3. Put two large matching planters by the door
Symmetry is the cheapest trick in garden design, and a pair of large pots either side of a door delivers it instantly. This works even where there is no soil at all — on a paved forecourt, a basement entrance or a block of flats’ shared step.
Size is the thing people underestimate. Two 45 to 50 cm pots look generous and hold enough compost to survive a hot week; two small pots look mean and dry out by Tuesday. Budget around $35 to $50 each for glazed or fibreclay, and look at the end-of-season sales where large pots drop by half. Check they have drainage holes and stand them on pot feet.
Plant for structure and year-round presence rather than a summer show. A clipped evergreen — box, if your area is free of box blight, otherwise a small Japanese holly, pittosporum or euonymus — gives the shape. Underplant with something trailing such as ivy or vinca so the pot does not read as a green lollipop in a tub. Then add a seasonal layer that changes: bulbs in autumn for spring colour, bedding in summer, cyclamen in winter.
Use a soil-based compost rather than multipurpose for permanent pots, since it holds nutrients and weight far better. Mulch the surface with gravel to slow evaporation and stop the compost splashing onto the door.
If the front is shady, which many north-facing doors are, use ferns, hostas, skimmia or heuchera instead and skip anything sold as full sun. A plant dying slowly by the front door is worse than an empty pot.