Instead of just looking in or out of windows, look ‘at’ them instead … and stand back and admire. Boxes under your windows filled with plants that thrill, fill and spill will not just dress up your home but give it extra oomph!
Give these ideas a go and see how fantastic things can come in small packages!
1. Go on a Mediterranean odyssey through Greece and Italy with geraniums.
2. Double the dose and make your wall a floral feature, not just the window.
3. Flamboyant and dazzling, let your petunias tumble down your wall to the garden below.
4. Mix and match by planting pink and red geraniums.
5. Petunias are a window box favourite because they produce masses of simple yet pretty flowers that come in white, pinks, reds, purples and blues.
6. A tall plant at the centre of your box pulls in the eye, and from there the whole picture can be absorbed and appreciated. Here the focal point is a small topiary (cypress or lilly pilly both work really well), coleus reflects both the topiary’s foliage and the brickwork while a creeping wire vine (Muehlenbeckia sp) ties it altogether.
7. From lilac to bold gold, from wispy to coarse and from skinny to big, fat and pushy, finding the right mix means a powerful impact from such a small space. Here wispy purple fountain grass takes centre stage, but the bright crotons take the spotlight, while the dark-leafed sweet potato vine gives foundation.
8. It’s a gate box rather than a window box, but the effect is the same. Here the copperleaf (Acalypha wilkesiana) and leaves of the variegated sea hibiscus (H. tiliaceus) reflect the colours of the nearby Japanese maple. It is filled out with English ivy (which also grows in the garden) and Spanish moss.
9. Here, pops of bright yellow echinacea and white-centred caladium repeat the colours of the house paint and prove that green and gold should always be seen. And, as this is by an outdoor dining area, it is filled with edible foliage – fragrant herbs such as thyme, oregano, mint and parsley.
10. So many shades of green add height, light and depth. When you have a long box, repeat your plants – ivy and chartreuse and white-leafed caladium – to give a sense of order.
11. Double the theme with twin boxes of geraniums and variegated English ivy.
12. Use the many colours and patterns of coleus to create drama.
13. Combine purple-striped zebrinas with pink petunias against a red-painted window and grab the attention of passers-by.
Want to start your own windowsill garden? Here, Graham shows you how:
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