Windows to the World: Window Box Gardening

Window boxes welcome guests to your home and announce your personal gardening style. If you are anything like I was when I first began gardening, you may rely on a moment of inspiration-or what is available in the nursery -- to determine the design of your window box garden. You may produce a striking display with this method, but you just might end up with a box that fails to perform. By planning your window box in the spring, you can create a display of blooms all summer to welcome visitors to you home.

Window Garden Basics

1. Fill window boxes with a mixture of equal parts peat moss, potting soil and perlite. This creates a lightweight soil that promotes good drainage. Potting soil or garden soil is too heavy for containers and compacts quickly.

2. Choose plants that match your lighting. Trying to grow sun-loving plants in a shady area or shade-loving plants in the sun is sure to bring disappointment. Matching the needs of the plant to your location is vital to success with window boxes.

3. Choose plants with similar needs for moisture. Most plants prefer moderately moist soil that dries between watering-but some plants prefer more or less water. Always check the needs of your particular plants before deciding to grow them together in a window box.

4. Select one or two upright plants, such a geraniums to provide height to your window box. Place this in the center back of the box. Add medium height plants to fill in the middle of the box. Complete with trailing vines that cascade over the sides adding depth.

Window Garden Themes

Theme refers to the overall style and intent of the window box and can range from playful to formal. Some choose color as their theme using a selection of flowers in that color scheme. But, there are many others. Here are some of my favorites.

Romantic. Pastel pinks and whites mixed with delicate green foliage create a romantic window box that invites quiet evenings under the stars. Try soft pink geraniums, fragrant white alyssum and trailing blue lobelia to create a window box fit for lovers. Add a bench or garden swing to the side for stargazing to complete the mood.

Fiery. Bright reds, yellows and orange to create a window box that sizzles in the summer sun. Dwarf zinnias, marigolds, nasturtiums and black-eyed-Susan vine work well together. Choose bold colors to create sharp contrast and bring this box to life.

Patriotic. Bright red geraniums, white alyssum and blue lobelia make an impressive patriotic display of red, white and blue. Add a flag or two to celebrate your loyalty to your country.

Fragrance. Scented geraniums, herbs, sweet alyssum, night jasmine and miniature roses all provide heady sweet fragrance that wafts through an open window. Choose colors and textures that complement each other during the day and open the window at night to take advantage of a fragrance window box.

Other work by this author:
Sensory Garden Planning and Planting
How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
Natural Aromatherapy: Fragrant Garden Window Boxes