I’m going to venture to say no . It’s not going to be very protected, and the roots won’t have much room to grow . I would think one season would be great , but surviving our back and forth winters .. ehh. I think window boxes are amazing for annuals . You could always try to potvthe rose up for the winter or plant it temporarily?

One of the first things we did, back in 1987 or 1988, was to plant a couple of window boxes of just that size with a few Miniatures, and hang them on our patio railing.

They looked quite fetching ... for about a nanosecond.

That's how we learned that roses need a LOT more root room than those boxes offer -- and that the wood was not a good material for a rose container.

Lilyfinch is right.

Those boxes are terrific for annuals. I think they might even work for some of the smaller succulents. But if you want anything to stay in them long-term, I'd work on a liner of plastic, or even metal.

Thank you both, I suspected the answer would be "no", but wanted to double check.

Really, I would just like to cut down on the maintenance that comes with the window box, while not leaving it empty over winter. I have annuals in there now and they suffer occasionally and need to be replaced to pruned. I'd prefer something that thrives on neglect.

jeri, what do you mean when you say "liner"?

How about portulaca ? They seem to do great , and be vibrant , and I water mine once every two weeks . They’d probably be even nicer if I got to it more, mine is on top of my brick mailbox in a pot .

Maybe jeri is thinking of the cococoir lined boxes ? I tried those once, disaster . I don’t know how people make those work with any amount of sun. Also metal could heat up and be bad too. I have seen fancy water resivoir window boxes.

Oh, I have a heavy duty resin/plastic one. I think it can support 200lbs (why?). It was about $90.

Lily, you just reminded me that I am *pretty* sure that I could buy the self watering attachment if I wanted, but it was too expensive at the time.

I like the portulaca suggestion. Is it called that in nursuries in box stores or is it "moss rose"?

I think it goes by both. I’m not heavy into annuals so I’m sure there is a difference and someone who knows better will say. I like the big flowered ones. And sweet potato vines are so pretty in window boxes too!

Did you have a rose in mind you wanted to try ?

im curious how do you mount something so big ? If it did weigh even 100 pounds , what do you hold it to the house with? I have terrible luck with that sort of thing. I can’t eveb get my flag pole mounted into my brick .

I’ve seen them sold under both names in 6-packs around here, in So CA, jc. I was very interested to hear what kind of answers you’d get about this subject.

My house came with cute little window boxes upon purchase. They are not traditional window boxes, and they are made of some sort of metal. They are in blasting hot sun ALL day long, and in all these 8? 9? years, I have never planted a single thing in them. It’s really kind of a shame. I don’t have to worry about winter cold, but summer heat would cook just about anything in them. I know I could grow annuals there during the winter, and MAYBE succulents year round. I would definitely need to use a liner.

Would portulaca survive in these, in direct sun? They do great in regular containers, and even have selfsown for me. In general I REALLY don’t like succulents. Sorry, if I’m highjacking your thread, jc.

Close up

They are darling, and there is a matching water fountain out front in the entryway. I just touched them, and they are almost too hot to touch. Thanks. Lisa

Edited to add; I fixed “some soft” metal, to “some sort of metal”.

And I don’t know what these people were thinking. When we bought the house, it looked like there had never been soil in the boxes. L

Beautiful but deadly, Lisa? <G>

Ha, mounting it was a terrible experience.

I had to use a 30ft ladder to get up there and a hammer drill with an extension cord.

I had to use the tiniest bit first, just to get through the brick, then 4 more progressively larger bits to makes the holes the right size.

There are metal braces that I attached to the brick with special anchors and screws. Then the box (it maybe weighed 20lbs?) sort of snaps into the grooves of the braces.

It was awful, but I've gotten compliments on it from neighbors, so I'm glad I did it.

I'll take a picture this evening. Then everyone can see the ugly dead coreopsis that caused me to start this thread.

No rose in mind, I just know there are small ones that I wasn't sure if they would fit or not. I think I might also try sweet potato vine and morning glories next spring.

Wow, Lisa those are really nice.

I bet it would cook anything you put in there in full sun. Mine dries out VERY quickly. It needs water almost every other day.

Lilyfinch, I used to have trouble keeping my potted Cream Verandas attached to the house. They are in heavy plastic hanging basket type containers and also have water reservoir inside. They are very heavy. I’m sorry that I can’t be more specific, but the big box stores know exactly what you need to use. I’m not 100% sure but I think they are called anchor bolts. They come in different weight capacities. Mine have not pulled from the wall since using them. Lisa

Jeri, I'm not partial to what goes in there. But, yes. Anything that would last a long time would be ideal!

Now I have to go do some reading on epiphyllums!

I have seen wonderful window boxes full of pelargoniums (what some people call geraniums) all over Europe. I think they are one of the best window box plants ever. You can go with bright mixed colors or all the same. They need to be watered, and occasionally deadheaded but they don't need a lot of work otherwise. They would winter kill in a climate with cold winters.

Actually I can't think of anything that can take hot summers, cold winters, and not need any care.

That’s what I was afraid of, and that’s why I’ve never planted anything in them. What a waste:( I tend to stow little dodads in them like little trowels and such. Those become too hot to handle, too. Think anything would survive in them November-May?

WOW Jeri, I love your epiphyllum, gorgeous and unusual! I always longingly look at the couple offered by Annie’s Annuals. If they don’t have roots, what do you keep them in? Soil? A regular container? That’s a succulent “type” plant I WOULD like. (Probably not really a succulent, I’m guessing.). Lisa

Lisa Adams, your planter boxes are copper and beautifully designed. Not off the shelf from home depot but probably made especially for your house. I'm a metal smith, I work mostly in copper and have a lot of plants as well. Copper gets VERY hot in full sun as you know. Also gets very cold in winter, not the best material for plants but I have a few succulents in copper bowls in semi shade and they do fine.

eta: perhaps if you could find a wooden insert to fit the boxes that would even out the temperature extremes of the copper.

rosefolly, I was definitely asking for the moon!

How about violas for November-May? In my zone violas and pansies suffer a bit during cold spells but stay alive and bounce back immediately, so you should be in good shape, especially if the boxes absorb some of the heat from the house. (I borrowed this pic from a website "Al's Garden Center"). I second Rosefolly's suggestion to use pelargonium the rest of the year. It's such a classic look and they do so well in containers.

You might take a look at the micro minis. Two that come to mind are called "Si" and "Hi". Legend has that the tiny Rouletii was discovered growing in window boxes in Switzerland. It is very small when young, but it can get bigger unless you kept it well pruned.

Lisa, I guess they ARE succulents -- they are Epicacti -- epiphytic cousins of cacti. They will form adventitious roots to climb on things, or they will drape like that.

You can stick them in soil -- I do -- but they derive their moisture from the air.

They can't handle freezing temperatures, but also don't like hot sun. Here's some info:
https://gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/epiphyllum/epiphyllum-plant-care.htm

Well those are neat plants I never heard of ! How pretty.

Lisa those are so charming ! Too bad they just aren’t suitable for planting

jc , you should be proud you made it as far as getting it hung! I suppose I could get a handyman to help me with my stuff, I have impact drill and was able to drill holes , but the anchors never stay in , even when I use the exact bits they say. I think window boxes are gorgeous and so charming, can’t wait to see your pic!

I love the idea of geraniums . That’s my go to annual for my pots .

Lily, just pay someone to do it rather than laboring through it yourself. I would if I had to do it again.

I was pressed for time yesterday. I'll take one this weekend after I clean it up a bit ha.

Rhoder, thanks for letting me know that they are copper! My son mentioned that once, but I wasn’t certain. It’s too bad that there are no windows of that size on the front of the house, where they could be moved to. They would be lovely near the matching wall fountain, that same person must have crafted. There’s no much room inside the boxes, but planting viola’s ( thanks, Festiva Maxima), in narrow wooden planters, (and setting them inside them) is a great idea for November-May.

Jeri, “but they derive their moisture from the air.” I wonder if I even have enough moisture in my air. The humidity gets SO low around here, I have a feeling I’d have to mist them with a spray bottle. Maybe I’ll try one sometime when Annie’s has them on sale, and I’m not feeling so burnt out from the heat and watering:) I AM intrigued. Thanks for the info. Now, if I had misters on my patio....... Lisa

Might not. But if you have a shaded patio, you might try one.

From the front walk.

Wide view

The box

Wow you really had to get up there!! No wonder you want something “no maintenance “ after that . It’s pretty though! I would do portulaca and maybe that silver vine

https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/4994/silver-falls-dichondra/

It is really pretty , and grows fast and is pretty easy going .

Also a spike plant would do well in the center of the box and give a little height ?

Last year I had foxtail ferns and miniature roses and it looked great. This year I didn’t maintain well and it looks like a clearance shelf at Lowe’s in September.

I like what you’ve got in the link. I’ll keep an eye out for that because I need to clean it up before too long.

I love decorative metal planters, but they can be the kiss of death here in Florida. The best insulative protection I found was styrofoam. I save the foam I get in shipping boxes, and cut it down to fit inside. The best is 1” thick sheets, easily cut with shears or a razor knife. You can also buy it at craft stores. It’s very lightweight, so works well anywhere you don’t want to add any more weight to the container. :-)