Once you add window boxes to your home, it’s common for it to look like something is missing if you decide to tuck them away for the traditional off-seasons. However, every season has something to offer when it comes to window boxes. Luckily, the internet and even neighborhoods around town are rich with delightful window box ideas for every season, and we’ve curated some of our favorites. Here’s to keeping them looking pretty year-round!
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#1 // Early Winter: Mix Evergreen Hues
Okay, fall is over, now what? Cut the evergreens! Evergreen window boxes certainly don’t have to be boring. In fact, evergreens have so many different undertones, from yellow to blue. Have fun mixing trimmings from your very own yard or a friend’s yard. We really love adding in magnolia leaves to window boxes. They are such a unique evergreen leaf with brown backs! They make the perfect transitional window box between late fall and early winter.
#2 // Mid-Winter: Real Evergreens & Poinsettias
We’re kind of purists when it comes to using real plants in your landscaping, window boxes included. However, we make special exceptions for winter. If you’re craving some blooms and holiday color in your window boxes, we highly suggest mixing little evergreen plants with fake poinsettias. Or, you can use extra tree trimmings instead of actual plants. Combining fake and real plants can actually make the entire window box look like it is full of the real deal. However, we only suggest fake versions of poinsettias for regions that experience temperatures that go below 50 degrees in the winter, otherwise go with the real plant. Keep in mind that poinsettias aren’t just red. Choose pink or white ones for a fun twist!
#3 // Late Winter: Welcome Blooms a Little Early with Hellebores
By February, we personally are so ready to start seeing some color come back into the earth! Luckily, there’s one flower in particular that starts to bloom as early as February in climates that aren’t too cold, and that’s hellebore. However, colder areas may have to wait until late March to see them. Hellebores have deep roots, so they do best in deep window boxes. These flowers come in dusty blue, pink, and purple. Be sure to keep them away from curious pets, as they have toxins that could be poisonous. That said, man are they pretty!
#4 // Early Spring: Start Some Herbs in Your Window Box
If you have a window in your kitchen with either no screens or raisable screens, why not add a window box filled with herbs? It’s no secret that herbs thrive outside, and a window box located in such a convenient spot will be more likely to get used and watered! Early spring is a great time to start planting your herbs. We especially love this guide from The Old Farmer’s Almanac that tells you when to plant each one.
#5 // Mid-Spring: Grow Edible Flowers and Fruit in Your Window Box
Thinking along the same lines of planting a little herb garden window box, you can also choose edible blooms and fruit for your window boxes. Some edible flowers add flavor, and others just look pretty on food. You can use them in salads, on desserts, or for garnish on soups and other savory dishes.
Here are some edible plants you can grow that aren’t just herbs:
- Strawberry
- Aloe
- Calendula
- Nasturtium
- Borage
#6 // Late-Spring: Add Some Trailing Blooms or Greenery
Chances are, if a plant does well in a hanging basket, it will do well in a window box, too. Container plants with blooms that trail add so much texture and variety to window boxes. One of our favorite trailing blooms is million bells, which does well in the spring, but can also withstand some of the warmer days in early summer. Trailing, blooming plants normally go on sale right after Mother’s Day, so there’s no time like late spring to add them to your window boxes.
Or, opt for trailing greenery that grows even longer, like strands of ivy. Planting ivy in your window box poses much less risk than growing it on the side of your home. Keep in mind that just one or two strands should do the trick!
#7 // Early Summer: Go the Low-Maintenance Route With Succulents
Summer can really challenge a beginner window box gardener. Things start to heat up, and anything in a container dries out faster than anything in the ground. Plus, awnings prevent window boxes from soaking in summer rains. For this reason, low-maintenance plants are key. Of course we LOVE succulents and they can grow in a window box! That said, some varieties thrive in sunshine and other don’t quite as much. Succulents made for outdoor living are called hardy succulents.For more information on the best varieties to grow outdoors, check out the Succulent Grower‘s tips.
Some of our favorite, sunshine succulents include:
- Sedum, also known as Stonecrop
- Sempervivums
- Torch Plant
- Sunburst
- Ball Cactus
#8 // Mid-Summer: Think Tropical
If you can imagine a certain plant growing in the tropics, we say go for it and add it to your summer window box! It’s a fun way to breathe new life into your window box as the old blooms of spring fade away. Bromeliads and red aglaonemas are among some of our favorite plants that can take the heat.
#9 // Late Summer: Go Green
As your late spring and early summer flowers finish putting on their last show, you can begin prepping for fall by creating a clean backdrop of green. Greenery comes in so many beautiful shapes and colors. When October rolls around, all you’ll need to do is toss some small gourds in the mix to make it festive!
#10 // Early Fall: It’s Never Too Early to Go to The Pumpkin Patch
Throwing in a variety of textures and shapes is a great way to add interest to your flower box. Try Jester’s Crown fern, green and white caladium, dried Astible, beautiful white or yellow mums, and cut some Annabelle hydrangea, then top off with a white pumpkin or fun gourd. Voila! Mission complete… at least until the frost hits! For more ideas, check out Q is for Quandie.
#11 // Mid Fall: Make it Monochrome
Continue what you started early fall but change to fall colors with deep purples, reds, and oranges. When the summer heat starts to back off a little in the fall, we start to see blooms like flowering kale and mums take center stage. Why not combine the two but make it monochrome? Purple mums can really show off your flowering kale. Add in some yellow gourds for a brighter look, or muted green pumpkins that blend in with the greenery.
#12 // Late Fall: Think Cornucopia!
Cornucopias are traditional Thanksgiving symbols. So around Thanksgiving, why not take this idea to the streets? Fill your window boxes with fruit, berries, and pinecones in addition to evergreens. You don’t have to use real fruit if you’re afraid of attracting all the fruit flies to your yard! However, fruit like pomegranates and apples can last for quite a while in cold weather. And one major benefit of mixing these with evergreens is that you can simply remove the fruit and leave the pinecones and evergreens once you are ready to decorate for the holidays!
Need help beyond window box ideas? We’ve got you covered. Sign up for brick&batten’s exterior home design services, and you’ll get a custom exterior design specific to your home. We’d love to help make your home the envy of the street!
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