Early Spring Pots: How to Create Beautiful March Containers for Your Porch

The Unscripted Years
Mar 7
3 min read

March is that wonderful in-between month. Winter hasn’t quite let go, but hints of spring are everywhere—longer days, brighter sunshine, and the first brave blooms pushing through the soil. One of the easiest ways to celebrate the changing season is by creating early spring pots for your front porch, patio, or entryway.

Even if your garden beds are still waking up, containers filled with early spring plants can instantly refresh the look of your home and bring a sense of life and color to your outdoor spaces.

For many of us in the Midwest, early spring containers are less about lush flowers and more about texture, structure, and hardy plants that can tolerate chilly nights.

Why Early Spring Pots Are Worth Doing

After months of winter, a pair of fresh containers on the front porch can completely transform the look of a home.

Benefits include:

Instantly refreshing your front entry or porch
Adding color before most gardens begin blooming
Creating a welcoming seasonal look for guests
Giving you a chance to experiment with plants and textures

For those of us who love decorating our homes, outdoor containers are simply another layer of seasonal styling—much like changing pillows or adding fresh flowers indoors.

The Best Plants for Early Spring Containers

March weather can still be unpredictable, so it's important to choose plants that tolerate cooler temperatures.

Pansies and Violas

Pansies are the stars of early spring containers. Their cheerful colors—purples, yellows, whites, and blues—bring instant brightness to a porch.

They can tolerate cold temperatures and even light frosts, making them ideal for March planting.

Design tip: Plant pansies tightly together for a full, lush container.

Ornamental Cabbage and Kale

Ornamental cabbage and kale add incredible texture and structure to containers.

Their layered leaves in shades of green, purple, and cream make them look almost like living sculptures.

They pair beautifully with pansies and other early spring flowers.

Spring Bulbs

If you planted bulbs in containers last fall, March is when they begin to shine.

Some favorite bulbs for containers include:

Tulips
Daffodils
Hyacinths
Muscari (grape hyacinth)

These provide the first real signs of spring color in many gardens.

Evergreen Accents

Because flowers can still be limited in early spring, greenery is especially helpful.

Consider adding:

Boxwood clippings
Small evergreen branches
Ivy
Ferns

These provide fullness and structure while flowers begin to grow.

A Simple Formula for Beautiful Containers

Professional container designers often use a simple formula:

Thriller – Filler – Spiller

Thriller: A focal plant (ornamental cabbage, small evergreen, tall bulbs)
Filler: Flowers that fill the space (pansies, violas)
Spiller: Plants that drape over the edge (ivy or creeping greenery)

This formula works beautifully for spring porch pots and keeps containers looking balanced and natural.

Tips for March Container Success

Early spring containers need a little extra care because temperatures can still fluctuate.

Helpful tips include:

Use frost-tolerant plants
Choose large containers, which protect roots better
Water lightly—cool temperatures slow evaporation
Move containers near the house if a hard freeze is expected

These small steps will help your containers last until the warmer days of April and May.

A Beautiful Welcome to the Season

Creating early spring pots is one of the simplest ways to refresh your home after winter. Even a single pair of containers by the front door can brighten the entire look of a house.

For those of us who love home design, it’s also a reminder that the outdoors is just another room waiting to be styled.