Winter Window Boxes Brighten Your Outlook

Window boxes bring cheerful color to the interior and exterior of buildings throughout the year. In winter the wardrobe of plants for these miniature gardens can be formal, festive, functional, or just plain fun.

Gardeners and designers use themes to help target plant selection for window boxes.

The Cook’s Window Box

The cook’s window box planted with chives, parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage and winter savory keeps seasonings at eye level and within arm’s reach. Salad lovers find mesclun greens, lettuces, and Asian greens perfect petite residents for kitchen window boxes too. Whether ornamental or edible Swiss chard, kale, cabbage, and giant red mustard greens add flair peeking in the window.

Formal Window Box

Those seeking a more formal appearance to their windows, experiment with miniature evergreens: Alberta spruce, varieties of Juniperus like ‘Blue Star’ and ‘Compressa,’ varieties of false cypress such as ‘Boulevard,’ Thuga ‘Tiny Tim’ or ‘Tom Thumb,’ dwarf boxwood, Buxus ‘Green Gem,’ dwarf hollies, Ilex spp. and Skimmia like Skimmia japonica. Dwarf sweetbox, Sarcococca hookeriana ‘humilis’ is a smooth leaved evergreen shrub bearing fragrant white flowers in winter. Miniature evergreens are the best choice for window boxes in northern climates. To soften the march of evergreen soldiers intersperse evergreen vines and flowering annuals.

Fanciful Window Boxes

Fanciful winter window boxes dance with color and form. In the southern United States the winter flowering plant roster includes cyclamen, dianthus, pansy, Iceland poppy, snapdragon, stock, and viola. To increase textural interest intersperse spiky Cordyline or Pennisetum grass and even mondo grass, Ophiopogon japonicus.

Fountains of Foliage

For cascading fountains of foliage consider using perennial soapworts, Saponaria ocymoides and Saponaria officialis, creeping fig, variegated periwinkle, English ivy and Algerian ivy. Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens, and winter creeper, Euonymous fortunei, can be trained to adapt to window boxes.

Buried Treasure Window Boxes

Since window box gardens must transition with the seasons, when planting the winter box tuck in buried treasures for a surprising sequence to spring: paperwhites, snowdrops, crocus, scilla, hyacinth, daffodils and tulips.

Seasonal Dry Arrangements

Even empty boxes awaiting the warmth of spring can be dressed in style with woodland finds. Dried pods, pine cones, evergreen boughs with berries, and colorful twigs like those from the red or yellow twig dogwoods and coral bark maple can be arranged in window box dioramas.

Establishing the Window Box

Window boxes are relatively low-maintenance once established. Cover drainage holes in box with coffee filters, newspaper, a drainage mat or other porous material to keep soil in the box. Fill the box two-thirds full of lightweight premoistened soilless potting mix made from peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite.

In filling the box with plants strive for a variety of plant heights as you would for a mixed border on the ground. Taller specimens settle in the rear, mid-size in the middle, and petite and trailing in front. Stagger plants so as to avoid the look of straight rows. Water thoroughly after planting.

As with any container garden, window box plants require regular watering. Since cold weather dehydrates plants and soil, a watchful eye on soil moisture is a must. Bi-monthly applications of compost tea, fish emulsion or liquid fertilizer is recommended. Flowering plants like pansies need regular deadheading. Removing dead foliage and flowers not only reduces the risk of bacterial growth but also keeps the miniature garden looking tidy and fresh.

With a minimum of care window boxes brighten one’s outlook all winter long.