The January Porch Reset – Designers Share 4 Natural, Soothing Décor Ideas to Ease Into the New Year
All the inspo you need for creating a fresh and natural winter greeting in the New Year
When we think of January porch decorating, we often want a shift towards a quieter, more natural expression of the winter season, post holiday excess. One that celebrates texture, fragrance and sustainability.
From colorful branches to porch-friendly patio trees, the month is full of opportunities to decorate with materials that feel authentic to both the place and season. Inspiration lies everywhere, whether it’s at your local nursery or the plantings in your own back yard. With nature as your resource, the possibilities of truly unique porch décor are endless.
We spoke to three plant experts and designers who shared five inspiring front porch winter décor ideas that embrace natural elements and will last for weeks or even months to come.
4 Natural Porch Décor Ideas for January
From cut branches to modern containers, your front porch will be inviting and fresh for the New Year with these natural ideas.
The Simplicity of Structural Branches
Apart from evergreens, Matt Bowman, Founder and Owner of Tradition Company offered a range of visually striking plants one might find in a yard or in nature that you can simply cut and add to your porch pot as striking textural elements.
‘In the South we have a lot of magnolia, the kind with the dark green color on the front and the brown back,’ Matt described. He is particularly fond of the cultivar ‘Little Gem’ which has more of a copper color on the underside of the leaf.
He suggested using both the front and back of these leaves when creating swags porch pot displays. Any flowering branches with the buds peeking through also adds a hopeful nod to springtime.
Amazon has an array of loppers appropriate for trimming small branches for your porch display.
Matt incorporates other plants that naturally deliver vibrant accents and interesting forms. ‘Nandina is another plant that’s native to the southeast that has a winterberry look to it, with some bright red berries, and since it’s a woody shrub, it holds up pretty well.’
Other of Matt’s favorite porch décor plants are holly varieties (particularly the ‘Savannah’ variety), and smoky blue junipers and. These plant choices offer a palette of natural colors and textures for imaginative and eco-friendly porch displays.
Add Herbs and Edible Shrubs for a Fragrant Welcome
Add another dimension to your winter porch display with edible shrubs. Georgia Clay, Plant Selections Manager for Monrovia Plants, loves the decorative and functional aspects of rosemary in warmer climates.
In both its patio tree and cone-shaped forms, rosemary adds that gray-green look that pairs well with the other green hues of the season. ‘Not only does it add greenery and a pleasant scent to porch arrangements, but rosemary can also be brought inside and used for cooking,’ Georgia suggested.
Georgia also recommends sweet bay, specifically the variety ‘Little Ragu’, for its evergreen foliage, fragrance, and culinary versatility.
‘Little Ragu is great not only for porch containers, but you can cut branches and bring it inside. They are evergreen, smell great, and you can use them in the kitchen’, she adds. You ccan find ‘Little Ragu’ at Lowe’s.
Olive trees can be used in a similar vein, according to Georgia. In patio tree form, they add a sophisticated texture and tone to outdoor holiday containers, and can also be trimmed and brought indoors for added decorative value.
Completing her list, Georgia highlights the rugosa roses, especially 'Seaside Swirl Red' variety, for their ornamental rose hips. ‘The Red variety makes these really beautiful, large rose hips, which can be really pretty themselves, she notes.
Swap Traditional Urns for Modern Planters
Jennifer Rust of Jennifer Rust Botanicals is moving away from using the traditional heavy black urns for porch decorating.
‘They are too small to really make an impact in the context of expansive entryways common in larger homes,’ she explained. Instead, she recommends using large white bowls with a modern look that provide both the needed scale for prominent front doors and a fresh, contemporary look.
Jennifer notes that while urns might be a familiar option, ‘they don’t have a lot of real estate in them,’ making them less practical for impactful displays. She suggests to her clients that they 'ditch the urns' and try these more spacious, stylish vessels for their porch décor in winter and beyond.
Amazon offers a selection of modern planting bowls, such as these from Kante.
In these modern bowls, Jennifer and her team create vibrant, winter-hardy arrangements by planting them with autumn ferns and red twig dogwood. She explains, ‘The autumn ferns will make it through the mild winter here in Georgia,’ and the red twig dogwood provides a subtle seasonal touch.
The result, according to Jennifer, is a ‘beautiful, modern display' that stands out against traditional architecture and provides lasting color and texture through the winter months.
You could replace the red twig dogwood with other branches such as crepe myrtle, curly willow and birch.
Embrace Archway Artistry
Jennifer kicks up the creativity in porch décor by creating branch archways that frame an entry.
Her process begins by sourcing branches locally, often from her own grounds. She favors hardy, woody deciduous branches such as crepe myrtle, which she describes as hardy and strong.
To construct the framework, Jennifer and her team layer these branches, securing them in place with wire and zip ties.
‘We position layer upon layer to achieve a rich, organic look,’ she explained. Beyond crepe myrtle, Jennifer incorporates curly willow and birch branches, adapting the chosen materials to the scale of the entrance and the aesthetic of the home.
Into these elaborate archways, Jennifer weaves additional natural elements for both color and texture.
She’ll tie in some magnolia leaves for their rich greenery, and dried ‘Limelight’ panicle hydrangea flower heads that she collects in late fall. Pine cones, particularly large sugar pine cones, and red twig dogwood branches are also common additions.
The impact these branch archways have on a winter porch scene is striking and transformative.
By combining varied woody textures and unique accents like painted hydrangeas, Jennifer achieves a look that is both visually dramatic and deeply connected to the natural world.
If you feel inspired by these ideas to create a fresh look for your porch area this new year, why not have a look at the best large planters and containers to shop now to add to the impact.
Meet The Experts
Matt Bowman is founder and owner of Tradition Company, an Atlanta, Georgia-based business that specializes in outdoor decor and home services.
Georgia Clay is Plant Selections Manager for Monrovia Plants. In her role, Georgia works with breeders and plant finders from around the world to bring new plants to market for Monrovia.
Jennifer Rust is founder and owner of Marietta, Georgia-based Jennifer Rust Botanicals, a boutique studio that specializes in the design and installation of seasonal plants and biophilic design.
