What flowers are good for window boxes?
The best types of flowers for your window boxes
- Full to partial sun flowers. Once you have an understanding of your growing conditions, you’ll know whether you should purchase flowers that prefer full sun, partial sun, or full shade.
- Shade or partial shade flowers. Typically, shade-loving plants and those that tolerate moist soil go hand in hand. ...
- Drought-tolerant flowers. ...
- Trailing plants. ...
What to plant in southern exposure window boxes?
- Be sure the window boxes have drainage holes. ...
- Make sure the filled window boxes won't be too heavy for the support brackets that hold them to the house. ...
- One simple rule to make window boxes like these more interesting – plant a thriller (something tall), like a spiky cordyline; a spiller (something to trail over the sides), like ...
How to plant geraniums in window boxes?
Make Your Own Austrian Window Boxes or Balcony Box
- Choose a box that’s three or four feet long. ...
- Pick flowers based on color and sun exposure. ...
- Line your box with plastic and fill with a rich potting soil.
- Arrange the flowers with the tallest in the back and shortest in the front. ...
- Top the box with peat moss or other mulch to reduce water loss.
How to plant colourful winter window boxes?
Select Flowers for Your Window Box
- Select plants first by their light and water requirements. Sun-loving and shade-loving will not live happily ever after in the same box.
- Next, color. ...
- And then, texture, meaning the foliage shapes and variegation. ...
- To determine how many plants to purchase to fill up the window box, use the rule of thirds. ...
How many plants should be in a window box?
The size of your container and the types of plants you are using make a difference. “Most plants will grow 3 to 4 times larger by the end of the season, so leaving some room for growth is important,” says Sue. Sue recommends using 5 to 7 plants in a 24” window box depending on the varieties you select..
What can I plant in a window box in full sun?
10 Sun-Loving Flowers for the ULTIMATE window box recipeGeraniums. The Zonal Geraniums in particular, they are propagated to produce a larger bloom and a sturdier, taller stem. ... Salvia. ... Lantana. ... Zahara Zinnia. ... Bidens. ... Calibrachoa. ... Trailing Verbena. ... Persian Sheild.More items...
What can I grow indoor window box?
A sunny, south-facing indoor window box is suitable for succulent plants. They include aloe (Aloe vera or Aloe barbadensis) and houseleeks, which are also called hens and chicks (Sempervivum tectorum).
Are marigolds good for window boxes?
The French marigold – which we recommend for window boxes – is a more compact variety with smaller flowers. Marigolds come in shades of yellow, orange, or rusty red and have fragrant fern-like leaves. Keep your marigolds strong by ensuring they have an inch of water per week and total sun exposure.
How do you organize plants in a window box?
1:472:53Plant Up A Window Box for Summer - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd you can pinch the petunias. And the potato vine as the season goes to keep them a little bitMoreAnd you can pinch the petunias. And the potato vine as the season goes to keep them a little bit more bushy. And keep the plants producing tons of blooms.
What do you put in the bottom of a window box?
In addition to drilled holes, stones and gravel are essential to proper drainage of windowboxes. Put a two- to three-inch layer of pea gravel or pebbles in the bottom of the planter. This will allow water to filter through the soil and gravel before passing through the drilled holes.
What can you put in a flower box besides flowers?
Succulents — think aloe, cacti, and the like — are some of the easiest plants to care for. If you want a real, but still low-maintenance plant, get a succulent. You can place multiple in one large planter or a single succulent in a smaller planter.
Can you plant perennials in a window box?
If gardening isn't your thing or if money is an issue, perennials are the perfect choice for window boxes. In the right climate and environment, they can survive through the winter and grow back the following spring. In climates with light frosts, your perennial choices may seem endless.
Are petunias good for window boxes?
Trailing petunias are one of the most popular plants for window boxes. They grow best in a position that receives at least six hours of sunlight a day and they can tolerate hot temperatures and humidity. Petunias come in a wide range of colors including purple, pink, red, yellow and white.
Are impatiens good for window boxes?
Impatiens To achieve luscious color in a deeply shaded window box, give impatiens a try. The most common impatiens variety in the United States, Impatiens walleriana, is easy to maintain, grows well in containers, and comes in a wide range of colors including pink, red, purple, orange, and yellow.
What can I plant in window boxes with geraniums?
For a 2′ window box, use 2-3 geraniums, for a 3′ window box use 3-4 geraniums. In between the main plants, put in a filler plant- something that stays lower and more compact such as lobelia, calibrachoa, compact verbenas, flowering vinca or petunias.
Are pansies good for window boxes?
Pansies are the quintessential cold weather flower, and they are even hardier in a window box. No need to wait for half-frozen soggy winter soil to yield to your trowel with a window box planting.
How do you plant a summer window box?
1:163:59How to plant a window box - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipPlace your plant in the window box and push down and that's just below the lip I'm touching the soilMorePlace your plant in the window box and push down and that's just below the lip I'm touching the soil below repeat with all the rest of your flowers.
What can you put in a flower box besides flowers?
Succulents — think aloe, cacti, and the like — are some of the easiest plants to care for. If you want a real, but still low-maintenance plant, get a succulent. You can place multiple in one large planter or a single succulent in a smaller planter.
What plant needs the most sunlight?
Full Sun Border Plantsyarrow.Shasta daisy.coreopsis.purple coneflower.blanket flower.Russian sage.butterfly weed.lavender.More items...•
Can you plant perennials in window boxes?
If gardening isn't your thing or if money is an issue, perennials are the perfect choice for window boxes. In the right climate and environment, they can survive through the winter and grow back the following spring. In climates with light frosts, your perennial choices may seem endless.
What color are sweet potato vine leaves?
Sweet Potato Vine thrives in the heat and will flow over planters. The color of the leaves can be blue/green, chartreuse/gold, gray/silver or purple/burgundy.
Does basil grow in full sun?
Basil pairs very well many other foods. It grows best in full sun with moist soil.
Do petunias bloom in the summer?
Petunias offer a beautiful pop of color to the exterior of any home. Better yet, they’re low-maintenance. Petunias flourish all spring, summer and fall with partial or full sun. They come in a wide range of colors, so you’re likely to find the one that pairs with the theme of your home.
What is the best herb to plant in a window planter?
Peppermint. Peppermint is a great choice for a window planter. Peppermint is useful for more than just cooking. As many people know, garden pests often do not like the smell of peppermint. By planting peppermint in your boxes, you get a great herb to use in the kitchen and a way to keep pests away at the same time.
What to do with an ornamental window box?
Ornamental window boxes are perfect to give your house a face-lift. Choose windows that are highly visible from the outside of your house to take advantage of the visual beauty these plants provide.
How to grow basil in a window box?
If you are starting after the last frost before spring, then you can plant the seeds directly into your window box. To get a head start on your basil plants you can start the plants inside a few weeks earlier. As with many of these plants, you will need moist, well-draining soil. Trim the flowers off as they show up to increase the number of leaves you can use as well as preserve the flavor of the leaves.
Why are window boxes so popular?
Window boxes are a popular choice for urban gardeners due to their small size and efficient location. But the options for what to plant window boxes can overwhelming to you, so we are here to help! Window boxes serve multiple purposes, from pure decoration and aesthetics to practical gardening.
What color flowers go well with Angelonia?
This addition of a bright color and different shape can help bring together the different plants in your window box. Bright purple blooms poking out above the rest of the plants offer the perfect finishing touch. Angelonia is low-maintenance and it can survive dry conditions.
How to get basil to grow?
To get a head start on your basil plants you can start the plants inside a few weeks earlier. As with many of these plants, you will need moist, well-draining soil. Trim the flowers off as they show up to increase the number of leaves you can use as well as preserve the flavor of the leaves.
Is it a good thyme to plant?
It’s a great thyme to plant thyme (I’ll see myself out with that pun).
What are some good plants to grow in the shade?
Plants that prefer shade or part shade include: 1 Impatiens (Impatiens Walleriana)#N#This plant can vary widely in height, from 6 to 36 inches. It is available in nearly all colours except blue. If the plant is watered frequently, it should flower continuously from spring to autumn. 2 Pansy (Viola X Wittrockiana)#N#This is a wide plant that grows between 6 and 8 inches tall. It is available in all seven colours of the rainbow, and is best planted in the fall for blooming in winter through spring. 3 Coleus (Solenostemon Scutellarioides)#N#This is a wide plant that grows between 1 and 3 feet tall. Its leaves feature different colour mixes, including red, magenta, yellow, orange, copper, green, and chartreuse. Most of the cultivars require part shade or complete shade to bloom. You should pinch off the flower spikes. 4 Fuchsia (Fuchsia Cultivars)#N#This 2- to 3-foot wide trailing plant features drooping tear-shaped buds that open to expose a flouncy interior. The flowers come in red, white, pink, coral, purple, and combinations, adding to the beauty of your windows from spring through summer. 5 Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes Phyllostachya)#N#The Polka Dot is grown for its lovely summer foliage with pink or white flowers. The plant grows to a height of 12 to 18 inches, and features very tough white or pink speckles in its green leaves.
Why do we need window boxes?
Window boxes provide a great solution for adding flair to the exterior of any house and enhancing the view from inside, as you are met with a burst of colour every time you approach your windows.
What is a fuchsia plant?
Fuchsia (Fuchsia Cultivars) This 2- to 3-foot wide trailing plant features drooping tear-shaped buds that open to expose a flouncy interior. The flowers come in red, white, pink, coral, purple, and combinations, adding to the beauty of your windows from spring through summer.
How tall does a sage plant get?
Plants that prefer shade or part shade include: This plant can vary widely in height, from 6 to 36 inches. It is available in nearly all colours except blue. If the plant is watered frequently, it should flower continuously from spring to autumn. This is a wide plant that grows between 6 and 8 inches tall.
How tall does a vinca plant grow?
Annual Vinca (Catharanthus Roseus) This plant grows to a maximum height of 24 inches. It is preferred because of its heat and drought tolerance, as well as beautiful lavender, pink, rose, white, red, purple, or salmon features that beautify your home from early summer to frost.
When do flower boxes bloom?
Window boxes come in a range of sizes depending on the dimensions of a particular window installation. With proper planning, your flower box can give you colour and fragrance for most of the year, until the first freeze in fall. There are many annual plants that bloom in spring and summer, or even throughout the winter and peak in spring.
Can evergreens be kept in a window box?
The evergreen ones can stay in place year round without the need to swap them out. But you can also consider a more creative selection comprising an edible arrangement with vegetables, herbs, fruits, or a mixture of these plants. Here are some of the best plants to grow in your window box.
How to choose the best plants for window boxes
One of the first things to do when choosing the best plants for window boxes is to work out out your planting style. Do you prefer more minimalist modern garden ideas? Cascading and romantic styles? Simple Scandi neutrals? Hot colours or classical elegance?
Create a spring window box display
Nothing says spring like a burst of yolk yellow narcissi. Bulbs can be brilliant for window boxes, and if you choose dwarf daffodils such as Tête à Tête (shown here with Erlicheer), they won’t grow too long and lanky.
Add trailing plants to your window box
Plants which grow across and downwards are wonderful for window boxes because they won’t obscure your view or take the light away. They will also colonise the window box, concealing the edges. Choose the right ones and you will get a magical, long-lasting feature from May to the first frosts in October or November.
Combine fruit and flowers in your window box design
Pair some long-lasting flowers with juicy summer fruits and you have a window box marriage made in heaven. Pelargoniums planted with strawberries complement each other, and they would be perfectly placed on a sunny kitchen window sill.
Use no-fuss evergreens for a year-round window box display
Window boxes don’t have to be flamboyant and full of flowers. The easiest, most low-maintenance option is to plant evergreens. They will (almost) look after themselves and they will not need replanting from season to season. Plus, they are a good choice for window ledges which don’t catch the sun.
Stick to a limited colour palette for a elegant look
Mix and match the flowers but stick to a simple palette for a classy and elegant window box. Here, we are showing trailing lobelia and bacopa, selected in complementary shades of purple and lavender, which have been interplanted so the colours mingle.
What can you put in a window box besides flowers?
If you've been thinking of how to create a herb garden, a window box could be the perfect solution as they make a lovely feature. The trick is to combine herbs which enjoy the same growing conditions. Rosemary and thyme are perfect partners, as both are Mediterranean herbs which can cope with dry conditions, full sun and hot climates.
What to consider when choosing plants?
There are a couple of other things to consider when choosing plants. You don’t want to obscure your view. Plants with a lower height will prove a better choice. You should also consider layering plants to add more interest. Tall upright plants will make a nice backdrop to cascading vines or ivy. Even in a small space like a window box, you can create a microenvironment.
What is the best way to keep soil moist?
A liner will keep moisture from draining out of your soil too quickly. It will keep soils moist when sunlight threatens to dry them out. Some good options include sphagnum moss and coconut fiber. Each one will add a decorative element too. Each one is porous enough to let water drain while retaining some water to keep plants healthy.
Do plants need a sunny window?
Your plants will appreciate a sunny location or sunny window. And in the closed space of a window box , it makes sense. While you want your plants to get enough light, you also want to ensure that air circulation and sunlight will allow the container to dry sufficiently between waterings. That’s a risk with any potted plant. You need to balance moisture needs without harming your plants.
Can you have more than one window box?
You can fill your window boxes with a single type of plant. You can also add a few different kinds to create that mini garden. If you have more than one window box, you can also alternate between different plants to create symmetry. As a general rule of thumb, strive to complement the background rather than create a mixed message.
