Plants and Shrubs for a Home Entryway

European Fan Palm

• The European fan palm can be an attractive choice to frame the entryway of the home, and can add or accent a tropical, warm weather feel. When left unpruned, the European fan palm can grow into a mounded, shrubby palm up to 15 feet tall and just as wide. The trianuglar leaves are about 2 feet long and 2 feet wide, and can be trimmed from the bottom portion of the tree to expose the trunk and its small, bright yellow flowers. This also creates an attractive option to be planted on either side of an entryway. Rated for U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 8 through 10, the European fan palm can withstand cold snaps and brief, below-freezing temperatures. Drought-resistant and fast-growing, the European fan palm frames landscapes throughout Florida and the South. This hardy plant can also withstand pollution and urban conditions, making it an option for city homes.

Mandevilla

• The mandevilla, also known as the pink allamanda, is an evergreen vine that can be trained to grow up and around an entryway or patio trellis. Growing up to 10 feet long, the mandevilla can be grown in containers as well as in the ground, making it an option for paved walkways and entryways. It thrives in full sun and partial shade, making it appropriate for roofed entries. The leaves are green and leathery, and the vine has pink flowers. These can be up to 4 inches across and bloom in thick clusters throughout the summer and more sparingly during the rest of the year. Native to Brazil, it is rated for USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11.

Wintercreeper

• The wintercreeper is a climbing evergreen shrub hardy to USDA zones 5 through 9. Sometimes used as groundcover, wintercreeper has aerial rootlets that can attach themselves to bricks or any other vertical surface. It can be trained to grow up trellises or to drape over doorways, and there are a variety of cultivars that create options for gardeners to groom around entryways. The leaves of the Coloratus cultivar turn dark reddish-purple in the winter, and the Vegatus cultivar is a cold-hardy cultivar that is heavily fruit-bearing. Most wintercreepers have dark green, silver-veined leaves. Flowers are small, but the fruits are orange, conspicuous, and last well into the winter. Thriving in full sun to deep shade, the wintercreeper requires moist soils. Many cultivars can winter through sub-zero temperatures, making it an attractive option for cooler northern areas where homeowners might want to keep a splash of green around the home during the dreary, snow-covered winters.