{"id":139781,"date":"2022-06-22T09:53:48","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T13:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bhgre.com\/bhgrelife\/?p=139781"},"modified":"2024-12-30T13:17:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T18:17:19","slug":"planting-a-window-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bhgre.com\/bhgrelife\/planting-a-window-box\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Planting a Window Box"},"content":{"rendered":"

Planting a window box <\/span>filled with colorful blooms and greenery is a terrific, low-maintenance way to enhance your house\u2019s exterior instantly. It\u2019s also an appealing option for people living in condos or apartments without outdoor space who want to enjoy the benefits of a garden. If you are intrigued by the possibilities, read on as we reveal tips for designing and <\/span>planting a <\/span>lushly beautiful <\/span>window box<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Choose the Right <\/b>Window Box<\/b><\/p>\n

Choosing the best <\/span>window box <\/span>for your needs is critical. Not only do you want it to fit your preferred space and look stylish, but you need to be able to hang it safely. <\/span>Better Homes & Gardens<\/span><\/i><\/a> cautions: \u201cDon\u2019t underestimate how heavy a <\/span>window box <\/span>can be\u2014it is filled with soil and plants, and gets even heavier when watered.\u201d The <\/span>Magazine<\/span><\/a> recommends a <\/span>window box <\/span>built from \u201ca hardwood like redwood or cedar rather than pine, which rots quickly, and then securing the <\/span>box <\/span>with a <\/span>window box <\/span>bracket like the Panacea Holdall Flower <\/span>Box <\/span>Holder.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are concerned that a wood <\/span>box <\/span>might be too heavy to hang from your <\/span>window <\/span>or balcony railing, <\/span>Southern Living<\/span><\/i><\/a> advises that \u201c[you can significantly reduce weight by using fiberglass <\/span>window boxes <\/span>\u2026.\u201d\u00a0Fiberglass is a good weather-resistant, affordable option for anyone who lives in areas that see significant rainfall or snow and has <\/span>windows <\/span>or railings that aren\u2019t protected by a roof or awning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Would you prefer a wrought iron option for your <\/span>window box<\/span>? While it does require a splurge, <\/span>The Spruce<\/span><\/i><\/a> loves the \u201cH. Potter Copper and Wrought Iron <\/span>Window Box<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0This 30-inch <\/span>window box <\/span>has a higher price tag than many, \u201cbut rather than corrode, this 30-inch hand-crafted <\/span>window box <\/span>will only get better with time since it\u2019s made from rust-resistant stainless steel and covered in a copper finish.\u201d The wrought-iron frame is also weather-resistant, and the mounting and brackets make it easy to remove whenever necessary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Check for Drainage<\/b><\/p>\n

No matter which container you buy, it must have proper drainage so excess water can flow out of the <\/span>box<\/span>\u2019s reservoir when it gets too full. If you have the tools and the know-how, drilling holes in wood or fiberglass products is a snap. If you don\u2019t have the tools on hand or want a steel or ceramic planter option, consider purchasing a pre-drilled product.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also want to leave some space between the <\/span>window box <\/span>and the side of your house, condo, or apartment. How much room? <\/span>Southern Living<\/span><\/i><\/a> suggests leaving \u201cat least 1\/2-inch between the <\/span>window box <\/span>and the side of the house for water to drip through,\u201d especially if the home is clad with wood siding.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Buy Potting Mix<\/b><\/p>\n

When <\/span>planting a window box<\/span> or any container garden, you\u2019ll want to buy potting mix rather than potting soil. <\/span>The Spruce<\/span><\/i><\/a> explains: \u201c[Its] special combination of ingredients ensures that the mix retains moisture\u201d and won\u2019t compact around tender roots. Experts also believe that potting mix gives you more control over disease or weeds than you would have with soil.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow the Thriller-Filler-Spiller Rule<\/b><\/p>\n

When mapping your <\/span>window boxes<\/span>, you want to create an arrangement of blooms and greenery that pops against the colors of your home. And all of your <\/span>plantings <\/span>should have similar sun, shade, and watering requirements; otherwise, you are likely to struggle to balance the needs of each of the plants. <\/span>Martha Stewart Living<\/span><\/i><\/a> recommends following the \u201cthriller-filler-spiller\u201d rule for anyone <\/span>planting a window box<\/span>. The design guideline \u201ccalls for a tall, striking plant (\u201cthriller\u201d) centered in the <\/span>box <\/span>and serving as the focal point; smaller, complementary plants (\u201cfiller\u201d) on each side and the bottom; and plants that flow over the edges (\u201cspiller\u201d).\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Determine Your Growing Conditions<\/b><\/p>\n

Will the plants in your <\/span>window box <\/span>have access to full sun (meaning more than six hours per day of direct sunlight), partial sun, or full shade? These growing conditions will profoundly impact which flowers, succulents, or vegetables will thrive after <\/span>planting<\/span>. If your site is particularly sunny, <\/span>Martha Stewart Living<\/span><\/i><\/a> suggests looking into \u201ccolorful flowering plants, like calibrachoas, a perennial that\u2019s commonly seen in shades of violet, blue, pink, red, magenta, yellow, bronze, and white.\u201d\u00a0\u2018<\/span>Katrina<\/span>\u2019\u00a0African iris, which features \u201cexotic flowers [that] top long, spiked leaves,\u201d and \u2018Sallyfun Deep Ocean\u2019 salvia, which is known to be fragrant and a butterfly magnet, are among <\/span>Better Homes & Gardens<\/span><\/i><\/a> favorite full sun \u201cthrillers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are <\/span>planting a window box <\/span>that will have partial sun, gardening expert Melinda Myers reports to <\/span>Martha Stewart Living<\/span><\/i><\/a> that \u201cmost petunias also do well in full to partial sun,\u201d and \u201cheliotrope has fragrant flowers that hummingbirds and butterflies love.\u201d Myers is also a fan of pentas (as are butterflies) because it \u201cblooms all season long and prefers full to partial sun.\u201d Finally, Meyers loves \u201csummer snapdragon, which (as its name implies) is perfect for the warm-weather season and features upright plants that are available in several colorways.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trailing lobelia is a great cascading option because while it thrives in full sun, it will still produce bold blue flowers (or purple, pink, or white, depending on which cultivar you plant) with partial shade. It\u2019s an attractive option for <\/span>planting <\/span>below tall \u201cthrillers.\u201d Lotus vine, alyssum, verbenas, and plectranthus also offer significant spread for a beautiful cascading effect. Spiky cordyline is also not as finicky about sun exposure, with this \u201cthriller\u201d working with most soil types under full sun to partial shade conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Container gardens and <\/span>window boxes <\/span>dry out faster than in-ground gardens. Depending on the materials <\/span>window boxes <\/span>are made of, the potting mix can be super-heated, particularly in areas that experience significant heatwaves. Drought-tolerant plants are often a better fit, especially in summer. Expert Melinda Myers suggests to <\/span>Martha Stewart Living<\/span><\/i><\/a> that dipladenia and zinnias are terrific options because they come in a variety of brilliant colors, \u201cprofusion and zahara have good disease resistance,\u201d and \u201cicicles licorice, also known as helichrysum, [is] a great heat- and drought-tolerant plant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Add Foliage<\/b><\/p>\n

While flowers can take some time to become glorious, leafy greens immediately have a lush look. <\/span>Martha Stewart Living<\/span><\/i><\/a> recommends <\/span>planting <\/span>foliage in your <\/span>window box <\/span>as they \u201cdo a good job of providing a background to the showier plants that will be a planter\u2019s focal point.\u201d If you are stumped for which greenery to choose, the <\/span>Magazine<\/span><\/a> suggests coleus because while \u201cit\u2019s usually thought of as a shade-loving plant, coleus comes in varieties, such as Purple Prince, that do well in full sun.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Plant by Season<\/b><\/p>\n

If you live in an area of the United States that has dramatic shifts in temperature or experiences frost, <\/span>Southern Living<\/span><\/i><\/a> advises those <\/span>planting a window box <\/span>to grow blooms according to season. For example, the <\/span>Magazine<\/span><\/a> recommends <\/span>planting <\/span>\u201cmillion bells [a colorful \u201cfiller\u201d], lobelia, bacopa, twinspur, snapdragons, violas, nasturtiums, and flowering kale\u201d for areas enjoying cool weather. When warm weather arrives, <\/span>Southern Living<\/span><\/i><\/a> suggests switching to \u201clantana, verbena, begonias, angelonia, impatiens, coleus, sweet potato vine, fanflower, narrowleaf zinnia, and Wave petunia\u201d to beat the heat successfully.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"