Which plants and flowers should I use to decorate my porch?

What is your location?

For annuals you must wait till after the danger of frost.Begonias,Coleus, andCaldiums will all be fine for your locltion and will give you a lot of color.

I too wanted fresh greenery on my front porch, but due to lack of sun and being gone in the summer, so lack of care available for live plants, my solution was faux. I didn't write a post (yet) about that specifically, but you can see a great picture of the faux plants in the finished pic with the concrete lions we re-did here: http://simpledecoratingtips.com/2016/05/23/concrete-lions/

The direct link for those tri-ball boxwood topiaries is here: http://go.redirectingat.com?id=78087X1556902&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSilk-Decor-Boxwood-Topiary-Two-tone%2Fdp%2FB002Z3MAUI%2Fref%3Dsr_1_6%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1487700068%26sr%3D8-6%26keywords%3Dfaux%2Bboxwood%2Btopiary

If you go faux, you need to not worry about care and upkeep!

I have a wreath and floral display in a French flower bucket for each season, plus Christmas of course. In January I hang a pine cone wreath with faux antlers and the bucket gets pine cones on long picks plush some faux evergreens and pheasant feathers. Spring: Pink Artificial flowers on wreath in the bucket. Summer: Yellow flowers. Fall: Orange flowers and fall leaves.

Most succulents need a sunny location. If you want color stick with Impatients, Coleus or Begonias. You can also pot up Ferns or even hostas. There are many different types of Hostas that will give you beautiful variegated foliage. For choices run a search on shade plants and that will yield you many different types of plants that you can then pick and choose from. Good luck and happy shopping.

Minimum care u have to supply is water. Without your plant will not survive.

Impatiens of course. They come in a variety of colors. Do excellent in shade. No deadheading,spent blooms fall off.

I find that hosts need some sun. I live in northern Illinois and always plant mine so that they receive some sunlight. I learned the hard way by planting in full shade, they didn't thrive and looked sad didn't grow larger so next summer I moved them and they loved the shade of a tree , only the leafy part did not make a ring around tree. So they received sun and shade, wow what a difference. As for impatience, I would suggest that you make sure to buy from a quality nursery one that grows in your climate and buy the ordinary ones,there is one with a waxy leaf that needs special care. But remember everything needs water so place your gutter extentions so that it water plants for you on the ground. Personally I would never use faux plants, it's tacky. On a wreath yes in containers or in the ground no. Plus if your away all summer then less is more to not draw attention to your home.

After many years of not being successful growing a plant on my shaded front porch, I tried a Hosta. I place a hosta in a large tub, and set it on a tall planter. I didn't get any flowers, but it was nice and green and added a little to the front door area. sorry look for a pic, but didn't take one.

Carex oshimensis Evercolor series -Everest, Everillo, Everdi, Everlime or Everoro are carexes that do well in pots. They are grasslike perennials that will look nice year round. Add in an annual like a pansy in early spring or petunia in summer for color. Or, Pennisetum alopecuroides Little Bunny is a fountain grass that would also add year round interest. Go to the University of MD HGIC page for more examples from the state Extension office.

Hostas or impatiens