Planting a Window Box

Tools and Materials

• Window box
• Potting mix for containers
• Water source and watering can
• Plants with attractive flowers and foliage
• Flowering plant fertilizer, water-soluble
  

Design Principles

Mix plants with trailing, spiky upright, and "fluffy" growth habits, as well as large, medium and small leaves. Choose a color scheme or color combinations that complement your home or landscape. Red, yellow, orange, bright pink and white look good from a distance, while blue, purple and dark green show best at close range.

Selecting Containers

Choose containers that fit your decor and available space and are at least eight inches wide and deep. Be sure they have drainage holes or plan to drill your own. If mounting under a window, use a box that is a couple of inches smaller than the width of the window for best appearance.

Add potting mix. Purchase a sterile potting mix containing peat, perlite and other ingredients that improve drainage, aeration, fertility and water-holding capacity. Consider using a water-absorbing polymer to decrease watering frequency. Fill your window box about half full with the potting mix, and add water to moisten the mix if it's dry. Do not use regular garden soil.

Adding Plants

Plan to set plants about two to five inches apart in the box, depending on their mature size. Slip plants out of their pots without pulling on the stems, and gently untangle any circling roots. Set the tallest plants, such as geraniums, in the back of the box. Let the trailing plants, such as lobelia, hang over the front and sides. Fill in with the fluffy plants, such as pansies or impatiens. Fill the spaces between plants with soil mix, tapping gently. Water thoroughly to settle the soil.

Maintaining Plants

Window boxes require frequent watering — often daily in hot, dry weather. Soak the soil compl...