It depends on the variety. Some ("Troll") series are rather short and won't trail, while others are taller and might eventually lean over and trail -- but probably not you're best best, I didn't find they had a tendency to lean in general. If your box is set-up with side-planting holes, you could plant them in there to get them to trail. Plus, browallia have been really hard to find over the past few years, so your selection might be limited. I've grown it from seed but it takes a long time and oftentimes just doesn't cooperate under the lights for whatever reason; locating seed has become more difficult, too.

Why not use trailing lobelia in place of the browallia? It does beautifully in partial shade (actually better than in full sun in hot summer climates) and should cascade perfectly over the side.

I would say the main factor with it choosing Lobelia is because I don’t know what I’m doing :-). I’ll check it out. Any other suggestions???

... I’ve yet to find any shade plants that flower all summer and have good height.

yes the lobelia .... heres what it does: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Lobelia+in+pots&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

but before you get that far ... since you are a newb .. understand the most important thing in your box.. is the media ... and then whether the box drains ...

how about a pic of your box so we can be more precise ...

media is a water management system.. and you have to have the right stuff so the plants will have enough water for the whole day.. before you need to water again ...

but it also has to drain properly.. so you dont drown them ...

and .. depending on the size of your box.. you might want to change out the media every season .. as it can wear out ... meaning.. watering can become an issue .. it wont hold enough water for the whole day ...

once you get that all proper .. then what you plant in it is limitless .. and left to your whim ...

change the search at the above link to window boxes.. and just look at the potential ...

ken

Good idea Ken. So here is what we’re are working with. They aren’t the largest window boxes ever made but they came with the house, they’re copper and look great. We have them in their own irrigation zone. They are 5.5” deep and 5” tall with drainage holes in the bottom. I was advised by someone to fill them with Mother Earth Coco Coir so I have a bunch of that material in the garage. I’m now thinking about using Ipomea on the ends followed by white torenia and blue lobelia in the middle section.

This is a draft of the plan:

I'm not a fan of annual lobelia because IME it peters out mid-season and can get kind of ratty, plus the flowers are really small. Pass.

What about ivy-leaf geraniums? Those trail and will do fine in part-shade.

Lobelia will peter out in midsummer if it is planted in too much sun. In part shade and a cooler growing environment, it blooms all summer. I've had lobelia in bloom in late October!!

Lobelia dies on me in summer, even in full shade. (Texas.) But our heat is extreme, of course, not sure where OP is.

I have it in a hanging basket every year, for spring only because I love the color so much. I replace with a full basket of portulaca around June (our nursery has already trailing and mature baskets by then, priced well).

A few days ago, my lobelia ... if your conditions are good for it all summer, it’s a beautiful plant:

It can get miserably hot and humid here in the summer, does a number on those cool-condition lovers. (people who aren't from MI don't associate MI with high heat and humidity, but there you have it -- we're in a sweat bowl, what with being surrounded by bodies of water the size of lesser seas on three sides. Not as oppressive as Southern states, but still...mid-MI in the lower peninsula during the dog days of summer = UGH!)

ETA: But yea, don't know location of OP -- if in climate similar to PNW, then lobelia probably will perform quite well. So OP --> listing your location in your profile is helpful.

Oooh, now wait a minute -- if I go into GW by the backdoor, I can see my location next to my moniker, but if I'm on the board via Houzz I cannot. Can you guys on here through Houzz see my location?

Sorry. We are in Massachusetts. Zone 6a

Mxk3-location shows on GW but not Houzz. If you edit your profile to make your zone your last name (as I have done) it will show up in both places.

tj

Lobelia doesn't do well here in Colorado either. But Browallia does. I grow it in morning sun and it trails nicely. The one I have most familiarity with is the Proven Winners. I love it.

does that graphic indicate 3 rows of plants in a 5.5 inch wide pot??

what?? ... lol.. you say 5 inches deep.. and 5.5 tall ... either way... i suspect you are greatly over planted .. and by the time they fill the entire box with roots ... mid to late summer.. even with the drip water.. you will have a hard time keeping the plants vibrant ...

you might want to reduce the plant volume by half... and wait the extra week or two for them to fill in;. rather then filling it up at planting ..

in other words.. dont shoot for instant gratification ...

im on my first sip of coffee.. so bear with me if that make no sense.. lol ..

ken

oh ... and keep in mind .. come fall.. you can destroy the whole thing.. and plant some small mums and viola... grow a fall box ...

dont think you ar necessarily stuck with this one planting for the rest of the year. ..

and be careful not to stain your siding by over watering ...

ken

I’m envious of the irrigation in it! I have one I can only water by hand, which I have to do about every 20 minutes.

Ok, I’m exaggerating ... it’s every 40 minutes.

I’ve yet to find any shade plants that flower all summer and have good height.

Have you tried impatiens? They're my favorite for window boxes in shade.

Hey Ken, there are 3 separate window boxes. These measurements are accurate. We do one planting from may-sep and then switch over to mums and cabbages. last year I filled them completely with Torenia and they were still doing we when I plucked them in September. The size makes it easy to completely switch out the soil every year.

Jinx - my plants wouldn’t live if I didn’t have that drip irrigation.

your original premise was you are new to this.. .. now you say you have at least a years experience ...

hmm... lol ...

love the comment above.. water every 20 mins.. wait.. thats an exaggeration... every 40 .. lol ... consider a media that holds more water.. and/or.. reduce the number of plants ... you should be able to get it up to at least every 60 mins.. lol ... you ought to be able to outwit a darn box ... lol ..

ken

Lol!

It’s just me being stubborn. I had them at former houses, nice deep ones in shade that everything thrived in. Move here, there’s a cute little accent window — full sun — and I could only fit a 30-incher on it. (Iron with cocoa liner.) Recipe for failure, but by gosh I was going to make it work!

This year, good ole portulaca. I’ll never have the lush, layered plantings I had in my former ones, but at least it’s something. :D (And cute for holiday decor.)

Ken - I would hardly call sticking a bunch of torenia in a window box anything other than amateur. I'd love to claim I was something other than that but I have no clue what I'm doing and get extremely overwhelmed at the nursery. I have 2 kids and get to work on this for about 3 hours a season.

For instance, I'm now starting to think that the front of house is "part sun to shade". The sun starts turning the corner to our window boxes around 1:30 and fin ally hits the furthest window box at 2:30-3. From the many opinions I've heard at the various nurseries afternoon sun can be quite challenging to grow in.

With this new found information what would you consider this area?

Also, any idea for some "spillers" with color that would be suitable for this environment? I just picked up some torenia, but need something to overflow these boxes!!! (WHITE OR YELLOW WOULD BE IDEAL)

Come on, come all with ideas.