Disclosure: This porch refresh is sponsored by .  As always, all words and opinions are honest and my own.

Do you remember all of the work we did in our yard and our back patio last year?  We got porch paint, patio furniture, a power washer, and even plants and mulch from their to spruce up a space that had been neglected for years.  We still need to replace the deck, but the landscaping and patio a huge difference in making our backyard beautiful and inviting.

This spring, we’re turning our attention to the front porch.  This doesn’t need an overhaul as the landscaping and back patio needed, but it could use a little refresh and some deep cleaning!  Here is how it looked like before a little TLC along with a little commentary on the ways I wanted to refresh our front porch….

The first order of business in this porch refresh was to get everything clean!  The porch has needed a good power washing for a while, so we took advantage of a warm day and gave the siding, trim, concrete, and ceiling a thorough washing with powerwasher we purchased from Walmart last year.

I wanted to add some hardy flowers, like pansies, in the cement planters that framed the door to add a little color until we’re past nights with freezing temperatures.  (We really can’t start planting tender annuals here until mid-May.)

I wanted to replace this rug, which was looking a little tired!  I moved it out here when I replaced the kitchen rug a few years ago and it’s been nice to have something soft underfoot here.  During the summer, the boys will sit out here and chat with neighborhood friends and the rug was a cozy addition.

I also wanted to replace the planters that held my faux boxwood topiaries as a part of the porch refresh.  One of them blew over several times and broke in the process.  It is beyond repair, so it needed to be replaced.

Once everything was cleaned and dry, I put the big pieces back into place and started the fun part of the porch refresh.  I bought the bench several years ago and painted it, but you can find similar ones at Walmart and .

I also put back the antique concrete planters on either side of the door and a to replace the one that was worn and shedding.  I picked up some pansies and potting soil at my local Walmart garden enter to add a little life and color to this front porch refresh.

Did you spot the little kitty peeking out the window?  Esmé always wants to know what we’re up to!

I replaced the old braided jute rug with .  Even though this isn’t specifically an outdoor rug, I found the jute rug held up pretty well and I like the visual texture it adds.  In addition, this porch is north-facing, so the rug doesn’t usually get wet.  We had a pretty violent storm with wind, rain, and hail a couple of days ago and the rug was dry.

On the bench, I added .  These come with a zipper, so they can be removed and washed as needed.  The porch is where I depart from my typical palette of blue, white, and green.  The color of the siding has red/pink undertones, so I’ve used black and pale sage green as accents.  It works a lot better than blues.

And, what sort of kicked off this mini makeover, I replaced the planters for the faux boxwood topiaries.  ended up being the perfect size, shape, and color, and they are more substantial.  I filled them with sand, pavers, and topped them off with a little mulch.  You never know in the Rochester wind (it’s the second windiest city in the US), but I think these will hold up!

I wish I could show you pictures with the garden in bloom as a part of this porch refresh reveal, but that’s just not happening here in Minnesota, yet.  Just imagine it, though.  Here’s a look at the clematis late last summer…

I have taken some time to clean out any leaves left from fall and sprinkled down some to control the weeds.  I’ve already seen sprouts on all three of my clematis plants and I’m excited to see them climbing up the trellis () and porch post.  It looked so pretty late last summer when the clematis was draping all around the porch.  I’m expecting it to do even better this year now they are better established.

Do you remember the initial sketch I shared a few years ago (2018) when we were first working on this front garden?

My boxwoods aren’t quite that big, but I would say things are coming along nicely!  I’ll give an update in a couple of months when there more to look at, but for now, the porch refresh made the front of the house look welcoming and ready for spring!