A window box filled with seasonal plants is an easy way to bring color where you need it most. Aka front and center of your house. You can use a theme such as one color. Or, as simple as a row of clipped boxwood with a few flowering perennials for color. Or, a full-on romantic tumble of flower-factory, every color of the rainbow, annuals.
To inspire your window boxes this season, we mounted one 48″ fiberglass box (see sources below) and planted three different combinations. One is super-simple but will bring romantic color and movement for months on end. The second uses easy-care evergreen shrubs to contrast with a bright bolt of color to celebrate summer. The third is a water-wise combination that needs little maintenance to keep looking good all season. All materials and plants shown were found at Lowe’s (#ColorDoesIt).
We’d love to know how you’re designing your window boxes. Drop a note in the comments section. If you have questions or face an especially challenging problem and need specific plant recommendations, just ask. We would love to help.
Easy Does It
This window box has plenty of breezy movement and bright flowers from early summer to frost. It only takes about 20 minutes using only two (awesome) plants. By planting high-low-high-low-high you create a wave pattern that keeps it interesting. This will get very full, very fast!
Here’s the recipe. You can find these plants or similar at Lowe’s.
- (12) Bedding dahlia, Hypnotica series (will reach about 18 in.tall)
- (3) Dwarf Maiden Grass (will reach about 2 ft. tall in the confines of a window box)
Care: This combination will need regular water especially on the hottest days. In fall, depending on your zone, the grasses can be lifted out and planted into the garden.
See this simple, breezy window box come together!
Planting for Year-Round Interest
This window box has a framework of two different evergreen shrubs–with similar water, sun, and fertilizer needs. This looks good year-round, but really pops with the addition of saturated, bold seasonal color. Choose dwarf or compact shrubs that will be happy in a confined space.
Here’s the recipe. Find these plants or similar at Lowe’s.
- (2) Grey Owl Juniper (slow growing, does well in a container)
- (2) Emerald Gaiety Wintercreeper (variegated leaf that tinges pink in winter)
- (3) Geranium Caliente series (prolific bloomer that’s notably heat-tolerant)
Care: This combination will need regular water, however do not overwater. Soil to a depth of an inch or so should be dry to the touch. Regularly deadhead spent blooms on the geraniums to keep flowers coming. When geraniums are done for the season replace them with in fall with ornamental cabbages or mums. Followed by cut branches of conifers in winter, and pansies in spring. In warmer zones, geraniums may overwinter and come back in spring.
See this long-season colorful windowbox come together!
Low Water, High Impact
This warm-hued combination of yarrow, rosemary and petchoa is ideal for locations with full sun and plenty of heat. This is an annual that's a cross between petunia and calibrachoa (commonly known as million bells). Petchoa is fast-growing and cascades–plant at the outside edges.
Here’s the recipe. Find these plants or similar at Lowe’s.
- (6) SuperCal® Light Yellow Petchoa (may overwinter in warmer zones)
- (2) Huntington Carpet Rosemary (a spreading variety)
- (2) Tutti Frutti Apricot Delight Yarrow (a compact variety that tops out at 18-in. tall)
Care: This combination needs regular water, however, do not overwater–soil to a depth of an inch or so should be dry to the touch. Regularly deadhead spent blooms to keep flowers coming. In fall, depending on your zone, rosemary and yarrow can be lifted out and planted in the garden. In warmer zones, plants can overwinter in the window box.
Image Credit: Roger Foley, Roger Foley Photography
Materials: window box