In this article, we’ll look at what the best flowers for window boxes are, as well as a few suggestions for how to make the most of them. Whether you’re looking for a colorful plant for spring or a colorful accent for fall, you’ll find a great choice for your window box in this guide. From Impatiens to Caladiums, to Pelargoniums and Petunias, there’s a flower for any taste.
Impatiens
Impatiens are dependable shade-tolerant plants that will create a mound of colorful blooms. They don’t require deadheading and are easy to care for. Listed below are some tips to keep impatiens looking their best. Impatiens love shade and should be planted in partial shade, out of direct sunlight, and in good potting soil. You can also try begonias, which are shade-tolerant and more popular in home gardens.
Impatiens come in a large variety of colors. The plant typically grows from 6 to 36 inches tall and can bloom continuously from spring to autumn. They like shady spots but can adapt to direct sunlight. They also need some time to establish themselves in the window box. Impatiens should flower continuously from spring through fall. Once established, impatiens can be transplanted to an outdoor container and will last for several years.
You can use impatiens for both accent and background flowers. Impatiens look stunning in window boxes and add a texture element to the window. The foliage of these plants is often red and orange. Coleus tolerates heat and is hardy in a variety of conditions, but it’s best not to place them where they are exposed to direct sun. Shade-tolerant plants include rex begonias and tuberous begonias. Both types of begonias make great window-box plants.
Caladiums
These low-maintenance perennials can grow all year around. To grow them indoors, you should purchase a tuber and grow it in a small pot. Once the tuber grows large enough to support the plant’s entire root system, step it up and out of the pot. Stepping up the plant encourages excessive root growth and little leaf growth. In flower arrangements, caladiums make a beautiful contrast between the bright colors of the leaves and the rounded form of the flowers. The cut flowers can remain fresh for weeks if kept in filtered water.
Caladiums can be grown in deep shade or partial shade. Full sun will result in a drab plant without vibrant colors, but partial shade is a good option. While full-sun Caladiums need a lot of water to stay healthy, partial-shade plants will retain moisture while being protected from the harsh sunlight. Regardless of the type of sun exposure your caladium will need, this versatile plant is a perennial that will add beauty to your window box.
If you plan to plant caladiums in your window box, be sure to follow these care instructions. You should provide adequate moisture to the soil, but not soggy that it prevents roots from growing. As the plants grow, they will require more water. Once established, Caladiums require regular watering and balanced liquid fertilizer every two to three weeks. If you are planning to transplant your caladiums, be sure to harden them first by placing them in indirect sunlight for a few hours.
Petunias
These blooming plants are great for window boxes, as they can grow indoors or outdoors. They come in bunches, which makes them easier to maintain. Unlike most plants, they do not need to be deadheaded because their leaves never touch the soil. As a result, they do not lose moisture from their roots. In addition, petunias need less water than most plants.
When considering plants for your window box, petunias are the best choice. They bloom throughout the summer and come in a variety of colors. The popular Queen of Hearts variety is available for as little as $3.19 in a four-inch pot. A good accent plant is coleus. It comes in a variety of colors and grows to a height of 1 to 3 feet.
Another choice is begonia, which has waxy leaves and flowers. These plants are easy to care for and have vibrant colors. They can survive partial shade, full sun, and cold. They are a great choice for window boxes because they can tolerate partial shade. You can also use begonias if you do not want to grow them in full sunlight. Their bright colors will make your window box look beautiful no matter where you put it.
If you want to grow a beautiful flower in a window box, choose one that requires very little maintenance. Choose a variety that flowers in a long season and blooms often, so you won’t have to deal with a month or two of boring green leaves. Also, avoid plants that are taller than a window box, as they will block the light from the inside. You can also choose some other plants that require little to no maintenance, such as petunias, which will last a long time.
Pelargoniums
If you have a small window box, pelargoniums are the perfect flower to plant. They have a wide variety of flower colours, and can be grown in containers, pots, or in the ground. They are easy to grow and are incredibly easy to maintain. A few tips for caring for pelargoniums are outlined below. For the most beautiful window box flower, be sure to give them adequate light and regular water.
When it comes to window boxes, you can choose the easiest to care for flower plants. Pelargoniums have a long flowering season and are not particularly tall, so they can grow to be fairly large. Tall plants are also not the best choice as they block light and can obstruct the view from inside the window box. Pelargoniums are one of the easiest flowers to grow in a window box, and can be grown in containers.
Choose flowers that match the house. Colorful flowers always look best in window boxes, and geraniums have a bright red and yellow color that will stand out against the gray and white of the building. For a more subdued look, choose plants with multiple textures. Plaids and Poppies, for example, show how one type of flower can create a visually striking window box. In contrast, the Old Cape Barn demonstrates how a single type of flower can work well with another type of floral plant. For a dramatic effect, try tulips. These are dramatic, but not moody, and the shades of blue on the house offset them.
Sweet potato vine
Regardless of what you are looking for in a flowering plant, sweet potato vines are among the best options for your window boxes. Their heart-shaped leaves and colorful blooms are sure to make your window box the talk of the neighborhood. Even better, these plants are very low-maintenance and require minimal care. These beauties are hardy and adaptable, so they’re the perfect plant for any location.
This perennial is cold-tolerant to USDA zones 8 and above, but it will need some help to survive the winter. Despite its name, sweet potato vines are also known as ornamental plants. You can bring them indoors in a paper bag and store them until spring. During the winter, you can also transplant them into your garden in the spring. Sweet potato vines are best planted in spring when the temperatures are consistently 50 degrees or higher.
If you don’t have a sweet potato vine growing in your window box, you can propagate it by taking cuttings. Take cuttings at the leaf nodes to promote faster root development. Once you have a healthy plant, store the cutting in a warm, dry place. Once it has a good root mass, you can transplant it outdoors in spring. If you’d like to grow more sweet potato vines, it’s easy to do by cuttings of healthy, existing plants.
Verbenas
If you are looking for the best flowers for window boxes, verbenas should be among your top choices. They have long flowering periods and bloom well in both full sun and partial shade. The Buenos Aires Verbena blends in well with naturalistic flowerbeds and combines perfectly with lemon verbena. Verbenas need good drainage and full sun to thrive and should be planted in soil that drains well.
For the most dramatic flower displays, opt for tricolored verbena. These flowers are characterized by white, lavender, and purple centers, and they don’t need deadheading. Also known as Sparkling Rose, these flowers bloom from early spring until frost. The tricolored variety is compact and vigorous, and does equally well in containers as in the garden. And if you don’t want to deal with deadheading, you can use the flowers in massed arrangements.
Petunias are summer’s workhorses, and they will keep on pumping out vibrant blooms even in the hottest weather. You can also choose Creeping Jenny, also known as moneywort, for its dense foliage and trailing vine appearance.