Enhancing your front door with small evergreen trees in planters can add a touch of elegance and beauty to your home’s entrance. You can aim for a formal look with neatly trimmed topiaries or a more relaxed vibe with natural shapes, planting evergreens in front door planters can create a welcoming atmosphere year-round. Here’s a selection of my favourites:

Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum Atropurpureum’)

Known for its exquisite foliage and graceful, weeping form, Japanese Maple offers a burst of vibrant colour to front door planters. ‘Dissectum Atropurpureum’ is prized for its deeply dissected, purple-red leaves that turn fiery orange in the fall. Planted in containers, Japanese Maple adds a dramatic focal point to your entrance and creates a stunning display of colour throughout the seasons.

Variegated English Holly (Ilex aquifolium ‘Argentea Marginata’)

This stunning variety of Holly features dark green leaves with creamy white margins, adding a splash of brightness to front door planters. In addition to its colourful foliage, Variegated English Holly produces red berries in the fall and winter, providing seasonal interest. Planted in containers near the entrance, it adds a festive touch and enhances the overall aesthetic of your home.

Dwarf Blue Spruce (Picea pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’)

With its striking blue needles and dense, rounded form, Dwarf Blue Spruce adds a pop of colour and texture to front door planters. This slow-growing evergreen tree is highly adaptable and requires minimal maintenance, making it perfect for busy homeowners. Planted near the entrance, Dwarf Blue Spruce creates a focal point that enhances the overall aesthetic of your home’s exterior.

Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata)

For those seeking a more contemporary look, Japanese Holly offers a sleek alternative to traditional Holly varieties. Its small, leathery leaves and compact growth make it an excellent choice for shaping into neat hedges or topiaries. Japanese Holly’s adaptability to pruning allows you to maintain its desired size and form, ensuring it complements your front door planters perfectly.

Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis)

Known for its aromatic leaves that are commonly used in cooking, Bay Laurel also shines as an ornamental tree in front door planters. Its dark green foliage and compact growth habit lend a touch of Mediterranean elegance to UK doorways. Bay trees are particularly well-suited for container planting, as they thrive in well-drained soil and prefer a sunny spot. Placing them near the front door allows you to enjoy both their visual appeal and fragrant foliage up close.

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Boxwood’s dense, evergreen foliage and ability to be shaped into geometric forms have made it a staple in traditional English gardens. Planted in matching planters flanking your front door, Boxwoods can create a sense of symmetry and orderliness, framing the entrance with their neat, compact growth. They thrive in both sun and shade, making them versatile options for various front door environments.

Leyland Cypress (Cyparis leylandii ‘Castlewellan Gold’)

With its vibrant golden-yellow foliage and fast-growing nature, Leyland Cypress ‘Castlewellan Gold’ is an excellent choice for front door planters where you desire a bold splash of colour and quick growth. This cultivar of Leyland Cypress features soft, feathery foliage that emerges bright yellow in spring and retains its colour throughout the year, providing a striking contrast to traditional green evergreens.

When selecting planters for small trees, opt for deep containers that are at least 12 to 18 inches deep to accommodate the tree’s root system. You should consider the mature size and growth habit of the tree species, choosing deeper planters for vigorous growers or larger varieties. Also, ensure the diameter of the planter is proportionate to the tree’s canopy to provide stability and balance.
Deeper planters can offer added insulation for the roots during cold winters, protecting against frost damage. If unsure, seek advice from a garden centre or nursery to determine the appropriate planter depth for your specific tree species and local climate.