Niagara Falls of Window Boxes

flowers
Man, we wish we could get our window boxes to look half as good as the ones at 28 Cambridge Place. We really dig the way the plants and flowers cascade over the edge, almost reaching the ground. Any insider secrets?

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yes! those are sweet potato vines on the right - they'll grow like that for anyone as long as they're watered adequately. I am momentarily blanking on what the vines on the left are called - but they're just as easy to find and hard to kill.
Also depends on whether the front of your house faces north or south. Ours is north-facing, which means that part-shade plants like coleus do fantastic, but if I tried sun-lovers like geraniums or petunias, they'd just be scraggly and horrible.

Posted by: petunia at August 24, 2006 10:47 AM

Petunia is totally right-sweet potato vine is easy to grow, and the other looks like vinca--also super-easy. This house faces east so it gets decent morning sun, but not all-day sun. And watering is key--I also put Soil Moist crystals in all my containers so you can go a little longer without watering.

Posted by: tinarina at August 24, 2006 11:02 AM

Consistant moisture and proper plant selection are the keys to great container planting. You have to know your conditions and choose things that like what you have. Sweet potato vine tends to wilt in all day sun- it prefers a little shade in the afternoon that this one is getting with an eastern exposure. The other vine is definitely vinca, which hard to kill. Self watering planters help to keep even moisture as well as the above mentioned Soil Moist crystals. Deadheading spent blossoms also encourages new flowers and more growth for a fuller look. Many annual flowering plants need a little "haircut" in late July or early August so they don't look straggly.

The boxes also exhibit pretty standard design principles- use an upright plant, a filler or 2 of medium height, and a trailing plant for a balanced look. Different leaf shapes textures add a lot of interest for the eye, For a box with decent but not all day sun exposure, next year try a silver fuzzy leaved licorice plant, a bronze or purple leaved sweet potato vine, some colorful wave petunias and a vibrant shizo and you'll have a nice show.

Posted by: kensington gal at August 24, 2006 12:46 PM

H 2 O

Every day

Posted by: Anonymous at August 24, 2006 12:55 PM

ooh I have container gardening questions. We have a west-facing balcony with nothing above us, so it gets relentless sun from 1:00 on. I had geraniums and sweet potato vines, but the geraniums, while healthy, stopped blooming by July. What will thrive and flower all summer in that much sun? I can only water every few days, I can't deal with daily watering.

Thanks!

Posted by: south slope at August 24, 2006 12:55 PM

Hey,

My neighbor told me that pictures of my window boxes were on this website. I know nothing about flowers or plants. I usually kill everything I plant, indoors and outdoors. I randomly selected these plants this year because I liked them. I was lucky because my windows face east and I chose the right plants. Go figure!

Your advice about next year is much appreciated. I will definitely try a silver fuzzy leaved licorice plant, purple leaved sweet potato vine, wave petunias and a vibrant shizo. Look for them.

Thanks for the interest.

Posted by: Hey that's my window! at August 24, 2006 7:08 PM

south slope,

With small containers, like window boxes, in full sun, you pretty much HAVE to water every day. It's a PITA, but, short of putting out plastic flowers, there's not much choice.

You could put much larger containers, like half whiskey barrels, in your area way and water every few days.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at August 24, 2006 7:51 PM

i love those triple hung windows!! you must get so much light!!
and the little "stone" balusters>>> very French.

now on to the plants:
you might also try geraniums and ivy [bird's foot ivy etc ] which are kind a classic combo

but like people say, you need to give it lots of water

by the way, they also have "trailing geraniums"

Posted by: louie the lilac at August 24, 2006 9:56 PM

I think the flowers are lovely. My only gripe with side-by-side window boxes is when they are not a mirror image of one another. Symmetry is key for a well thought out look.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 25, 2006 6:45 AM

You don't even need to buy the Sweet Potato vines. If you have some that sprout in the refrigerator, or on a counter, you can just plant them. They are remarkably easy to grow.

Posted by: Ameraleed at August 25, 2006 11:34 AM

South Slope--

My geraniums stopped flowering in July during the intense heat, but now they're flowering again--the more temperate weather makes a huge difference.

You can maybe get away with less frequent watering if you use Soil Moist, except during heat waves--then every day is key. As for plants, check out a catalogue called High Country Gardens--they specialize in plants for the American Southwest. They have annuals and perennials that are very heat-tolerant and/or can get by on less water. Plant your boxes early in the season so they'll be nice and full by mid-summer.

Posted by: tinarina at August 25, 2006 3:26 PM

The Greenbridge program at Brooklyn Botanic Garden has wonderful community horticulture programs to answer questions such as these. In anticipation of the annual "Greenest Block in Brooklyn" contest, each spring Greenbridge has a class on window box and container gardening, in addition to classes on greening up your street or your storefront. Go to www.bbg.org for more info. You can also call BBG's Gardening Help Line, 10:30 am-12:30 pm and 2:00-4:00 pm, Tuesday through Friday - they are a great resource for all your gardening questions.

Posted by: Rebecca at August 25, 2006 4:49 PM

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August 24, 2006

Niagara Falls of Window Boxes

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