I just love the look of a window box filled with plants. It just makes a home look homey and more welcoming.
Yet, many people have windows that are in mostly shady areas. These people think they could never have a window box filled with healthy, real flowers. They would be wrong in thinking this way.
There are many flowers that would look lovely growing out of a window box, even in the shade. Plus, since many areas of the country are experiencing hotter and hotter summers, they may even have a better time raising their flowers than their neighbors who have window boxes that sit mostly in the sun.
So if you have a window that is in a shady area and you would like to build and plant some window boxes. Here are simple hints to get you started.
First, measure the space underneath your window. Be sure you do this before you buy your plants. Next, when you go shopping for your plants check those labels that come with the plant. You especially want to check and see what height it is expected to be at maturity. You don’t want it to be too tall or it will look our of place in the window box. Next, check and see what kind of soil it needs, the lighting it needs and if it will grow in the shade.
Before you start planting your flowers think about how you want your window box to look. You should always put the taller plants in the back of the box. If you place them in the front, they will hide the smaller, shorter plants. You should put the plants of medium height in the middle of the box. In the front, you can put the smallest plants or better yet, buy some plants that will vine and trail over the edge of the box.
Some good example of some tall plants (plants that will grow 24 inches or so at maturity) that you may want to try are; dusty millers, ferns, and fuchsia.
Some good examples of some medium sized plants (plants that grow from 6 to 23 inches at maturity) are: inpatients, snapdragons, begonias, and pansies.
Some good examples of some trailing plants are: ivy, sweet potato vine, creeping Jenny, ivy leaved geranium and trailing fuchsia.
Now begin filling your window boxes with the soil. Fill the box half full with potting mix and mix with gradual fertilizer. The extra fertilizer will help your plants to grow strong and healthy. Now plant your flowers and water.
Remember, window boxes are like potted plants, they need to be watered daily if possible. They do not have the advantage of getting water from the ground soil like flowers growing within the ground does. This means they do take a little bit more work when it comes to watering. But their beauty is worth the extra work.
