Boxed In!

A window box can be a whole lot of garden in a very confined space!

- 

Did you know that some container gardening books are dedicated specifically to the rectangular container known as a window box? This is easy to understand, as there is something endearing and heart-warming about a window box spilling colourful flowers, or a window box containing complementing combinations of interesting foliage and textured grasses.

Planting up as many window boxes as you can in autumn is a real joy, as nurseries are filled with cold-season annuals in flower, cooking herbs, pretty ornamental grasses and the cutest succulents. And remember: a window box does not necessarily need a window as a backdrop. Custom-made window boxes can be fitted to balcony railings or simply displayed in a row on a patio floor. You can also fit a trellis panel to a large window box and include a dainty creeper into your planting recipe. The result can be a form of vertical gardening against a wall, or a ‘room divider’.

Consider the mechanics

• If the windowsills are too narrow to accommodate a box, attach strong brackets to the wall beneath the window to give them more support, keeping in mind that the windows might open sideways, which will confine you to using only low growing, cascading plants.
• To avoid muddy dribbles, line window boxes with disposable kitchen cloths or weed-control fabric, which will allow drainage but prevent the soil from washing out.
• Drip trays for window boxes can be used to prevent a mess, but must be filled with gravel before positioning the window box (which must have drainage holes at the bottom). The container filled with plants should never stand in water accumulated in the drip tray – they will rot and die off.