Looking for an idea to dress up your front door this summer? Learn how to create a patriotic door basket with annuals.
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How To Create A Patriotic Door Basket With Annuals
School is finally out for the year and summer is in full swing, so I decided it was past time to pull out my red, white, and blue decor.
I’ve worked hard to add curb appeal to our porch, but it was still lacking a bit of classic Americana style. A DIY patriotic door basket with red, white, and blue summer annuals was the perfect solution.
A hanging door basket is a great alternative to a wreath and only takes a few minutes to put together.
Here’s a quick list of what you will need to make your door basket.
Supplies
Tools
NOTE: You can replace the summer annuals with faux flowers to put your own twist on this DIY patriotic door basket.
There is always a great selection at craft stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. (And, if you wait for a sale, you can usually get them at a great price!)
Simply replace the potting soil with floral foam and then “plant” your flowers as instructed below. (You can see how I used faux florals to create a similar basket for the fall HERE.)
How To Create A Patriotic Door Basket With Annuals
1. Add Some Potting Soil
I’ve had this hanging door basket for some time now, and I love how versatile it is. Better yet, it is already lined with plastic, which makes it perfect to use for an outdoor planter.
If you don’t have a hanging basket at home, thrift stores and garage sales are good places to find cheap ones that are great for DIY projects like this. Just be sure to check for plastic lining, or be prepared to add some before you begin to plant.
Once you have a basket, use a hand trowel to scoop a bit of potting soil out of the bag. Then sprinkle the soil into the bottom of your basket to build up a base. But be careful not to add too much. You’ll want to save room for the flowers!
2. Plant Your Flowers
Since our porch faces the west, it can get a little toasty in the summer. And I do mean toasty!
Even with a large maple tree to provide shade, our front porch still gets plenty of sunshine, so I picked out a mix of flowers that thrive in hot, sunny weather.
I used white calibrachoa, red wave petunias, blue trailing lobelia, and some silver falls, but you can use any mix of annuals that you’d like.
Remove your flowers from the plastic pots and place them in the basket. Then gently move them around until you find the arrangement you like best.
To create my basket I used the thriller, filler, spiller method that my mom taught me years ago. (You can read more about that HERE.)
It works like a charm every time. My hanging basket looks just like the expensive ones at my garden center, but cost a fraction of the price!
Continue to add all of the flowers until your basket is full. Gently pat them down to make sure they are firmly in place, and add more potting soil as needed.
In total, I used five plants to fill my basket. Keep in mind that the number of flowers you need may vary based on the size of your basket.
This is what mine looked like when I was done planting all of my annuals.
Isn’t it pretty?
I love the mix of red, white, and blue flowers. And I think the vining silver falls plant adds the perfect touch. The trailing effect helps soften the edges of the hanging basket and gives it a more natural look.
3. Hang The Basket And Add Flags
To finish your patriotic door basket, hang it on your door and add a few small American flags.
I used one of these magnetic wreath hangers to hang my basket. I love how sleek and sturdy they are.
And now I don’t have to fuss with a door that sticks due to those old over-the-door wreath hooks.
And that’s it! In just a few minutes, you have a simple patriotic hanging basket filled with pretty summer annuals to adorn your front door.
To care for your hanging basket, water your flowers once a day and remove the dead blooms as needed. You will have a beautiful planter to enjoy all summer long!
DIY Patriotic Door Basket
Thanks so much for stopping by. Your support and encouragement mean so much to me and make everything I do and share here at MWLS possible.
Did you enjoy this DIY project? Don’t forget to pin it to save it for later. And if you need more red, white, and blue decor ideas, check out some of my other favorite patriotic projects below.
Xo,
More Red White and Blue Inspiration:
Vintage Inspired Patriotic Decor
Patriotic 4th of July Tablescape
Red White And Blue Summer Table
Lynn says
Hi Jen –
Your patriotic basket is beautiful and we are featuring it on this week’s Fabulous Friday Link Party. Thank you so much for sharing and congratulations.
midwestlifeandstyle says
Thank you so much, Lynn. I appreciate the feature. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
stacy says
How pretty! I love your door basket idea!
midwestlifeandstyle says
Thank you, Stacy! I love how it turned out. There’s just something about the red, white, and blue color combination. It makes my heart happy!🥰