Monday, March 1, 2010

Successful Windowboxes

Designing and having window boxes can become a very fun, creative, and rewarding endeavor. The diversity of plant materials to choose from and effects that can be generated seem almost limitless. Many people choose to try different combinations and overall themes each year. For a successful window box, plant a thriller (something tall), a spiller (something to trail over the sides), and colorful fillers – like yellow million bells, coral twinspur and orange snapdragons.
Upright, taller growing plants are often placed towards the center or back of a container, while spreading or trailing plants are placed near the edge of the container where they can grow over the containers edge. Understanding growth patterns of plants can help in determining placement in the window box and how close to plant different species so each is showcased, not smothered. Window boxes typically have cascading types of plants planted near the edge that can spill over, while more mounded or upright plants are planted closer to the window.

Combine plants that share similar light requirements and moisture needs. Using plants with similar growth rates helps to prevent slower growing plants from being smothered by vigorous neighboring plants. Mixing plants so that something is blooming at all times during the season can help enhance season long beauty.