiders will love you for adding things like grapevine wreaths, baskets and flowers to your porch. They will feel safe hiding out and cause a lot of damage by leaving little spots all over the walls and floor.

However, you can end their party-time by spraying these areas throughly.

I have done this for several years and it makes a huge difference. I typically spray 3 – 4 times a season and I don’t have the problem with spiders and ants that I used to have.

I’m sure there are several options for spraying, however I like the clean scent of this bug spray.

The seating area on the porch is filled with real and faux flowers. Can you guess which is which?

This fun outdoor area rug was a fresh idea for this years summers front porch.

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Noted Update

This past spring, we were late getting our house pressure washed and therefore I failed to spray for bugs as normal.

Boy, did they have fun.

It was amazing how they took over in a short time.

After pressure washing and getting rid of all their buggy damage, the porch was fresh looking again.

I immediately did my usual preventive spraying and everything has stayed looking great since.

Pressure Washing

In another update, we recently received this cordless pressure washer from Ryobi Tools and it’s perfect for cleaning the porch and around windows and doors prior to spraying for bugs.

Now I don’t have to wait for an appointment to get the porch pressure washed because I can do it myself.

Following these 5 tips will help to make your outdoor spaces more welcoming and require less work. Therefore, you can enjoy being outside and have a wonderful summer.

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You may also enjoy these Best Porch Ideas for Spring and Summer.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope these tips will help you enjoy your outdoor spaces.

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