Container Gardening

Window Boxes That Wow!

By Nina Koziol

Choosing Plants

Which way does your window face?  If it faces east, the box will typically receive morning light. North-facing boxes get little light until the afternoon, if the sun is not blocked by trees or buildings. In these situations, I like to use shade-loving annuals with good-looking foliage. Caladium, coleus, sweet potato vines, and some tropical house plants do well in this limited light. Canary Wing begonia with its chartreuse leaves and orange flowers does very well in our north-facing window box and adds a ton of color in the shade.

South and western exposures mean bright sunlight (and probably more watering, especially during hot summer weather). For these situations, I use flowering annuals like petunias, compact zinnias, ageratum, angelonia, lantana, salvia, sedum, calibrachoa and sun-loving coleus. Herbs are another choice for a window box in sun. Basil, fennel, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, thyme and oregano add color, texture, and fragrance when you brush the leaves.

Before you plant, fill the box about half-way with moistened potting mix. Take the individual plants out of their pots and set them on the mix. I like to place plants a few inches apart for an instant impact. Add more moistened mix around the roots but leave some space at the top of the box so the potting mix won’t spill over the edge when you water.

Maintenance

Caring for your window box plantings is like taking care of plants in the ground. The plants need water, especially if rain doesn’t reach the potting mix. About every week, I use a water-soluble fertilizer to keep the flowers coming. If needed, I’ll pinch off the spent flowers to encourage more blooms.

When it comes time to change the plants for fall, I remove the old ones, rootball and all, and compost them. I add some granular fertilizer and mix it in with more soil-less potting mix. Next, I set the plants on top and add more potting mix around them. Freshening that window box scheme allows me to celebrate the changing seasons.

A Window Box for Every Garden

Window boxes can definitely dress most, but not all homes. For example, a ranch or a mid-century modern house may have walls of windows that call for more contemporary containers around a doorway rather than a window. Don’t have the right windows for a box?  No problem. You can plant and place a long window box on a patio, by a walkway, along a driveway, on top of a retaining wall, or on the floor or rails of a deck or porch. Then sit back and enjoy the compliments from passersby.

 

window box

Photo by Nina Koziol

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