Do you live in an area where you don’t have access to a garden or common grounds, but you simply love greenery? Are you in an apartment without a porch that doesn’t give you the ability to grow in pots or planters? If any of these conditions apply to you, you’re a prime candidate to take advantage of the possibilities offered by flower boxes for windows.
Even the smallest spaces have windows, and almost any window can be made to accommodate a flower box of some size. The good news is that with a little planning and research, you can create a little greenery or a bed of blooms of your very own, right outside your window - literally!
Quality, Season After Season
Among the various high-quality items we sell for the home are our flower boxes for windows , which, like our tall garden planters, trellises, patio torches, and other niceties, are made to an uncommon level of quality.
Many of our window planters are made from extremely durable materials like stainless steel liners. Stainless steel is naturally corrosion resistant and is well-situated to defy the elements for many years. With a minimum of care and attention, one of these window boxes will remain just as beautiful many years from now as the day you bought it.
Other highlights from the collection of our window boxes for flowers are made from 100% real, pure copper for undeniable beauty and character. Our pure copper window boxes are finished with a clear lacquer to preserve their luster through the seasons. Although copper doesn’t resist the elements with the same effect as stainless steel, the nature of real, raw copper allows it to develop a beautiful patina over time. Additionally, the copper forms salts and other nutrients in the soil that are highly beneficial to plants.
Each of our window boxes is contained within a heavy-duty, powder-coated metal frame that is sturdy, rugged, and dependable. They add class to the arrangement and are built to last, just like everything we offer here at H Potter.
We also offer them in a number of different styles, so you can take your pick of what you think will work best with the arrangement of your home’s facade. Take a look through our collection via the link above and if you have any questions, call us!
What to Grow in Them?
Once you pick out your favorite set of window boxes from our collection, then you need to determine what you want to grow in them. You can grow flowers to add some color to your home, herbs to add some flavor to your home cooked meals, ornamental plants for the greenery, or even some combination!
Flowers
They don’t call it a flower box for nothing! Many species of flowers will flourish in window boxes, provided you give them the right care, attention, and sunlight. Here are some popular flowers that will thrive in window boxes with just a little care and love!
●Petunias
●Impatiens
●Snapdragons
●Dianthus
●Pansies
●Begonias
There are many other species of flowers that will thrive in window boxes, and this is just a start. However, these flowers listed above will thrive in window boxes with only a little care, spilling over the edge and creating bright, vibrant splashes of color!
One thing to note is that most of these flowers either grow low to the ground or are creepers. You can grow vertically oriented flowers in window boxes, such as Phlox or morning glories, but some of these species will quickly try to overtake the box and grow up the side of your house.
Ornamentals
You don’t need to grow flowers in a flower box if you just want to add some greenery! You can add a number of ornamental plants to a flower box to give your home some color throughout most or even all of the year, and not just during peak blooming times!
●Coleus
●Ipomea
●Dusty Miller
●Ornamental Grasses
As above, most of these plants, which are adored for the beautiful nature of their foliage, grow relatively low to the ground. They can be kept short with regular trimming as well.
Additionally, provided the conditions are favorable to them, they will provide you with color and effect throughout the year!
Herbs
Finally, you can grow plants in your window flower box that serve two functions. They’ll add color to your home’s exterior and you’ll be able to harvest them to season your home-cooked meals. Some of them are even cold tolerant and can provide you with the pick-me-up of fresh flavor throughout the cooler months. Best of all, there are tons and tons of herbs that will absolutely flourish, even when grown in a tiny window planter!
●Basil
●Mint
●Thyme - Cold tolerant!
●Oregano
●Lavender - Cold tolerant!
●Rosemary - Cold tolerant!
●Dill
●Lemon Balm
●Chamomile
●Sage - Cold tolerant!
●Parsley
●Tarragon
●Fennel
●Cilantro
●Lemongrass
●Chives - Cold tolerant!
Oftentimes, these herbs are extraordinarily easy to take care of and need only a little bit of attention to really flourish. Others are tolerant of dry climates, like oregano, lavender, and rosemary, and still others can grow through the colder seasons, meaning you can provide fresh, homegrown flavor almost year-round!
Filling with Soil
All plants have different needs, but as a general rule, most of the plants on this list are going to tolerate heavy, dense, impenetrable soil. The lighter the mix is, the easier it will be for the plants to develop a healthy root system as they grow. You should strive for a light, loamy mix that drains well but does not dry out too readily.
You can buy a ready made potting mix, or you can create your own with a few simple tricks. What you’ll want to do is create a blend that contains a little bit of sand and inorganic material with lower capillarity that allows the soil to drain, while at the same time providing some finer organic material that will regulate moisture and provide nutrients. You can also blend in some other components to make the soil airier, to give specific nutrients, or to raise or lower the pH.
Regular topsoil, the kind that is soil in bags, is largely quartz sand and other inorganic material. If you create a blend of topsoil and organic hummus or manure in a 1 to 1 ratio, you’ll be on your way to creating a nice all purpose potting soil.
After you create this mixture, stir in some sphagnum moss (you can get it at most garden centers) as this will help to regulate the moisture of the soil.
Whether you bought it or made your own, now you can layer your soil into the window box. Fill it up to within an inch or two of the top, and don’t press down too firmly. Plants need a little air around their roots, too!
How to Plant
While seeds all have different requirements for sowing depth, preferring temperature and time to germination, it’s almost always best to directly sow them rather than transplanting them. That means planting the seeds directly in the window box planter, watering them, and allowing them to take root right there.
Growing your plants by direct-sowing them will generally allow you to grow healthier, more resilient plants because they will not be subject to transplant shock, which can stunt a plant’s growth for a period of time after it has been moved or handled.
Since all different seeds need to be sown at different depths, we can’t deliver cultivar specific information in the scope of this article. However, the information you’ll need is almost always on the back of the seed packet.
After seedlings have emerged, remember that young plants are much more susceptible to harsh conditions than well-established mature plants. For example, though rosemary and lavender are drought-tolerant, the seedlings are not. You’ll want to make sure that the soil is moist until your seedlings develop true leaves; do not allow it to go dry.
Also, once the plants develop true leaves, you’ll have to thin them out. Few plants are tolerant of overcrowding. Thin your seedlings so that the young plants have at least an inch of room between them.
If you are planning on buying young plants at a nursery and transplanting them, be very gentle when you remove them from their containers. Their roots are very fragile and sensitive. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and at least an inch wider on all sides. Gently place the plant in the hole and pack some dirt around it. Do not crowd the plants.
One more note: one of the most effective ways to prevent transplant shock is by providing plenty of water. The plant will eagerly drink this to help it recover. Avoid fertilizing until at least a week or two after transplanting.
Watering and Feeding
Once your plants are established, whether or not you started them from seeds or transplanted them, you’ll need to develop a routine for watering or feeding.
Watering is generally simple enough. Some of the plants on this list are pretty drought tolerant and actually prefer dry conditions, but that doesn’t mean you can let the soil dry out entirely. A good rule of thumb is to keep the top of the soil moist if you live in a dry climate. Feel the top of the soil; if it’s dry, your plants need water.
If at any point your plants start to wilt, that’s another sure sign you need to give them water right away, but it’s best not to allow it to get to that point.
It’s also best to get into the habit of watering your plants in the morning or the evening. The plants will be better able to absorb the water when the light is low than when it is high. It also prevents some of the loss of water to evaporation and gives the plants more time to soak it up.
As for fertilizer, there are plenty of different mixtures out there with varying levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. As a general rule, nitrogen heavy fertilizers promote foliation, so if you’re trying to build up big, bold plants, consult a local nursery on a nitrogen heavy fertilizer to use.
Just remember, don’t fertilize your plants right after you’ve transplanted them or at the end of the season when the temperatures are colder, and never give them more than recommended by the manufacturer. Over fertilizing can actually cause a condition called fertilizer burn that can kill plants. There are nutrients in soil; the fertilizer is just there to offer a little bit more.
How Much Sun Is Enough?
You’ll also need to make some decisions about where you want to grow your plants. This is a simple, straightforward process if you only have a few windows on one side of your living quarters, but will require more thought if you can take your pick of the windows.
Luckily, this also has a fairly simple solution. All of the plants on this list will not only tolerate full sun but will actually thrive in it. You can give them as much sun as possible, which in the case of residents of the northern hemisphere, means placing them on the southern-facing side of a house.
Since the sun is always in the southern half of the sky when viewed from the northern hemisphere, south-facing walls get the most sun throughout the day, regardless of the season. If you can manage that, go with it; your plants will thank you for it.
You can still place window boxes outside of your other windows, though; that was just a suggestion!
Once you’re done planning and establishing a miniature garden in one of our flower boxes for windows , make sure you stop back and pick up some additional items from our collection to grace your home with rare charm!
Everything we sell is handmade from the highest quality components like stainless steel, hand-blown glass, or real copper, and entirely one-of-a-kind! See our collection for yourself and if you have any questions, call us at 208-640-4206.