Heuchera.

I find begonias are hardy plants, along with kalanchoe. Both look good in boxes but do have to be tidied on a regular basis.

Calibrachoa are very popular right now in all the big box store nurseries. They look like small petunias. They'll do well in partial shade and are pretty carefree.

Calibrachoa

Hostas.

Neglectful watering is often the death knell for window (deck) boxes. Boxes seem to require a fair amount (or lots) of loving attention, unless your gardener will take care of them!

I can’t have Geraniums in my full Texas sun window planter, they’d burn to a crisp within a day in July, but have seen them when I was in Boston. I would like to be able to live vicariously through you northerners.

They’re so cheery and happy and sweet. And remind me of Europe.

Geraniums is my vote, is what I’m saying.

This first one is in Beacon Hill:

This is somewhere that isn’t near me:

Come on, how charming is this?!

I just got this one for my shady patio. Yes, they look better with deadheading, but I enjoy that activity and you should, too.

Also, I missed seeing you here, and are we just going to pretend you weren’t on a trip?

How was it??

In my gardens, geraniums need good sun to bloom. My front entrance faces north, but gets some sun from the west in the late afternoon. There is a collection of cobalt pots around it. I have good luck with begonias, coleus, impatiens and various ferns. I particularly like mixing asparagus ferns into my pots as well. I have variegated ivy and creeping Jenny that come back perennially in some of them. I'm in coastal zone 7b.

When I think "masses of the same stuff" impatiens come to mind. You can have a mix of hot colors or pastel/cool colors. Use moisture control potting soil with slow release fertilizer.

I think of impatiens as ground cover, and hence too short for a window box, but there are so many varieties maybe I am wrong. I agree they are sturdy!

Aww Jilly, thanks. It was lovely! I will write more when my photography staff gets their pictures sorted. I still haven't posted about our holiday trip so I am behind schedule!

I love geraniums. I recently bought one of those paper ones.

Cyn - no gardener at this property. Ha, he'd only have these window boxes to work on! Our cleaning guy could water.

teeda, i love hostas, and so much variety, and no worrries of deer!

Calibrachoa is a new one for me. Love begonias, always planted white ones with purple salvia,

Heuchera are so pretty, I think i had some in the urn on the entry table once.

DH had a good suggestion, which was to contact the florist who did my VD flowers, they are rated best in the city, are just around the corner, and I think they even have a little greenhouse. I looked on their website and they do window boxes and container gardens. Then I went down a rabbit hole gasping at the wedding flowers they have done. Anyway, they will know just the thing. I bet they do maintenance too.

Geraniums take full sun. can they just not handle the Texas sun?

HU, no, it’s just too intense and scorching for them. Last year, even my pot in full shade had severe heat stress.

In full sun here, the leaves get brown and crispy and they don’t flower much. I had to bring my pot inside.

I’ve overwintered before … last year, I had to oversummer a few things. :D

New Guinea impatiens do really well in containers at my house, and they are a bit taller than the shade impatiens most people think of.

https://www.thespruce.com/care-for-new-guinea-impatiens-4122333

I love begonias like this, too.

What tiime of the day would it get full sun and for how long? Our new front porch and flowerbed ended up on the north side of the house, so I planned for shade plants. Boy was I wrong. Right now it would take shade plants but in May the whole flowerbed is in full sun.

My shade impatiens would get almost 2' tall and bushy - fish emulsion to fertilize. Constant bloom, self deadheading and a bazillion colors to mix it up or do all one for impact. I love white impatiens. There are water storing additives you can add to soil in pots to help with moisture retention. They work.

DLM, the front porch gets all shade and I always put the bright watermelon color Impatiens in various pots. Talk about eye catching! I haven't grown sunpatiens though, I really should try them.

Geraniums take a lot of sun so they won't work for you. There are plenty of trailing vines that would add color. Coleus can be really colorful and they have a ton of interesting leaf shapes these days. Window boxes are like any container when gardenting. They will need water daily if not more than once a day if in the hot sun once your flowers mature.

Mtn, do you have any way to install a drip irrigation system in the flower boxes? I’ve seen it done before. It usually means there will be a small black tube running to the boxes. I have drip tubes running to pots on my back porch. The landscaper placed them so that they are under the bottom element of the porch rail (black wrought iron) and held in place with black zip ties. I promise they are not noticeable.

As I said above I am leaving it all to the experts, ie the flower shop a few blocks away that does this all the time. I am sure they will know what works best, and have ideas on watering.

BBSTX, I was thinking about drip irrigation. I think there is *something* there now, I forget what. The PO had masses of succulents. He pretty much summered in VT so I am not sure why he bothered.

Mtn I corrected my post above— ot was supposed to say DO require some tending. I hit the n key instead of the space key (as i often do) and it looks like they don’t need tending! Sorry!

I know that Mtnrdredux has made her decision but for others my favourites and best results in the same conditions are trailing begonias (in my area those sell out quickly) and upright fuschia.

Hopefully the OP will show pictures and the suggestions that she was given.

I know you’re leaving it up to the experts. I do love a double rose impatient. The colors are vibrant and they are hardy. I have had very good luck with them

I want this window box!!!

Ohh those tulips are gorge, but obviously not planted.

I spoke to the florist and they are doing spring plantings now ... pansies and such. We are in a neighborhood of old brownstones and a lot of what she does is for street level gardens, containers on the steps, and windowboxes under front windows. This is for our back deck, which we probably won't be using until mid May or later. So I told her we only want summer plantings.

In other news, looking at the space more closely. several of the window boxes are pretty rusty so we need to figure out if we should replace them. I also notice the PO has large wire decorative forms, must have been for vines. Some people on the block have those fake boxwood hedges. Those are looking pretty good to me about now!

We shall see...

Completely trivial but do you have an aversion to red flowers? Or is it just decor/clothing?

I ask because while I don't mind red (I actually have a room painted red), I do not like red flowers. I have no idea why, but they just are not attractive to me. And that includes the infamous red roses.

Yes, outright aversion to red everything. I don't really like yellow or orange flowers either. First choice is shades of green and white, blues and purples are good too. Pink in landscaping is borderline but in a bouquet it is fine.

That said, we usually have a bed of zinnias in our garden and they are assorted colors and those i like!

My house came with window boxes on the front, which faces east. However!! the windows are the type that crank outwards, and would just skim the top of the boxes. GRRRR, What idiot thought window boxes would be a good idea in this situation??? They have been removed.... A pity, as I like the look.

That stinks, roxanna!

I have one in front, iron (with cocoa liner) and shallow, in full sun. I still love it, even though I have to water it daily.

Besides plants, I like to do it up for holidays. :)

Mtn, hurry! I want to see updates. I didn’t know you don’t like red flowers, which was my whole post. :D

We have a drip irrigation hose running off of our main irrigation system to our flower box.. It has been most beneficial. We did not have that for many years, and it has truly made a difference. You can see that, depending upon the viewing angle in the garden, it is not that visible. I thought I might paint ours with a light colored acrylic, but just never seem to get around to that. Not a high priority item on the to-do list, I guess☺️.

Too funny! I use blue/purple, white and pink in all flowers at our house! I'm sure the florist will have great ideas, but you are missing all the fun!! I know, I know, everyone does not enjoy gardening. Looking forward to seeing your boxes!

Nicci, beautiful flowers, landscaping, and house!

I started window boxes last year and will be following this! I have this irrigation set up and it helped last year, my first year. It does makes for a heavy box though.

https://www.flowerwindowboxes.com/self-watering-window-box-reservoirs-p/res-24res-res19.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2a6wBhCVARIsABPeH1uMT9E8VXFI1sxbavZSta7lA35noAJEItDQGX_d1ri4dHP-FDkaTRoaAoI7EALw_wcB&gad_source=1

I don't really like yellow or orange flowers either. First choice is shades of green and white, blues and purples are good too. Pink in landscaping is borderline but in a bouquet it is fine.

Same! I do pots on my deck each summer. Only whites, greens, blues, purples and the occasional pink.

In my home, I tend to only do white flowers. I can do blue hydrangeas, but otherwise only white.