Traditionally, we take our family beach vacation in early May, so my summer season feels like it starts well ahead of that annual June date on the calendar. I get back from the beach with a little extra glow (or sunburn…) on my skin and the memory of sweltering South Carolina humidity, so I’m in full summer mode at the tail end of spring. Stealing inspiration from my most recent trip to the coast with my mom and sister, I gave our porch a new summer look fit for the season, even if that is still technically a week or two away. On my list for this outdoor seasonal refresh was a collection of potted plants, a new summertime wreath, a door mat that didn’t feel too “themey,” and a glowing garden sign to welcome visitors to our door for summer gatherings.

As you may know, I hesitate to show the front of our home for privacy reasons, so I set this look up on our back porch for the sake of discretion. Happily, I love how it turned out and everything transferred easily to the front porch after my shoot was over. Just do me a favor and pretend that you’re looking at our covered front porch when looking through these photos and reading my tips, okay? Thanks!

Anyway, as I mentioned, I really wanted to incorporate potted plants. I consider myself a pretty confident gardener when it comes to indoor plants, but outdoor plants really intimidate me (which is why I usually decorate with these faux bushes that never die, as you saw here). I’m just a couple of years away from turning 40, though, and I feel like gardening is something I’d like to get into in this next decade of my life. Maybe not full-on raised garden beds with veggies and fresh flowers for cuttings, but I should be able to handle a few potted plants on the porch, right?

I took advantage of some Memorial Day sales for my flowers, and ultimately decided on Superbells, Lantana, and Blue Mirror Delphinium for their big array of color and size. I also put together a mini herb container garden full of Thai Basil, Sweet Basil, and Lemon Thyme. All are still doing well, despite the fact that it has been a few weeks since I snapped these photos, so I’m feeling encouraged to keep working on honing my skills as a container gardener.

The pots themselves came from Burlington, Walmart, and Lowe’s. I wanted to stick to what I consider a beachy color palette of sandy beige, rich aqua blue, and light sky blue. These colors create a really cheerful tone, I think. As for finishing touches? I included a $16 white floral wreath (I was in desperate need of a new one after six years with the same old one), and a $6 door mat. I thought that the black botanical motif along the edges of the mat gave it a summer vibe, and you can’t beat that price.

Finally, let’s talk about our new solar-powered light-up garden sign from ArtGlo. They hired me to create some Instagram content for them last month, and you can see the final video here, but I thought you blog readers might like to see the sign, too. I think it’s such a charming addition to this summer porch look. The colorful geometric snail art is really eye-catching, and the fact that it lights up on its own after dark means that it can be enjoyed all day and all night long. Keep scrolling to see it glowing, and you’ll also notice that you can swap out the art. I ordered “Happy Birthday” art for our sign in addition to the snail because I thought it would be a great way to show guests where to come for the party if the sun has already set by the time they pull into our neighborhood.

Note that you have to purchase the sign just once, and then after that, you order individual swappable art prints for $25 apiece. It’s easier on your wallet after that initial sign purchase—just FYI.

So, what do you think? This look I put together can’t really rival those epic summer-themed porches you see on Pinterest that are overflowing with lush flowers and oversized ceramic pots (with the perfect amount of aged patina, of course), but I like how this parred-back version turned out. It’s easy for me to maintain, makes me smile whenever I walk up the porch steps, and it was all within budget, too. I will say, though, that I was surprised by how much all the plants cost. I think I spent almost $200 on flowers, herbs, one extra large pot, and soil since I was starting from scratch, but hopefully now that I’ve got an established collection, things will be a little cheaper in years to follow. If you have any container gardening tips for me, please share them in the comments!