I'm not a window box expert, but from experience a window box in full sun will have to be kept watered especially during summer. Do you mean Petunia "mini bells"? They aren't very drought tolerant for me but you can use special potting soil or moisture beads to help out. And like geraniums they will have to be dead headed frequently to look nice. I'm not familiar with silver falls vine.

I have painted wood window boxes on the front of my house and I can just say... I don't recommend wood. They are starting to fall apart this year and the hubby has been on duty to help them hang in there for a little while longer.

In any case, they do require a lot of watering, but since they are the first thing I see when I'm leaving the house in the morning, I find it surprisingly easy to remember to water them. (I'm generally terrible about watering.)

As for inspiration photos, I'm afraid I've yet to master window box arranging, so I'd rather see someone else's photos!! :)

I have a real nice book titled, "Container Gardening" by Alan Toogood. It's an older book that I've had for some time and I just did a Google search for it and found what seems to be two versions of it. I tried to post the Amazon link to the book but it kept bringing up Google Books.

Also there is a Container Gardening forum here on GW that might help you out.

I also have a book. It is entitled, The Window Box Book and is by Anne M. Halpin. One of my favorite books to browse through while I daydream! I would love to have window boxes, but I am afraid that they would end up a mess, so I have never tried. Here is the link for it on Amazon. Great inspirations in the book.

Here is a link that might be useful: Window Box Book on Amazon

Oooooo, now I have to have that book. Thanks for the heads up.

Wow thanks for all the responses! Today I went around looking for boxes to buy but couldn't find white ones. Maybe black will have to do. I'm very excited about the books posted as well ! I did some googling for ideas and that helped.
Schoolhouse, when I was googling boxes your post about your lovely boxes came up! Looking forward to seeing what you do with them this year.

When I lived in an apartment and my only outdoor space was a tiny patio, I used window boxes (but not under a window).

I can't seem to find better images that these on my Photobucket account:

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The first photo was taken in early spring, so not much is blooming, but I had red ivy geraniums, red and white fuchsias, and peachy colored snapdragons. Apparently they were bright and cheerful enough that people in that apartment community knew me as "the woman with the flowers" hehe.

In the summer I was watering them at least once a day, but I just adore the look of the coco fibers.

Last year, I got a house, so I did sort of the same thing as before and hung the boxes from my deck. I filled them up with calibrachoa, some variegated ivy, and some begonias in a shade of red that clashed a bit much for my taste.

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These were presented on a local garden show few years back.
I personally have black metal ones with coconut lining - my son installed them for me several springs ago - love them! They were my dream for almost 30 years, and I finally decided to go ahead and purchase them.
Yes, they need to be watered daily in summer, sometimes twice a day when the sun is too bright, and they still worth it.

Here is a link that might be useful: White window boxes

Hi lilyfinch, I have had the self watering window boxes for a long time, mine are white and I got them from Gardener's supply but several catalogues offer them. I like them very much because I can water each with a full can and it lasts a couple days. (except n very hot weather when I would have to do it everyday but only once)
I use their lightwieght potting mix too to try and reduce the weight of the box. I dont have any good pictures, lately I use silverberry petunias, black or maroon potato vine, and raspberry colored angelonia.
roseberri

I don't have any at this house, but at my last house I did. On the kitchen side the windows were high enough to have to use a step ladder. I bought the plastic windowboxes at one of the box stores and had wooden boxes made of pressure treated lumber to fit around them. I primed (a must) and painted. They were made without bottoms, just 2 cross bars across the bottom to sit the plastic ones on. Made it easy to lift the plastic ones out to replant for the seasons. After 3 years in full sun they were fine, just needed a little paint touch-up.
On the front I used the hayracks with coconut lining. Before adding soil I lined the inside with the plastic shopping bags making sure to poke drainage holes in the bottoms. (I do this with terra cotta too). They still had to be watered daily, but not twice a day.

Merilia, your pictures are so lovely! I like the calibrocha (which I plan on using too!) . I'm not sure what colors I want to use, luckily I have a few weeks to decide. I did finally find white boxes at a nursery but I want to compare them to the ones suggested at gardeners supply .
I also decided on my porch gate I'll add a window box with zip ties and plant something welcoming. I may not be able to afford to replace the chain link but I can spruce it up!

Also what a great idea to put plastic bags in the bottoms to help retain water! Love it.

I built my own window boxes the year after we bought this place. I had big plans. Every year, our cats took them over (great places for cat-naps). I tried several things to keep them out. Nothing worked. I finally removed the boxes from the windows and set them out on the patio and enjoyed them there for several years until the wood rotted. The cats didn't get in them on the patio. Cats just really love sitting up high on window sills.
But I still would like to have them. Lucky those who can!
~Annie

I was just thinking about askign about this. I have moved into a house that has a window box built in the front kitchen window. I would love to put it to use but can't find a liner that will fit. What else can I use to line it in order to take the soil and plants out after the season? I have some ivy and purple wandering jew I could put in there from around the landscaping and would like to add maybe fuscia. I need to pay attention to the sun in the area.

I have three window boxes on the front of my house. They have bulbs and violas or primroses in the spring. The photo is last year's February Gold daffodils, violas and Lonicera nitida 'Lemon beauty'. In summer it is harder to keep them nice because of the watering problem (2 are on upstairs windows)and I have to open double glazing and sashes to get at them so I usually go with Pelargoniums.

These are made of faux lead which I am not very happy with as it gets white marks on it. Previously I had terra cotta which lasted better.
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Very lovely, Flora!

flora, do you plant the bulbs in Spring or did you plant them last Fall? I was set to do this very thing in my window box and the nursery guy said not to try it because the bulbs would freeze over winter. If I planted in Spring I wonder how soon I should do that? Then as soon as the daffs are finished blooming, I would have to lift them out to make way for summer annuals. I guess I could replant the daffs somewhere because the foliage has to die back. Hmmm.

I'm so excited someone else is posting about this... lilyfinch-- what are your plans for using the zip ties? I've been toying with using zip ties to attach the boxes to my railings. I have 4 boxes on my balcony, and the brackets are just so pricey.

schoolhouse - all the spring bulbs get planted in the Autumn here. The ground doesn't freeze, and even in containers there's not much likelihood of harm. I just checked the date and this photo was taken on March 3rd last year. The violas went in at the same time as the daffs. The daffodils are actually in pots which I change out with whatever I put in next. If you look you can see they are in three groups ie three pots. With my old terra cotta boxes I had several cheap plastic boxes which fitted inside and I changed the whole planting several times a year.

There is a house near me that is painted a lovely very pale (very pale) Tiffany sort of blue. It is definitely an antique, with cute little eyebrow windows. I don't know who lives there but I always notice the house because it is so charming. For example they have a pretty iron chandelier hanging from a tree.

Anyway, I just noticed their window boxes the other day, and they are so pretty. They are woven wicker, and painted the same color as the house. This may be about as practical as the outdoor chandelier, but so pretty!

Oh, I see. I didn't realize your ground didn't freeze flora, so that's why it's safe to plant bulbs in your containers in the Fall. Yes, bulbs get planted here in the Fall in the ground as well; but I was just going by what the nursery man told me about containers and window boxes not providing enough protection for bulbs as if they were planted in the ground. One of these times I might just try it anyway. :)

Schoolhouse, maybe you could pot up window box liners in the fall ,and set them up against your house for a little extra warmth and let them set all winter, then put them up into the actual boxes in spring?

Juliana(love your name!) I was going to use big zip ties to attatch the wrought iron style window boxes to my chain link fence gate and my wooden picket fence in the back yard. I really stink at drilling in things with anchors and whatnot. I totally think they will work for your railings!

Mtnrdredux, please somehow (stealthily of course !) take pics of this house!! It sounds so darling. Maybe if you're feeling brave you could introduce your self to the owner and get a tour of the garden. Gardeners are often the friendliest people and would love to show off! I know if I passed a place like that I'd be tempted to meet them. I would love to have a grey sided home with robins egg blue trim and shutters with pink flowers everywhere.... Your description reminds me of that! :)

Lilyfinch, I will try to! That's what zoom lenses are for!

Lilyfinch, We live in wacky world!

I decided to try to find the house on google maps. I didn't really know the road, and it is a few towns over, but I knew it was a turn off a road that had a little old school house very close (I am new to the area and don't really know the road names, since they change as they wend through little towns anyway).

So, based on that, I found the intersection using the little google maps guy going up and down the street! Too crazy.

Then since I had the intersection, I googled it. Turns out the property was for sale last year and there is a whole video!

Anyway, at 2:47 is a closeup of a window box! The chandy I mentioned was at 2:31. And i never knew they had such a cute chicken coop, at 1:51. What about the thing at 2:23 that looks like an outdoor buffet!

I know that is a lot of exclamation points but it all seems so funny. And the place is so darn cute. That is the biggest danger around here, all these cute antique homes and they all have their nooks and crannies and windows and big old trees and moss and stone walls and little bridges and whatnot. I tell DH I am surely going to wrap the car around a tree some day trying to soak in all the charming little New England detail.

Here is a link that might be useful: darling lil house with windowboxes

Wow! That is one heck of a charming house. Sooo adorable. I loved everything about it! The chicken coop, the yard, the color of the house.... So awesome! The YouTube video was like taking garden stalking to a whole new level!!! Lol thanks for finding it . It was such a nice tour!

I'm glad you liked it. As I said, painted wicker is not the smartest window box idea, but it sure looked charming.

I attached metal hayrack window boxes from Kinsman Garden Company to the top of my chain link fences just to hide a bit of the ugly fence and they've worker really well for years. Because of summer heat, I actually grew sedums, creeping thyme, Echinacea, ornamental oregano, and then studded with sweet potato vines as filler. It was really nice looking! Instead of zip ties, I had heard that these adjustable metal rings that hold pipes down were a really great option (I cannot for my life come up with the name! Duct fasteners? Pipe fasteners) But they are super strong, inexpensive, and can be tightened or loosened to fit around whatever you want to attach them to. I just picked up at a hardware store.

I think crackingtheconcrete is describing hose clamps.

If so, I have to agree with her. Zip ties wouldn't hold up in my climate.. the sun and heat would destroy them in short order.

Here is a link that might be useful: hose clamps

Thanks for the video of the house, charming is right. You should post this on the Small House forum. And what a lovely property, I wonder how much it sold for? Those wicker window boxes are so pretty, I could see those on my small barn that I cleaned out last year and dream of making it a cottage.

Thanks, Schoolhouse, glad you enjoyed it. I was wrong, it actually is still listed. It's at $675k. It say 3br, 2ba. But i think, looking at the photos, that the top floor has 1 Ba and 2br. On the first floor, the PR is a full bath, and that hallway with a twin in it they call a BR. So to many, this is a 2br house. That's a little high for a 2br even in this area.

$675,000?! Yipes. But I guess not only is the house a stunner but all that property is an added bonus. I bet that's what is driving the price up.

OT, but I do love that house! I would buy it just for the floors! So unfair b/c I would move there in a second (lovely area-had a cousin who lived in Wilton) if I were 20 years younger! Now, I know I couldn't keep up with two acres. :(

Still, worth showing to DH...just in case I could ever pry him away from this area.

I just posted some container annuals pics that you could certainly use the same plants in window boxes. It is under "spring flowers/shrubs blooming now" posted aroun 8:10 pm EST 4/17. Hope that helps!

I like the look of begonais planted en mase. Enjoy!

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You can buy coconut fiber liners that are lined with plastic and the plastic has tiny drainage holes in it. I have some that have lasted 4 years. I'm am just now replacing them.

Now I'm going to check out that cute house! Where in NE is it?

The price on the house has dropped to $575,000. Whoo hoo what a deal :)

This is as close as I've gotten to a window box.

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It was one large Hayrack and we've since stopped using it. It was WAY too heavy and was pulling on the fence section. But that is an East facing location in only part sun. Begonias, Nasturtiums and Sweet Potato Vine for the most part.

This year replanted two hayracks with succulents. Did this a few years ago and they were the easiest things to care for because they didn't require much water or soil. They lasted about 3 years and this year, I just emptied the racks and replaced the liner and soil and replanted the plants..added a few new ones and threw out a few that looked ratty.
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I don't have window boxes since my house has white wood siding - not conducive to staying damp. However, I do plant lots of containers and have gotten quite a bit of inspiration from this designer in Detroit, Deborah Silver. Her blog is a lovely combination of beautiful photos and clear writing about garden design. I'm linking one entry specifically on window boxes, but if you type window boxes into the search box, many more will come up. You can also just click on the "Containers" link in the right margin.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dirt Simple, window boxes

I have wooden window boxes, has anyone used rubber paint for the inside of them in place of plastic containers ?
If so, what brand or the name of it to buy ?
thanks

Wow. Thank you nhbabs. dirt simple, window boxes is a great link.
Christine

I love my window boxes, hanging baskets and containers. Wherever I've lived, my gardens have always been solely perennials so this is my only real chance to splash out on showy annuals. I prefer to use traditional hayracks and wired bowls with either spaghnum moss or replaceable coco liners. My experience has been that plastic inserts may cause dampening off of the root systems - interior trays on the bottom though do help to reduce runoff.

Moisture-retentive soil crystals and slow-release fertilizers granules added to the mix at time of planting makes ongoing maintenance a real breeze. Even at the height of summer, I don't usually worry if I miss a day (or even two) of watering :)

I've shown some of these photos before...

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I came across a great piece on window boxes, fyi

BHG also has "easy recipes for window boxes", one for shade and one for sun.

Here is a link that might be useful: window boxes

Wow, adrien....you've had some great boxes! It makes me want to do more boxes...lol. Thanks for posting your photos.

Just addressing the watering issue. There's a very easy way to ensure you have good water supply while using the coconut fiber lined box and that is to put in a tray at the bottom of the liner. - This way, the water catches there during watering and so you can go for longer duration between watering.

The other way is to use those water retaining gels that absorb water and release them slowly. (Same stuff used in baby diapers).

Ianna

I do! I just got them up and love them! We're a single story so watering isn't too hard. Ours were a garage sale find-$20 for 4 of them. The actual boxes are cheezy as all get out. Wire "baskets" that hold plastic liners. We're going to build three sided "jackets" from wood for them, so they look like traditional window boxes without rot problems (the bottoms aren't that visible and the backs are against the house, so we'll just make them with a front and sides, then figure how to attach them. I planted mine with petunias, impatiens and fuschia.