Carmen’s Guide to Your Best Window Box
I have a huge affinity for window boxes in all shapes, sizes, and colors! They are very near and dear to my heart because they remind me of my childhood. My father is from Austria, and if you have ever been there or to other areas of Europe, you probably noticed that window boxes play a huge role in the décor and personalities of homes and buildings there.
Growing up in Lawrenceville, Georgia, my dad brought his love of window boxes to our home, and that memory has been with me ever since! We had boxes on every window of our two-story house—my dad even welded a copper apparatus to water them! Each box’s key feature was red geraniums, and I just remember looking out the window as a young girl and seeing those red beauties front and center.
A lush planted box can be a great way to easily frame a window and bring color to your home’s exterior. We use them frequently on clients’ homes, too, and the boxes on my own windows draw in gorgeous hummingbirds and butterflies! Below, I have included an easy window box you can create yourself — perfect for morning sun and afternoon shade! Then, I am sharing a few of my tried-and-true tips for the perfect seasonal window box.
Plants Used: Salvia and Sunpatiens (Tall), Hydrangeas (Thick), White Scaevola, White Torenia and Plectranthus (Trailing)
My Top Tips for Beautiful Boxes
· Every box should have three types of plants: Follow my “Three T’s” - something tall, something thick and something trailing! Place the tall ones in the center, shorter plants as fillers, and a trailing plant to soften the edges. Some of my other favorites to use are pink Angelonia (tall), diamond frost and pink million bells (filler), and Cuban oregano (trailing).
· Window boxes are small containers, so you need to maximize the space your plants have to grow. Don’t use rocks or pebbles at the bottom, as they take up precious root space.
· Add as much soil as you can to give your plants plenty of space to take root.
· The bigger the box, the better! Small pots turn into Crockpots here in the South—they trap heat, killing your plants.
· Tough plants are ideal, because window boxes sustain lots of sun!
· We love to build boxes for our clients because you get exact measurements. But if building isn’t your forte, check out these pretty options from Home Depot.