Planting A Spring Window Box: Our Top Tips and Tricks

A window box is a beautiful way to enjoy spring flowers from the comfort of your own home. If you haven’t got a garden space, or are just looking for a way to brighten up your home, a window box is something to consider. They’re inexpensive and can make a home feel fresh and closer to the outside.

Window boxes aren’t limited to flowers, remember. Growing herbs just outside your kitchen can be helpful for your culinary experiments, or a selection of scented plants such as lavender or mint can be a great way to fill your home with natural summery smells.

Tip 1: Settle On An Initial Idea

It’s important to choose the correct flowers for where the window box will be. You need to consider how much sun exposure the box will get, how much wind there will be and whether it is at all sheltered from the inevitable British rain.

For example, sunny window boxes suit ivy, petunias and geraniums. Shaded window boxes suit ferns, fuchsias and cyclamens.

Tip 2: Plan Ahead

You should plant your bulbs in a pot, and when they’ve bloomed transfer them into the window box. This works best for midseason flowers like tulips and daffodils.

Alternatively, you can always take flowers from flowerbeds and transfer them to your window box during spring. Good flowers for this are violets and pansies.

Finally, if you’d like to grow straight from your box then autumn is the best time to start planting. Our advice is to plant the bigger bulbs first and then dot the smaller ones around it.

Tip 3: Get Your Positioning Right

For your window box to look its best you need to consider positioning. We recommend that you place taller plants, such as tulips, at the back. Draping plants such as English ivy should go near the edge of the box so they can hang over.

The best thing to do is arrange your flowers until you’re happy before you plant them. You should carefully consider your colour theme – whether you want sections to have a uniform colour, or to scatter colours more wildly.

Top your window boxes with stones or slate to look even better and to stop water from evaporating as easily.

Tip 4: Maintenance

You need to give your flowers the right amount of water for them to survive and thrive. Watering them once a day is a good amount during the summer and warmer autumn months.

As well as water, a liquid fertiliser can be a good way to keep your flowers healthy and make sure you keep on any dying leaves or flowers.

We hope you’ve found these hints and tips useful. And if it’s not just the windowsill but the window itself you think needs a new look, you’ve come to the right place. Have a look at our double and triple glazing to see our brilliant products and amazing offers.