Ideas & Inspiration

Window Boxes Made Easy: How to Plan Your Window Boxes

Window Boxes Made Easy: How to Plan Your Window Boxes

May 8, 2020
Outdoor Style - PGT - Window Boxes

Everyone may not like to get dressed up, but your windows may enjoy some seasonal sprucing-up. In a time when things are moving a bit slower, planning window boxes that will provide you color and even food garnishes throughout the summer, is one way to pass the time.

Check out these seasonal window box ideas for inspiration.

How to Find the Right Window Box

No matter your level of handiness, anyone can have a unique window box for his/her home. For those who prefer to let others do the heaving lifting, Amazon and Etsy are great places to shop online. From traditional to creative or modern, you’ll be able to have a window box shipped directly to your home. If you enjoy a hands-on project, watch This Old House’s video or read Popular Mechanic’s article on how to build a custom window box.

Strategizing Your Window Box

Before selecting plants, there are a few things to consider. Bravo TV’s “Backyard Envy” gives home gardeners a great tip when thinking of planting window boxes or containers. They suggest every container needs a “thriller, filler, and spiller.” A thriller should be something with height that has either movement (maybe a tall grass) or a plant with eye-catching color. A filler is something that is lower to the container floor and fills up the base of your plant box. Spillers are anything that flows over the edges of your window box and creates drama. Including each of these in your window box will give you a balanced look.

Plant Types Based on Location

Depending on where you live, having a window box that celebrates plants that thrive in your area’s conditions helps ensure you’ll look like the person with a green thumb on your block. 

Below we highlight Florida plant suggestions as thought starters, but feel free to search online for your area. The EDIS website is an Every Day Information Source provided by the University of Florida that offers a Florida planting calendar. Below are the plants they recommend based upon territory.

North Florida: New varieties of coleus do well in the sun or shade and provide vivid colors and patterns for months. April is an ideal time to plant bulbs. Consider blood lily, caladium, or canna. Louisiana iris and others that will make beautiful cut flowers. Plant heat-loving herbs, including basil, oregano, sage, Mexican tarragon, and rosemary to give you color and garnishes for summer salads.

Central Florida: Like North Florida, new varieties of coleus do well in the sun or shade and provide vivid colors and patterns for months. Planting early-, mid-, and late-blooming types of daylily ensure months of color from these low-maintenance plants. Add nasturtiums to your herb garden. The leaves and flowers add a peppery zest to salads. 

South Florida: Plant heat-tolerant annuals, such as coleus, vinca, and portulaca. Cannas thrive in the heat of summer. New varieties have colorful leaves as well as flowers. Some to start now include basil, coriander, cumin, and mint. 

All of Florida: Look ahead and consider plants that can take the summer heat. This list includes salvia, torenia, wax begonia, coleus, and ornamental pepper. Also, consider planting heat-loving herbs, including basil, Mexican tarragon, and rosemary.

Window boxes are a beautiful project because anyone passing your home can enjoy your green thumb, and while indoors, you can celebrate your hard work anytime you look out the window. Looking at local resources for ideal plants will ensure your window box garden is low maintenance and will continue to provide color or garnishes to your family throughout the summer. We invite you to tag us on Facebook or Pinterest to show us your window box project.